Photography courtesy of Kohler
Like so many major developments in history, it all began with a romance. A traveling salesman from Chicago, John Michael Kohler, was in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, working his territory when he met—and lost his heart to—Lillie Vollrath, a local beauty whose father owned the Sheboygan Cast Steel Co. Kohler purchased a share of the company, which made iron and steel implements for farmers, for $5,000. Then Kohler started a company that added legs to cast-iron horse troughs and lined them with porcelain. Toilets followed. Then sinks. Then an empire.
Kohler, a native Austrian, died in 1900, and his son Walter carried on in his stead. Workers were recruited from Europe, and from 1918 until 1978, they roomed in a dormitory across the road from the factory. At the beginning, the men paid a monthly rent of $27.50, or one-third of their wages. By the time the dorm was shuttered, that fee had climbed to $85.
The workers could buy a small Tudor or ranch house in stucco, wood, brick, or a combination of those materials. The Kohlers paid for the labor to build the houses; the workers popped for the materials. And of course, the fixtures would be by Kohler. Two houses shared one driveway—and the idyllic Village of Kohler was created. Today, the population numbers approximately 2,000, and the town runs its own school, police and fire departments, post office, and village hall.
After closing down the dorm, the current owner, Herb Kohler (fourth generation), decided to remodel it into a first-class, very expensive hotel called The American Club. After opening in 1981, it holds the distinction of being the only AAA Five Diamond hotel in Wisconsin. Kohler also converted quite a few of the several thousand acres the family owned into first-class golf courses, Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits. (The Kohlers also own a hotel and a luxury apartment house located on the legendary St. Andrews Links golf course in Fife, Scotland.)
The American Club falls as close to a slice of pure heaven as you are going to find within a day’s drive of St. Louis. Men dressed like the fictional duffer Bagger Vance greet you at your car. A world-class spa operates next door to the elegant inn. In the basement is a four-star restaurant, The Immigrant. The hotel also has a glass-enclosed conservatory for tea, a bar famous for its cheese curds, and employees who practically trip over each other trying to help guests.
A privately held company, Kohler has mushroomed over the years, extending its reach into the home design world by acquiring such high-end companies as Baker furniture; Kallista luxury plumbing; Robern mirrors, cabinets, and vanities; and Ann Sacks tile. All the goods and various product lines are displayed in the Kohler Design Center, within walking distance of The American Club.
Led by Kohler interior designer Eric Moore, the multilevel showroom features everything Kohler—from the reasonable (a $99 kit that turns a regular toilet into a touchless one) to the ridiculous (a $6,000 toilet that does just about everything but serve cocktails). Even the lowly toilet lid has gone uptown and, as Moore explains, now comes with features like a tight grip, night light, quiet close, and quick release.
“Our bread-and-butter is toilets,” Moore says. “We have two-piece toilets, elongated, comfort height, traditional to contemporary, and one-piece versions as well.”
Kohler has tweaked every kitchen and bath fixture. For example, Kohler’s Preserve stainless-steel sink comes with a finish that is nonscratchable. And the deep kitchen sink with a low divider makes it easier to clean skillets with long handles.
In a germ-phobic world, touchless is the trend. In the kitchen, Kohler sells Sensate faucets, activated with a gentle wave of the hand. In showers, the DTV Prompt ($336.95) is a digital control panel placed outside the shower so you can set the temperature, steam, water sources (from a multitude of showerheads), and music flow before you ever slip a toe inside.
“There’s lots going on in showers,” Moore says, pointing out the newest HydroRail, a rainhead, showerhead, and hand shower combo.
But in terms of luxury, Kohler’s baths take the cake. Heated backs. Lumbar support. Massage by bubbles shooting out the sides of the tubs. Chromatherapy. Infinity edges.
Moore points out a tub with acoustic technology. “It comes with six different experiences, but you can plug in your own music if you want to as well,” he says. “It sends vibrations above and below the water. So you can hear the music under the water. You become so relaxed your heartbeat goes to the same pace as the music.”
And to think it all started with a lovesick salesman.
