Christopher Santos - Kitchen Sink Utility Rack

KOHLER Kitchen Sink Utility Rack: 2016

In 2016, KOHLER entered the retail kitchen accessories market -- extending its reputation for quality + thoughtful design into everyday tools. Building on the company’s experience designing premium sink accessories, our Kitchens Design Team developed a coordinated line including a dish rack, countertop squeegee, paper towel holder, automatic soap dispenser, sponge caddy, silicone mats, and a kitchen sink rack.

My contribution was the Kitchen Sink Rack -- designed with a focus on durability, intuitive use, effective water management, and a semi-universal fit to accommodate a wide range of sink basins.

As part of the larger collection, it helped establish a cohesive product family that reflected KOHLER’s commitment to purposeful, design-driven solutions for the kitchen.

insights

In 2015, KOHLER partnered with Lextant Market Research on an ethnographic study of the kitchen space. The research revealed several consistent consumer pain points:

- Visual clutter: Participants wanted clean, uncluttered kitchens and disliked having tools and accessories become visual eyesores.

- Inefficient sink workflows: Hand-washing, rinsing, drying, and storing utensils lacked a streamlined process; creating frustration.

- Tool storage gaps: Sponges and brushes often had no convenient, discreet place to live — leaving them either on the countertop or hidden awkwardly under the sink.

These insights directly informed the design direction -- guiding us toward solutions that emphasized simplicity, efficiency, + discreet organization.

"Out of Sight, Out of Mind"

opportunity

Most of our KOHLER wholesale sinks offered premium “utility racks” that were designed to work with the respective sink's unique geometry; but did not pair well with our other Kohler-branded sinks nor competitor sinks.

Ultimately, we saw an opportunity for introducing a semi-universal solution that accommodated most kitchen sinks regardless of shape and that solved for organization + storage in and around the kitchen sink itself.

KOHLER Farmstead®

KOHLER Riverby®

KOHLER Vault™

outcome

Working closely with the Kitchens Engineering Team, we developed a solution that we felt adapted to most sink sizes while remaining securely in place. This collaboration produced a versatile, thoughtfully designed product that balances practicality with KOHLER’s signature aesthetic and aligns with the brand’s premium offerings.

I take particular pride in designing the optimal wire configuration for the expandable rack -- carefully balancing form and technical requirements to achieve the final design. Ultimately, the team recognized the innovation with a design and utility patent; on which I am named as one of the inventors.

PRODUCT FEATURES

• Made to Fit: Expands 3 inches to fit most sinks (14. 6 to 17. 6 inches)

• Removable soaking cup holds utensils + cleaning tools

• Wire dishcloth rail for air-drying dishcloths

• Wire platform doubles as a drying rack for mugs, sponges, brushes, etc.

• Made of rust-resistant stainless steel

• Dishwasher safe