In a move that could revolutionize the way building products are marketed and sold, kitchen and bath giant Kohler has debuted a new concept for reaching out to consumers and design professionals. This week, the company launched the Kohler Experience Center (KEC), with the opening of its flagship center at 6 West 22nd Street in New York City.
The KEC will contain more than 20 fully functioning displays of the firm's global product line, including showers, tubs, sinks, and toilets, arranged in kitchen and bath vignettes. Visitors will able to not only look at products but try them out, as customers can make appointments at the Experience Center’s private bathing center to use Kohler’s bathing products first-hand. These include the Real Rain water delivery system, which mimics natural rain; the DTV+ digital showering system, a smart shower interface; and VibrAcoustic Hydrotherapy, a bath speaker/water vibration system.
The KEC will also offer a global specification service, geared toward design professionals working on international projects. The service will allow architects and designers access to Kohler products across the globe. A team of experts is available on-site to help source and resolve project issues, and videoconferencing with international experts is available by appointment.
“We recognized a tremendous need across the industry for a deeper knowledge and insight into how our products work,” says Larry Yuen, Kohler president of Kohler's Global Kitchen & Bath Group. “From a plumbing perspective, the products that work in a bathroom in Milan are acutely different from those that need to work in a hotel in Dubai, for instance. Our goal with the KEC is to provide design professionals with both the ability to source and resolve all plumbing needs on a global scale from any KEC location.”
Eight more centers are set to open this year, including in London, Los Angeles, and Shanghai. Each KEC location will house select pieces from Kohler’s permanent art collection and from the Arts/Industry resident artist program through the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
“Our Kohler Experience Centers build upon the success of our Signature Stores and will uniquely provide a deeper immersion into our product offerings for trade professionals sourcing and selecting the best products for any project, wherever it may be in the world,” says David Kohler, president and chief executive officer.
