The Kohler Design Center in Kohler, Wisc.

Several years ago when my parents were renovating an old farmhouse, my mom found a new bathroom faucet at a yard sale, plopped it in front of my dad and said, "Here. Build a house around this!" That tells you something about how popular Kohler's famous ad campaign was. Alex and I had just finished touring the lovely botanical gardens at the American Club in the Village of Kohler, Wisc. last Thursday when we decided to stop by the Kohler Design Center and see if there was anything of interest. I could not have *dreamed* how much fun this would be!



You know how we tea types always refer to Anna Duchess of Bedford and that "sinking feeling" she got just before teatime? Well, I must confess I got a "sinking feeling" of my own in Kohler, and now it's blossomed into full-fledged sink lust! This pedestal sink was my favorite. I think. There's a pink one that is a close runner-up, but I somehow forgot to get a picture of it!

And though this sink is a bit modern for my tastes, I still love the hip, contemporary look.


This blue sink was another one I just loved.



And after my Wisconsin wildflower discoveries the day before, I was delighted to see this Prairie Flowers of the Midwest sink. There's the Vetch! And the Field Thistle!

We went upstairs to see what other Kohler goodies were on display for the public to see.


One of the first bathrooms we visited had a very spa-like feel, and I loved the aqua toned tiles on the square bathtub. But wait, what was that in the background?

Oh yes, a tea set! You don't know how hard it was for me not to pick it up and see who the maker was! The thought of bells and buzzers possibly going off made me keep my hands to myself, however.

Kohler's bathroom vignettes were just incredible, and I'm afraid my little pocket digital couldn't do justice to them, but trust me when I tell you the pink-paneled bathroom with the fireplace, inlaid marble floor, chandelier and sunken tub was To. Die. For. My favorite bathroom, however, was this elegant one with a skirted tub.

Here's the console sink across the room. Gorgeous!

There were kitchen vignettes as well, including this grotto-style one that my husband especially liked. If you read shelter magazines or watch the cooking shows on TV, you know that it's become popular to have water sources right at the stove. This swing-arm faucet would make it so easy to prepare pasta! But what actually caught my attention here were some familiar tea tins.

Yes, that's our beloved Harney and Sons on the shelf! So Kohler gets points for that as well.




I've spent so much time on that amazing design center, I'm going to have to cut it short and share a few garden photos without comment, which is very hard for me!

And finally, we stopped by one of the Kohler shops, Kohler Gardener, where these small teapot-shaped clay pots had just been marked down from $8.95 to $2.25. If I'd been in the car, I would have bought all they had. Since I had to stuff them in my burgeoning tote bag and lug them on the plane, I got just four and am happy to report they made it home safely. What great mementos of a fun day -- even if my husband is a tad worried I'm now in hot pursuit of a new sink!