West Bloomfield, MI Home – Contemporary Home Bathroom Renovation Uses Geberit as a Design Element

A dual guest and powder room redesign in a contemporary home 

West Bloomfield Hills, MI

Tanya Woods, AKBD, designer at Xstyles Bath+More in West Bloomfield Hills, Michigan rose to her client’s challenge: design a dual guest and powder room in an ocean theme with a recurring “white wave” tile design on all four walls. Woods chose a Geberit in-wall system that placed the toilet tank in the wall, lifted the toilet off the floor, and added more space for her design.

The Challenge

The owners of a 2046-square-foot home wanted a new, “high style” look in their outdated, combination guest bathroom and powder room. While vacationing, they had discovered an artist who painted water and beach themes, and they wanted their bathroom to reflect his work. The owners enjoy frequent entertaining, and a “water or ocean theme” would create the “wow” bathroom redesign they were hoping for.

“Creating a design with an uninterrupted flow of white waves in the bathroom was the challenge,” says Tanya Woods, AKBD, designer at Xstyles Bath+More in West Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. “Anything that was unnecessary or impeded the overall white wave pattern on all four walls – like toilet tanks or floor-mounted toilets – had to be eliminated.”

The Solution

“To make the conventional rectangular bathroom look larger and comply with the ‘water’ theme our customers requested, we placed forty-nine, 12-inch-by-36-inch flat horizontal white wave tiles that mimic water on all four walls, even in the shower and above and around the wall-hung toilet,” says Woods.

To help create an uninterrupted look Woods chose the Geberit 2×6 in-wall toilet tank system with a polished chrome Sigma01 water-saving flush actuator plate. The Geberit system places the unsightly toilet tank behind the wall. With the tank out of the way, nothing interrupts the flow of white waves surrounding all four sides of the room. The white wave tiles create a sense of continuous movement and spaciousness. Satin paint in a color that mimics storm clouds creates a striking accent and complements the water theme.

The Sigma01 flush plate is the only visible element of the Geberit system in the bathroom and allows easy access to internal components – with no tools. The shimmering chrome flush plate reflects, like water, the room’s wave design. The flush plate saves water with built-in dual flush and operates reliably push after push. The flush plate can be easily switched out if customer design requirements change.

Geberit Sigma01 flush plate in polished chrome

“The Geberit in-wall system shows off everything that’s worth seeing, while all the plumbing hardware disappears behind the wall and out of sight,” explains Ronn Jefferson, product marketing manager for Geberit North America. “With Geberit there are almost no obstacles to your design freedom when choosing placement of bathroom fixtures in new construction or renovation projects. The Better by Design brochure demonstrates the versatility and design potential provided by the Geberit in-wall system.”

To complete the water theme Woods used a carved walnut veneer cabinet, reminiscent of driftwood, with floating vanity sink. A compact waterfall faucet with open spout allows water to flow naturally. Gray marble on the floor anchors the look. Woods also employed a system that bathes the bathroom space in bright white and cobalt lighting, reflecting on the white tile as sun reflects on the water.

One unique touch – a suspended hollow orb lamp – suggests marine coral. The light from the lamp can be changed by remote to various colored LED lights, casting a blend of lights and shadows and creating an ethereal, underwater feeling. A final touch in the water-themed bathroom is a painting by her clients’ favorite artist of a Scottish terrier (their favorite breed of dog!) running down a beach with waves in the background.

“Many people are surprised that Xstyles Bath+More specialize in the design and installation of bathrooms,” says Woods. “We distinguish ourselves from other designers by focusing on our favorite room in the house, any room with a toilet. We prefer the Geberit flush systems in our toilet design over problematic chains and flappers that could corrode and fail.”

Geberit installation system

“Our design received first place in the small bathroom category in the 2018 NKBA design awards. Geberit in-wall systems gave us more uninterrupted wall space to effectively use a wave-based tile design for our customer.” — Tanya Woods, AKBD

“We have used Geberit in-wall systems for years and will continue to use them in the future,” says Woods. “This time Geberit became part of our design. Our customer got their water-themed dual guest bathroom and powder room in part thanks to Geberit.”

Design Firm: Xstyles Bath+More

Interior Designer: Tanya Woods, AKBD

Photo: Beth Singer Photography, Inc.