Upgrade Your Home, Effortlessly (Win!)

From modular floor and wall vents that seamlessly integrate into the spaces they inhabit, to the ingenious bathroom storage that is hidden in between wall joists, our friends at Fittes have advanced solutions that are equally aesthetically pleasing as functional and make upgrading your home effortless. With these modular home design options, Canadians can customize their home more than ever before without breaking the bank. We chatted with CEO of Fittes, Roberta Mantenuto, to learn more! —Vita Daily 

Hello Roberta! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

Hi there! I’m Roberta Mantenuto, CEO of Fittes (formerly known as Aria Vent). After completing my undergraduate degree in Media Studies and a postgraduate degree in public relations, I never thought I’d be selling vents and building materials. But after backpacking across Central America, my dad called me with his latest invention – the Aria Vent. My Dad has always been kind of a mad scientist inventor my whole life. He’s just always had the wildest ideas, and I promise you, this is the only invention he’s made that hasn’t cost my family money. Seven years later, we’re continuing to reimagine the mundane functional components around the home such as air vents, recessed device mounts, shower niches and bathroom accessories, like hidden bathroom garbage bins. This has allowed us to shape a new approach to the antiquated, male-dominated building material industry. 

When and why was Fittes launch? What niche was/is it aiming to fill?

We launched Fittes on July 18, 2023 as a rebrand and expansion off our OG line, Aria Vent. Our decision to rebrand was due to our evolution beyond our original products, to include a diverse range of high-quality interior finishes. Our aim is to really fill the empty space of providing cutting-edge modular building offerings to the market, with a core philosophy of things fitting perfectly into place. Our products are seamlessly hidden or can be modified with the material of your choice so that they fit into your interior design scheme. This makes them fully customizable to your home. As an example, the Aria Lite floor vent can be installed with any material, so you match to your flooring – it makes your floors look even more elevated. 

We hear that, in addition to innovative modular building material solutions, Fittes offers a very diverse range of timely solutions to the home improvement space. Can you tell us what products the company currently offers, and what makes them unique?

What’s great is that our products can be installed at any time and don’t necessarily take a reno pro to do- so you don’t need to wait to renovate your whole house to add those designer finishes to your home. Fittes offers a range of home improvement products, including the Flush Floor Vent Luxe – a minimal, flush floor vent that can be customized with any flooring material. We also offer The Flush Drywall Exhaust Mount Lite, an ultra-minimal exhaust fan mount and cover equipped with a lightweight ABS plastic drywall bead that contours seamlessly into the drywall surface. The WC Niche Luxe is a water closet kit that holds all bathroom essentials and features a hidden door for storing a garbage bin and other unsightly items. The Flush Drywall Receptacle Lite integrates wall plates flush to the wall surface with a lightweight ABS plastic drywall bead. Finally, the No-See Shower Niche is a minimalist drop-in niche designed with a hinged door to conceal shower toiletries, and it can be customized to blend seamlessly into the surrounding wall.

Tell us, is it possible for home design/improvement products to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing? How does Fittes achieve this balance?

Great question. I think it really is possible to balance those things. We firmly believe in the importance of achieving the perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics, which is reflected in our core philosophy of things fitting perfectly into place and as our products are customizable – they take on your own style. That means you never have to compromise on your design vision. We’ve prioritized seamless integration and customization in our product designs, ensuring that they can complement any architectural style or interior design aesthetic. When it comes to design, items like floor vents are often overlooked but they make a huge impact in elevating the appearance of a room, which is why creating stylish alternatives to traditional building components and accessories was such a priority for us. Moreover, our user-friendly products empower both professionals and DIY enthusiasts to create custom homes with ease. 

Do you have any advice for Canadians who wish to customize their home without breaking the bank?

Invest in the details, as they often make a big impression when enjoying your space. We have professional and DIY versions of our products which are designed to make ‘custom’ quicker to achieve (the work that often ‘breaks the bank’). Something as simple as swapping out your air vents or bathroom fan to a modular sleek option can give an elevated look to your living spaces (alternatively, outdated finishes can drag down an otherwise stunning space). My advice would be to consider without committing your budget and time to a major renovation.  

This is a tough question, but what are your personal top three product picks from among the Fittes range, and why do you love them? 

• High Performance Framed & Flush Wall Vents: Our vents are compatible with all HVAC systems but we’ve been excited to bring a high performance version to market for the more powerful HVAC systems out there.
• The WC Niche: It is an ultra-minimal water closet kit that holds all your bathroom-y stuff! Designed with a hidden door that stores a garbage bin and other unsightly bathroom essentials – it makes bathrooms feel so clean and elegant. 
• And finally, the Aria Framed OG Floor Vent (Luxe): This was our first product to market so it holds a special place at Fittes. We lovingly call it the OG.

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Win! A $500 Gift Card To Help Your Home Improvement Project From From Fittes!

Congrats Michael F. of Saskatoon, SK, who will receive a $500 gift card from Fittes! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.