Kohler Design Center

On March 25, Agata Augustine, Dawn Gomilla, and Dana Morales announced the 2026 winning designs for the 2026 inaugural Kohler Design Center Design Competition, created to inspire and celebrate future designers. The award ceremony took place at The Collective at Shops of Woodlake.

For the inaugural competition, 40 students from three high schools—Elkhart Lake High School, Sheboygan North High School, and Sheboygan South High School participated. Every entry brought excitement, creativity, and inspiration into the Kohler Design Center.

The students’ projects demonstrated that creativity could come from anywhere: vacation memories, nature, personal passions, history, and even unexpected ideas. Some students drew inspiration from Kohler products and design vignettes, while others impressed us with their thoughtful and intentional choices of finishes and materials.

Many projects explored architecture through the lens of history, accessibility and inclusivity, environmental responsibility, and Kohler’s commitment to clean water around the world. Students also shared their artistic processes and sources of inspiration—and the jurors appreciated every word.

No two designs were alike. That uniqueness is what made this competition so special—and what made selecting winners incredibly difficult. Every submission was creative, meaningful, and thoughtfully executed.

A special personal recognition to Chloe Rohde from Sheboygan North High School. While her project did not receive an award, it powerfully reminded us that disabilities do not always appear as we expect. Some disabilities, such as light sensitivity, are not visible, yet they are very real. As designers—and as people—it is essential that we notice, respect, and design with this understanding in mind. Thank you, Chloe, for sharing this important perspective.

Winning Student Designs

Grace Allen, 1st Place, Interior Design (Sheboygan North High School)
Nicole Bartoszek, Denis Mairena, and Elliot Halvorsen, 1st Place (Sheboygan North High School)
TJ Bates, Merit Award, Interior Design (Sheboygan North High School)
Madelyn Steinbecker, 1st Place, Product Design (Sheboygan South High School)
Asher Lee and Christian Mazaba, Honorable Mention, Product Design (Sheboygan North High School)
Evan DeWitt, Honorable Mention, Product Design (Sheboygan South High School)
Ailyn Valdez and Mireya Castro-Lopez, Honorable Mention, Interior Design (Sheboygan North High School)
James Schmidt, Honorable Mention, Interior Design (Elkhart Lake High School)
Mikayla Edwards, Honorable Mention, Art & Design (Sheboygan North High School)
Marina Hubble, 1st Place, Art & Design (Elkhart Lake High School)

Jurors were:

• Agata Augustine, Interior Designer, Kohler Design Center
• Shari McWilliams, Program Manager – Arts Industry, Kohler
• Dana Morales, Manager – Industrial Design, Kohler
• Megan Sprenger, Engineering Analyst II, Kohler

All winning artworks will be on display at the Kohler Design Center throughout the month of April. Students are encouraged to invite family and friends to visit and celebrate their incredible work. Kohler Design Center is located at 101 Upper Rd, Kohler, WI 53044.

Award Ceremony

Winning Designs from Sheboygan North High School and Juror Comments

Feature image: designer and artist, Jordan Gottsacker, visits the advanced art class for a critique.

Sheboygan, WI – The Kohler Design Center is pleased to announce a high school art competition in celebration of creativity and artistic talent! Sheboygan North High advanced art students will be participating in the Kohler Design Center’s Inaugural Design Competition.

This design competition provides a platform for young artists and future designers to showcase their skills, explore their artistic voices, and gain recognition for their creativity and hard work. Whether students are passionate about designing, painting, drawing,sculpting, digital art, or another medium, there is a place for them to share their unique vision.

designer and artist, Jordan Gottsacker, visits the advanced art class for a critique.

There are three design challenges in which students will respond to.

Product Design — Use your imagination and tap into the new product design world by redesigning a selected KOHLER product collection. Students can redesign a product independently or work as a group to create a whole collection.

Interior Design — Imagine the bathroom as an oasis for your mind and body by creating your dream bathroom. Select KOHLER collections and finishes to accomplish the design task. Address perspective, color theory, and design by accompanying your bathroom design with tile, paint, furniture, and layout of your choice.

Art and Design — Design a creative object as a response to your favorite room on the mezzanine level at the Kohler Design Center.

Winning work that exemplifies outstanding design in these categories will be recognized with a certificate during a reception. Winning works will be on display at the Kohler Design Center from March 25 through April 30, 2026. Recipients will be offered the opportunity to shadow the Kohler Arts/Industry team.

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