Toilet of luxury
The Numi toilet from Kohler Co. is not your standard toilet. With more features in it than you might find in a whole master suite, Kohler’s new toilet was designed to meet the demand of the luxury market. “It was designed to be on the leading edge of design and technology. We spent a lot of time and emphasis on creating a product that would have the winning combination,” says Mike Marbach, product manager for toilets and bidets, Kohler Co.
It was hard to miss the buzz at the Kohler booth during the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas this past April when the Numi was introduced. Attendees were often overheard discussing it beyond booth 4714 — both on the show floor and Twitter. With a toilet that has so many features to it, Residential Design + Build had to ask how Kohler became inspired to create such a product. “To create the world’s best toilet,” Marbach quips.
“We wanted to find out what types of features, innovations and technologies used today can be brought into a product — to think about a toilet in ways they haven’t before,” Marbach says.
Features of the Numi include: built-in bidet technology with water temperature control, water pressure control and built-in air dryer; water saving flush with dual-flush functionality, 1.28 gal. of water for solids and 0.6 gal. of water for liquids; automatic flushing system that recognizes when the toilet only needs to flush liquids; ambient lighting that can be set to turn on when someone enters the room; FM radio and MP3 docking station with speakers; heated seat and foot warmer; automatic top opener, and more. Allowing for personalized settings, users can set six separate settings on the touchpanel remote. The remote was designed for simplicity avoiding an intimidating 30-button panel. It is water-resistant but not waterproof.
Though this toilet has many robust features, it was designed to be installer-friendly, allowing any plumber to install it, Marbach says. It does require electricity so depending on local codes, an electrician may be needed for part of the installation.
Builders and designers need to keep two things in mind when it comes to the Numi: It requires a dedicated GFI 120-volt outlet, and the docking station has a cord that runs to the toilet allowing for features to operate. Marbach recommends the cord be placed behind the wall during construction.
For more information about the Numi toilet, visit kohler.com/numi or circle 24. Kohler also provides an installation video on kohler.com/numi.
