With its carefully tended garden out front and lofty, sunlit interior, it may be hard to imagine that the Kohler Design Center was originally a recreation hall for residents of the Village of Kohler. In 1985, the building was transformed into a 36,000-square-foot showcase for the extensive array of quality products offered by the Kohler family of businesses.

Kohler Design Center

The Design Center has grown to become a dramatic exploration of design ideas, the quintessence of Kohler’s commitment to providing products that contribute to a higher level of gracious living. Every detail is presented with energy and innovation to reinforce the company’s image as a leader in technology, color and style.

A source of inspiration for well over 100,000 consumers, builders, architects and designers each year, the Kohler Design Center is a curious mix of past, present and future.

The Museum Kohler’s long and colorful history lesson starts in the lower level of the Design Center with a look at the beginnings of the company and the Village of Kohler, one of the first planned communities in the United States.

A short film and extensive displays provide an historic perspective of the company, from its establishment in 1873 as a maker of cast iron farm implements to its present day status as the nation’s plumbing industry leader.

Growth in Kohler’s product lines and changes in consumers’ tastes are witnessed throughout the museum. Original artwork from early product advertisements enhance the displays of product they promoted.

The lower level also houses a gallery of ceramic and cast iron works created in the Kohler factories by artists from around the world who have participated in the company’s Arts/Industry program. Developed in 1974 by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, this ongoing artist-in-residence program continues to receive national recognition for its success in bringing the arts and industry together.

The Product Pavilion

The front of the Design Center’s main floor showcases the products of many of the companies that comprise the Kohler family of businesses. Displays of colorful tile from Ann Sacks Tile & Stone stand before elegant armchairs and armoires from Baker Funiture. A dining set from a McGuire Furniture line exhibits the hand-crafted artistry for which the rattan furniture manufacturer is famous. A display of Kohler generators and vivid red engines, some hanging overhead, are silhouetted against a startling white expanse.

The remainder of the ground level is devoted to Kohler plumbing products. An extensive array of bathtubs, showers, toilets, lavatories and faucets—many of them working models—provide an explosion of color, patterns and textures which contrast with the industrial look of the facility’s overall interior space.

Kohler’s own "great wall of china," a soaring floor-to-ceiling display of plumbing fixtures in all shapes, sizes and colors, lends a sense of theater and excitement. Many other products are displayed on original factory vehicles and stanchions which have been blackened to blend into the black floor. The openness of the space and the vitality of the architecture throughout was designed to register the strength and dynamics of the company.

The Water Deck
The water deck overlooks the first level and provides visitors with the opportunity to explore an oasis of working whirlpools. This "aquatic sculpture garden" is enhanced by glass block waterfalls, making it one of the most memorable displays in the Design Center.