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Kohler has a stellar reputation for offering some of the best toilets on the market, with the Santa Rosa being many critics top choice. If you’re hunting for a new toilet system, you really can’t go wrong with any Kohler offerings.
Kohler offers a wide array of products, so making a choice between models is sometimes tricky. To help you, we’ve conducted reviews of some of the best and most popular toilet systems on the market.
PRODUCT DETAILS

Kohler Santa Rosa
An excellent choice at an astounding price point
- Great focus on water efficiency
- Outstanding customer reviews
- Reasonably priced
- Easy installation
- Incredibly comfortable
Kohler Santa Rosa – An Excellent Choice at an Astounding Price Point
Kohler was founded in Wisconsin in 1873. Today, it is considered one of the leading manufacturers of toilets and other bathroom appliances.
Kohler pays special attention to its corporate social responsibility and seeks to enhance the quality of life through design and innovation.
Today we will be taking a look at one of the most popular models in Kohler’s range, the Santa Rosa. Read on for our comprehensive review and assessment, and whether we consider this a “must buy”!
Design
The Kohler Santa Rose is an elegantly designed system, which will sit proudly in any bathroom. One thing that Kohler does particularly well is focusing on the comfort of the user. Santa Rosa is no exception.
This model is built at a ‘comfort height’, meaning it is slightly taller than the typical toilet model. This allows the user to easily manoeuvre on and off, with little discomfort.
To add to this, the elongated bowl offers a deeper seat, adding to the comfort. This is particularly useful for men, as it provides more space where it is needed. The downside to an elongated bowl is that children may struggle to use it, so you may need to buy a special child seat for ease of use.
The elongated bowl works to distribute your body weight over a wider area, which naturally makes for a more pleasant and comfortable experience.
Although the bowl is longer, it manages to occupy the same amount of space in your bathroom.
The Kohler Santa Rosa comes in just one-piece. This makes for an exquisite and slimline silhouette, appropriate for any bathroom. We think this works particularly well in modern, contemporary homes, but will suit a more traditional bathroom as well.
Technical Details
Item Weight | 102 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 31 x 20.8 x 29 inches |
Item model number | 3810-0 |
Size | 12 Inch |
Material | China |
Shape | Elongated |
Installation Method | Floor Mounted |
Water Consumption | 1.28 GPF |
Flush Type | Gravity Flush Toilets |
Handle/Lever Placement | Left |
Number of Handles | 1 |
Certification | WaterSense |
Warranty Description | One Year Limited Warranty |
Materials
The Santa Rosa is made from vitreous china, which is a glaze applied to the toilet protecting the underlying material. The glaze works to prolong the life of your toilet by acting as a barrier of protection. It also has the wonderful benefit of giving it a luxurious, glossy finish.
Did you know that the bathroom is the most used room in the house? Given your toilet will last for many years of use, the glazing will help protect your system, leaving it looking as good as new for many years to come.
The Santa Rosa also comes fitted with a classy chrome flush lever, which can be customised to fit the left or right side of your tank, depending on the layout of your room.
Aesthetics
The Santa Rosa is offered with a compact, elongated bowl. This creates a wonderfully elegant silhouette which is guaranteed to receive many compliments.
The one-piece design and glossy finish help to deliver a classy aesthetic which you will be proud to show off in your home.
Colours
The Kohler Santa Rosa comes in an astonishing seven different choices of colours. This vast range makes it easy to find a palette that will blend in nicely with your bathroom and its existing appliances.
Check out our list of colours and recommendations for the Santa Rosa:
- White The most popular and versatile choice, white goes well in every bathroom, contemporary or classic. A timeless and straightforward option.
- Biscuit Described as a soft and creamy colour with a hint of yellow, this colour tends to suit a more ‘country’ aesthetic.
- Almond Is inspired by the pebbles and driftwood you may find on a beach. Almond works to add an earthy element to your bathroom.
- Dune Adds a wonderfully calming effect to any room. A relatively neutral and light colour, it works best in a brighter room and is an excellent alternative to white.
- Ice Grey Incredible cooling, Ice Grey is a soft, relaxed shade which is also a solid alternative to a white toilet.
- Sandbar Works best to complement slate, ceramic and wood textures. Obviously inspired by the seashore, it offers a beautiful beachy quality to any bathroom.
- Black Black Can be hard to pull off in a bathroom, but if done well, it looks incredible.
Flush
The Santa Rosa comes is incredibly water-efficient, using only 1.28 gallons per flush.
As with all Kohler models, this model is fitted with Kohler’s aqua piston. With this feature, water enters the toilet bowl from a 360-degree angle which works to deliver a very efficient flush.
The flush also makes use of gravity combined with an innovatively designed tank to create an incredibly strong siphon effect during flushing. This makes the whole process far more efficient.
Maintenance and Cleaning
As with all one piece models, cleaning is truly a simple job.
The downside of having a two-piece model is that dust and grime can often become trapped in between the joints of the system, which means regular cleaning is required.
A one-piece system requires a brief wipe down with a damp cloth to keep it looking as good as new.
The elongated bowl allows easier access to the traditionally harder to reach areas, making regular cleaning much more manageable.
Given Kohler is one of the industry leaders in the toilet market, many plumbers will be familiar with them. Should you require any help from an expert, you can be sure for a quick and easy fix.
Spare parts are also widely available, you can find them easily on Amazon.
Water Efficiency
When it comes to water efficiency, the Santa Rosa ticks all the boxes.
At 1.28 gallons a flush, you can be sure that your system is not adding to your water bills. The system is also WaterSense certified, meaning it uses 20% less water than alternative systems on the market.
Although it uses less water, the incredibly efficient flush means it doesn’t cut corners on power.
Ease of Installation
Some homeowners with a passion for DIY may prefer to carry out home improvements themselves.
The good news is that because of the one-piece design, Santa Rosa is very easy to install.
The downside of the one-piece design is that it can be a little challenging to manoeuvre and lift, so you may wish to enlist some help if you plan on doing it yourself.
The Santa Rosa has a standard 12” (305mm) rough-in, meaning it will slot right into place of most existing systems.
Many customers have said they had little trouble installing the system by following the instructions that come with the toilet.
Durability
As a leading toilet manufacturer, you can have peace of mind that Kohler toilets are built to last.
It’s essential to maintain a regular cleaning and maintenance routine to really get the most out of your system.
Warranty
Kohler toilets come with a one-year limited warranty as standard. One year is plenty of time to detect any flaws or issues in the manufacturing process, and Kohler’s customer service is praised for dealing quickly with any customer issues.
Price
For a toilet made by such a reputable company, the Kohler Santa Rosa is incredibly competitive when it comes to its price.
The Santa Rosa would be considered a mid-range toilet. Sure, you can get cheaper, but at this price point with the features the Santa Rosa offers, you would struggle to find better.
Summary
We love the Santa Rosa by Kohler, and it comes highly recommended as a 5-star system, perfect for your bathroom needs.
It is an incredible performer when it comes to water efficiency and power, and the WaterSense certification is an added bonus. The sheer amount of colour options gives you the ultimate choice to find something to fit with your existing bathroom.
If you’re still undecided, why not take a look at some of our other comprehensive reviews of toilets to help you make the best choice.
- Huge variety of colours available
- Efficient Aquaposion flushing system
- Easy-clean
- One-piece design
- WaterSense Certified
- Some reviews complain that the toilet seat the Santa Rosa comes with is not adequate