This post is sponsored by Kohler

Last week, all of the plumbing fixtures got installed in our bathroom. The water is running! So although we don’t have mirrors or a shower door yet, it’s technically a working bathroom! Back in February, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit Kohler, Wisconsin (the most charming town I’ve ever been to, honestly) and the Kohler design center and factory. You can read all about that visit here. But it was that visit that gave us so much inspiration on the direction we wanted to go with our bathroom — matte black faucets mixed with traditional elements for a fresh, but classic look. We checked out all of their toilets and sinks and tubs and ordered almost everything we needed for our bathroom when we got home.

It’s surreal seeing them in place now, nine months later, but rewarding, too. There’s not a ton of detailed information out there about plumbing fixtures for your bathroom, so we’re going to be as detailed as we can about what we chose (and why) in this post. I was also grateful that Kohler’s website directs you to other parts needed for certain faucets or sinks, which was really helpful, too!

We did a quick video walk-through of all of our choices, but if still images and words are more your speed–keep scrolling. I spill a lot more details in the post

Matte Black Faucet Finishes

Kohler has so many finishes on their faucets, and I was having trouble deciding between polished nickel, a warm brass, or matte black; but I am so excited about where we landed with the Matte Black! Matte black goes with everything, giving you the ability to pair with other colors and finishes without fear of clashing. We used it as the grounding metal in our bathroom and mixed in some brass hardware on the cabinets, and there’s a polished nickel on the sink base and pocket doors. I feel like it adds the perfect amount of drama where I wanted it, yet simplicity in other areas. And while the matte black finish added a lot to our designs aesthetically, I also loved how functional it will be over time.

We honed in on Kohler’s Purist line for the faucets throughout the bathroom. It single handedly brings the modern to our modern/traditional aesthetic and the line has so much variety, we were able to find exactly what we needed for our design. Including a stunning tub filler with a hand shower attachment, seen above. It’s enough to make me a tub person, just you wait.

We loved our wall-mounted faucets so much in our last home (also from the Kohler Purist line) that we went for it again. It makes cleaning the counter so simple. We mounted the faucets 6 inches from the countertop and the water hits the center of the drain every time, in case you’re curious about height.

For the water closet, which I’ll talk more about in a second, we used the single-lever faucet in matte black.

And we filled the shower with a shower head, hand shower, and for the first time — body sprays! In our last home, we added a rain shower, but passed on it this time, in favor of the multiple sprays directed at the body since we wanted to add a hydrotherapy experience.

We put the volume controls (and thermostatic valves) right by the opening of the door when you open it, so you can turn it on before hopping in. And the controls for the hand shower by the bench are by the door, but on the opposite side of the opening since we’ll likely not use it until we’re in the shower…probably shaving. Ha! (Also good for *cleaning* the shower!)

If you aren’t familiar with thermostatic valves, I can’t recommend them enough! They allow you to set the temperature and keep it there at all times. So when you turn on your shower or body sprays, it will automatically warm to your set temperature. It’s a small luxury that makes a big difference!

Our Eir Intelligent Toilet 

When we visited Kohler, we spent over an hour talking with them about toilets. When we moved into this house, the toilet had a bidet attachment (our first experience), and we fell in love. Kohler has a great variety of Bidet attachments that we were leaning toward, but before we left, they had sold us on their Eir Intelligent Toilet and, if you can swing it, it’s an absolute game-changer.

This toilet is luxe! It features a full complement of convenient features including heated seat, customizable cleansing, nightlight, hands-free opening/closing, automatic flush, plus a touchscreen remote and dual-flush technology. So, YES, it cleans itself. And flushes itself. And closes the lid ITSELF. No turning on a light to use the restroom in the middle of the night, because it has the perfect nightlight.

We have the remote mounted on the wall, which includes access to a large variety of personalized cleansing  options (adjustable pressure, temperature, location).

All that, and it looks beautiful, too. It’s is almost a piece of art. It’s sleek and tankless. I love the skirted design combined with a back-to-wall installation that allows for concealed connections to make the toilet a beautiful centerpiece in any bathroom and allows us to see more of that pretty wallpaper.

Sinks!

On the other side of the water closet, we installed a console sink from Kohler (with a single-handle faucet) after a reader suggested it! “If you have enough room, an extra sink in the wash room will keep you from having to go to your vanities to wash up afterward!” Our water closet is about 3×6′ and we loved the idea. We measured and we totally had enough room! I’m so grateful for the suggestion because it has been such a lovely addition. Small time saver and it definitely helps to not spread germs, too. We’ll add a mirror over the sink, but love that the sink console doubles as a towel bar. We really wanted to keep this room minimal in additions, but maximized on function! That’s really the sweet spot, isn’t it?

Our vanity sinks are another item we spent a lot of time talking with the Kohler Designer about. We ended up going with a simple 17 1/4″ W x 13″ D rounded rectangle that feels so clean — I love it. But when it came to color, we decided to go with their “Dune” color, instead of white. We knew we were going to go with a natural stone for our countertops (read more about that here) and really wanted the sinks to blend and look soft in place. I never really thought of doing anything other than a white sink, but it’s my BIGGEST takeaway. It matters! Go for a sink that feels intentional with your design.

Kohler has so many colors, but Dune is a subtle, light neutral shade that complements a wide variety of materials and lends a calm, soothing feel to any space. It’s flexible to both warm and cool palettes (which we mixed in our space), but I’d say Dune leans more cool and offers a comfortable alternative to white.

Tub

That brings us full circle back to the tub. You may remember in our last home, we removed the tub completely in favor of a large shower. The footprint of this bathroom is larger, so we didn’t have to choose. And, like I said before, this tub has the power to make me a bath person. It’s shape is so classic and the depth and length are dreamy! I can have my legs straight and be fully submerged in this. It’s comfortable and a beautiful centerpiece to our bathroom.

Now that the plumbing fixtures are in, we’re layering in all the finishing touches for the final reveal. Curtains, mirrors, a rug, lights, art, plants! We’re excited to move back in (we demoed this bathroom in July!) and really enjoy all of these details we put so much thought into.

Sources:

Tub Filler
Wall-Mounted Faucets
Shower Head
Hand Shower
Body Sprays
Volume Controls
Thermostatic Valves
Eir Intelligent Toilet
Console Sink
Single-Handle Faucet
Sink Console
Tub