Kohler Is Bringing Back This Vintage Toilet Color—And the Shade Is Shocking

Kohler has been playing with its archival colors in all kinds of ways lately, reissuing greens, pinks, yellows, and more for its bathtubs, sinks, and toilets. The eye-catching moves continue with the company’s latest collaboration with artist-designer Dr. Samuel Ross and his industrial design studio SR_A. Yes, you’re seeing straight: It’s bright orange.

Formation 02, a limited-edition silhouette for the Eir smart toilet, is the second entry in Ross’s Formation line with the brand, preceded by an architectural faucet made from a new composite material called Neolast. The electric hue draws inspiration from Tiger Lily, a color Kohler introduced in 1967 for various applications in the bathroom and a signature of the designer. 

Brutalist in style, the commode’s shape pays homage to the velocity and power of water. Unique molding and tooling techniques result in a base with dramatic angles and texture, not unlike cliffs or crags carved over time by water. Combined with the orange color, Formation 2 would make a serious statement in an all-white, windowless powder room, funky pool house, or a maximalist main bathroom. (This isn’t the first time we’ve been taken with an orange toilet—peep the tangerine surprise in this Paris apartment.) 

It still comes with all the features of the Eir: a heated seat, customizable cleansing, nightlight, hands-free opening/closing, automatic flush, and a touch-screen remote. “Formation 02 combines our industrial expertise and technological prowess with our strong belief in the power of creativity to challenge and drive forward progress,” says Scott Edmunds, vice president of Kohler Marketing. The piece will debut at Milan Design Week this year and be available at sra.kohler.com on April 16. Who said shower tile was the only way to go bold in the bathroom?