Kohler x SR_A unveil limited-edition smart toilet 'Formation 02' and installation for MDW

Kohler, a global lifestyle brand and leader in kitchen and bath products, returns to Milan Design Week with the world premiere of a large-scale immersive installation in partnership with artist designer, Dr Samuel Ross MBE and his industrial design studio, SR_A, along with the global unveiling of Formation 02, a new smart toilet, the second product from the Kohler x SR_A multi-year partnership. “Formation 02 furthers our celebrated partnership with SR_A and Dr Samuel Ross, bringing new and unexpected design and exemplifying Kohler’s history of design and innovation excellence,” says Scott Edmunds, VP of Kohler Marketing. “Formation 02 combines our industrial expertise and technological prowess with our strong belief in the power of creativity to challenge and drive forward progress.”

Drawing inspiration from the velocity and power of water in nature, Formation 02 represents a departure in design language in this brutalist silhouette. Utilising unique moulding and tooling techniques, the toilet’s base features dramatic colours, edges, and angles, juxtaposed with the softness of integrated cylindrical shapes. It is through this new design, alongside the Formation 01 faucet, that Ross intends to amplify the movement and experience of water offering a place of reconsideration among daily objects and rituals. On the design, Ross says, “We continue to look to nature's power and the defining feats of industrial engineering. Be it through the unique embellishments of water character, or through nature's force to reshape the material. Within Formation 02, you will be reminded of the journey water must embark upon.”

Formation 02 exemplifies innovation in the smart toilet category while introducing a new design silhouette on Kohler’s Eir Smart Toilet. With convenient features including a heated seat, customisable cleansing, nightlight, hands-free opening/closing, automatic flush, plus a touchscreen remote, Formation 02 epitomises innovation and comfort. The industrial Haptic Orange hue pays homage to Kohler’s 1967 debut of Tiger Lily in its bathroom line, blending Ross’ signature colour with Kohler’s legacy of colour leadership. Formation 02 is the second product drop for the partnership, continuing to embrace Ross’ avant-garde artistic approach while honouring Kohler’s 150 years of developing a new design language for water solutions.

Formation 02 will be unveiled at FuoriSalone through a large-scale site-specific installation titled Terminal 02, hosted at Palazzo del Senato (Via Senato 10) daily from April 16 through April 21. Terminal 02 will invite visitors to journey through a maze-like network of industrial pipes that lead to the Formation 02 toilet. This immersive experience will allow visitors to witness the flow of water in different shapes and levels, ideas of flow and control, alongside discovery and play will be brought together through an aesthetic that utilises elements of natural landscape juxtaposed with industrial and scale engineering. The industrial, brutalist products and installation sit within the grand pillars of the historic Palazzo del Senato reflecting its classical architectural elements and the sky above. Honouring the heritage of traditional craftsmanship as well as pushing into new territories to change our perspective on the essential element of water, the installation will embody the shared philosophy between Kohler and SR_A.