In the late 1980s, when Herb Kohler first brought golf to the Wisconsin village that bears his family name, he called upon the expertise of Pete Dye. The partnership between the bathroom-fixture mogul and the famed course architect gave rise to a resort that ranks among the game’s most enduring draws. And though both men have since passed, their collaborative spirit lives on.
Under the direction of Herb’s son, David, Destination Kohler has unveiled a project carried out in tandem with the artist and sculptor Daniel Arsham. One of its central features is a luxury guest cabin that marries Arsham’s modern aesthetic with a distinctive sense of place. Situated on the bluffs of Lake Michigan, a quick skip south of Whistling Straits, Kohler’s major championship venue and Ryder Cup host course, the secluded-feeling Arsham Cabin has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a wrap-around porch that gives way to arresting views of water and woodlands. The interior is a striking sight as well, adorned with furniture, artwork and whimsical accessories, all from Arsham’s portfolio. The aim, David Kohler says, is to integrate his company’s legacy of “iconic design with Arsham’s unprecedented creative expression.”
The two have more in common than meets the eye. A lifelong golfer, Arsham grew up playing the game in the Midwest, enchanted by its challenge but also by its courses, which brought to mind for him large art installations. Kohler, for his part, has a business background balanced by a love of nature and design. The two first worked together several years ago, when Arsham was brought in to help Kohler create a 3D-printed sink, a product that sold out almost overnight.
As part of their latest collaboration, Arsham created six large sculptures that have been placed around the grounds of the resort. Several of the pieces grace a Zen garden just beyond the cabin’s doorstep. The cabin accommodates four guests and comes with access to such amenities as a sports and racquet club and a 500-acre wilderness preserve for hiking, fishing and other seasonal activities.
Arsham, who began playing the game as a kid in Ohio, was smitten by its aesthetics. “There’s an artistic-sculptural-architectural proposition where you end up playing against the creator of the course itself,” he says.
Many of the idiosyncratic furnishings and fixtures, such as a pterodactyl lamp and a “broken” mirror (see photo above), are akin to what Arsham has in his New York home.
In a cap tip to the Kohler family business, the cabin boasts a new Arsham-designed bathroom collection called Landshapes, a snapshot of which is shown above.
A Zen garden, shown above, blooming with art, was inspired by a dream David Kohler had to incorporate sculpture into a golf landscape.
To learn more about Arsham in Kohler, click here.