For Kohler, “functionality must never be sacrificed to form.” Such is the case with the limited-edition Formation 01, a bathroom faucet reimagined as a functional sculpture.
A product collaboration with Dr. Samuel Ross and his industrial design studio SR_A, it debuted at the Design Miami in Kohler x SR_A’s architectural installation Terminal 01 exhibit. This faucet pushes the boundaries of colors, materials, and forms and defies the traditional design and performance of its kind with its striking angles and industrial bold Haptic Orange colorway. It challenges how we engage with the function and form of an everyday object such as a bathroom faucet.
The Formation 01 is cast as a singular sculptural object using the Kohler-exclusive material Neolast, which gives it its dramatic form and color. Neolast offers boundless form, unexpected texture, and rich, saturated colors. Then it’s mounted on an embossed escutcheon plate crafted from Kohler’s iconic cast iron, for a perfect balance of future-forward design and the timeless industrial elegance of molten iron.
In creating the faucet, Kohler and SR_A developed a bespoke waterway that renders a continuous sheet of water coming out from the faucet’s sharp angles. The rocker style handle completes the ultra-modern aesthetic of this design, which allows users to dial in the precise pressure control to experience the unique water flow.
Kohler calls the Formation 01 a “sophisticated, sculptural form that exists beyond conventional expectations” that “engages its user in an act of revelation as well as interaction.” It’s a collaboration that pays homage to Kohler’s history of material innovation with the use of the iron escutcheon plate. Meanwhile, the Haptic Orange colorway is Ross’ signature color and also evokes the 1967 debut of “Tiger Lily” in Kohler’s bathroom line.
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Images courtesy of Kohler
