Few press releases contain the words “Delftware” and “toilet” in the same sentence, and fewer still do it with a straight face. This one manages it effortlessly.
Kohler, the storied Wisconsin maker of kitchen and bathroom fixtures, has partnered with Aerin Lauder—founder and creative director of the lifestyle brand AERIN and granddaughter of Estée Lauder—on a new Artist Editions bathroom collection called Fleurette. Launched on November 4, the collaboration is rooted in personal heritage: Lauder grew up surrounded by the blue-and-white Delftware her grandmother displayed throughout her homes, a passion that inspired a collection of her own. Originating in 17th-century Holland, Delftware is the iconic tin-glazed earthenware celebrated for its hand-painted florals, serene landscapes, and unmistakable cobalt hue.
What’s in the Collection
Fleurette comprises three sculptural silhouettes crafted in Kohler’s white vitreous china and finished with hand-applied botanical motifs: the Memoirs Stately toilet, the Memoirs Stately pedestal sink, and the Caxton rectangle undermount sink. The collection is offered in two palettes: a classic, crisp blue-and-white, and a soft green-and-white tailored to coordinate with Kohler’s Heritage Aspen Green fixtures. Rather than reproducing historic Delft patterns verbatim, Lauder sought to distill their romance into illustrations that feel airy, organic, and timeless.
Each piece is brought to life through Kohler’s Artist Editions studio, where precision engineering meets decorative techniques executed by master artisans in Kohler, Wisconsin. Born out of the brand’s renowned Arts/Industry residency, the program has championed the intersection of fine art and industrial craft for more than four decades. Pricing is available upon private inquiry.
The Map to Modern Luxury
THE CURATED CALENDAR
Discover the world’s most prestigious gatherings & exhibitions
What the Kohler x Aerin Collaboration Is Really About
- The powder room as a jewel box. Historically, the powder room has been the one space in a residence permitted a sense of theatricality—an intimate canvas for hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper, an antique Venetian mirror, or rare marble. Yet the porcelain fixtures themselves almost always remained polite and utilitarian. Elevating the fixture itself into a decorative centerpiece is a natural progression, embodying Lauder’s vision of bringing genuine artistry to the most unexpected corners of a home.
- The new definition of modern craft. The brilliance of Fleurette lies in its hybrid nature: architectural forms engineered for modern performance, elevated by the human hand. It follows the same collector logic found in Fornasetti’s hand-silkscreened cabinetry or bespoke trunks—contemporary luxury no longer insists that every component be made from scratch by hand, only that the soul of the piece is finished by an artisan.
- A timeless palette, reimagined. Blue and white endures in interior architecture because it bridges eras effortlessly. Translating that heritage onto vitreous china offers designers and homeowners a piece that feels both deeply grounded in decorative history and quietly daring.
- The power of lineage. A creative director drawing from her grandmother’s private collection, paired with a multi-generational American manufacturer steeped in craft history, creates an authentic narrative of continuity. Fleurette is conceived as true heirloom design—a fitting philosophy for architectural fixtures meant to live with a house for decades.
The Collector’s Perspective
A hand-decorated porcelain suite is, by design, a deeply personal commission—created not for the mainstream, but for the discerning homeowner or interior architect who treats every square foot of a residence as an opportunity for curation. For over forty years, Kohler’s Artist Editions have served as the house’s haute-couture atelier, demonstrating what happens when utilitarian objects are liberated from purely functional expectations and treated as functional sculpture.
In a luxury landscape often dominated by loud statements, Fleurette offers something far rarer: intimacy and quiet permanence. After a season of grand gestures—from historic estates to bespoke supercars—here is a gentler indulgence: a private garden of hand-painted botanicals, blooming in the quietest room of the house.
