1929: Kohler Makes the Bathroom Beautiful

Life without labor is guilt; Labor without art is brutality - John Ruskin, 1870.

This quote by John Ruskin was a favorite of Walter Kohler, Sr., Kohler Co.’s president from 1905 to 1940. He, as well as all Kohler family members past and present, recognized that art and creativity are indispensable to life.

A great example of this philosophy was Kohler’s participation in an innovative exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in the spring of 1929. This exhibit recognized the artistic qualities of ordinary household objects.

Kohler Co. partnered with prominent New York City architect Ely Jacques Kahn to design an exhibit to showcase the modern bathroom. Kahn used Kohler fixtures in black–a Universal bathtub and Deauville lavatory–and paired them with chrome Kohler Cellini fittings. These Kohler fittings and fixtures were then accented with black and pink tile.

At the time of the exhibit, most bathrooms had a white and sterile look. By using black fixtures and contrasting pink tile, Kahn demonstrated how creative bathroom design could be.

Holger Cahill, a member of the museum’s staff, was quoted as saying, “The Kohler exhibit at the Metropolitan is just another indication that American engineers and manufacturers are making real contributions to modern design. When the general run of American manufacturers are convinced–as the Kohler people are–of the value of art in industry, they will introduce into all the furnishings of the home…the same splendid serviceability and convenience which have made the world admit that the American bathroom is a thing of beauty.”