New York, NY -- ICFF 2010 will be the venue for the North American launch of Axor Urquiola - the result of a five year collaboration between Axor, the designer brand of the Hansgrohe company, and the acclaimed designer, Patricia Urquiola. With this outstanding new collection Urquiola has trained her dynamic and graceful sensibility on the bathroom as living space. Axor Urquiola combines the superior technical innovation and precise functionality of Axor with Urquiola’s artistic interplay of intimacy, poetry and warmth. The designer’s distinctive personality is seen in each and every element of this exciting and eclectic line. Focusing on both the personal and interpersonal, Urquiola’s designs include numerous individual preference options within well-appointed comfortable spaces ideal for bonding.
According to Philippe Grohe, head of the Axor designer brand, “It is without a doubt that Patricia is one of the leading designers of the moment. She, like all the designers we partner with, is at the forefront of her field. This is, however, the first time we have collaborated with a female designer. As a result, we benefitted from a truly unique and fresh perspective. One that has been translated into a special and comprehensive collection with a decidedly feminine touch.”
In 2005, Axor WaterDream provided Patricia Urquiola with the chance to focus her unique vision on bathroom design. WaterDream is an independent, open process that is based on dialog with partner designers to create product and room designs that approach the concept of the bathroom in their own very unique ways. As part of this process, Axor gives the designer a great amount of freedom to hold discussions without predetermined outcomes, so that widely varying approaches can be explored and concrete designs for the use of space emerge.
“It was a dream that I was able to turn into reality with Axor,” recalls Urquiola. “An exciting experiment during which we came to know each other and laid the foundation for our future collaboration.” The inspirations from Axor WaterDream have truly come alive in this beautiful allencompassing collection. Urquiola’s relaxed yet provocative feminine perspective offers a combination of seductive ease and unparalleled energy.
The Axor Urquiola spatial concept represents the convergence of previously distinct areas. Without strict separation between bedroom and bathroom, the two spaces blend naturally into a single area for relaxation and regeneration. Privacy is preserved yet communication and contact are easy and comfortable. The fixtures, with their flowing transitions, soft shapes and gentle curves are the perfect complement.
“This collection will work its charm on each and every one of us individually, allowing us to create our own personal design for our private space of retreat and wellbeing,” predicts Grohe. “This is even truer because Axor Urquiola is our most comprehensive and complete bathroom collection to date, extending from faucets to washbasins, bathtubs and accessories.”
Each product in the line has its own cachet and plays an important role in the unique visual dream of the Spanish-born designer. She cleverly and playfully combines inspirations of nature with great attention to detail, clean edges and top quality workmanship. The pieces work beautifully as an ensemble, but may also be used individually to complement many different bathrooms.
The faucets combine shining surfaces with soft radii. The generously shaped levers offer a pleasant feeling for the hand while its operation is comfortably intuitive. Special proprietary tooling was developed to achieve the distinctive look of the faucets. The handles are cut out rectangles with soft, rounded, super-thin edges and the top of the faucet features a subtle wave.
Grohe added, “We don’t ask the designers to work within our existing capabilities. We set no boundaries for them. Once they come up with a design that we believe will work, our R&D division will develop the tools and mechanisms needed to make the vision a reality. In this way we are always pushing ourselves and our technology to the next level.”
A characteristic design element in the collection is unexpected but pleasing asymmetry. One perfect example is the high-riser faucet. This fixture incorporates a toothbrush holder or soap dish on one side while the handle comes up seamlessly and organically from the other side, as though it’s the branch of a tree.
The classic shapes of the washbasins and bathtubs are a modern interpretation of an old fashioned washtub. Through the artist’s use of innovative material – mineral cast with a polyester gel coat surface – it is possible to create the unique shape in a single cast. Both sides of the washbasins feature slot-like openings like the handles of a washtub, which serve a practical function as a towel or washcloth holder. While “his” and “hers” separate bathrooms have been popular since the turn of the century, Urquiola’s pair of soaking tubs installed side by side allow for intimacy while also allowing for a customized experience. And, for the first time ever, the tubs also incorporate openings to be used as towel holders.
About Axor
Axor the designer brand of Hansgrohe AG is regarded as the epitome of supreme quality and perfect, innovative design in the exclusive bathroom. With a vast number of independent, comprehensive collections, which Axor develops in cooperation with internationally renowned architects and designers such as Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Jean-Marie Massaud, Patricia Urquiola or Phoenix Design, the designer brand provides unlimited freedom and so allows the creation of highly individual bathroom solutions and personalized interior designs. Axor collections can be found in the Burj Khalifa as well as in the Yoo Apartments in Manhattan, in the Bulgari Hotels of Milan and Bali as well as on the Queen Mary II, in the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai and also in the Else Club in Moscow. The Axor brand manager is Philippe Grohe (43), grandson of the company’s founder Hans Grohe.
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CONTACT: Dania Ahmad / Chris Abbate, Novita Communications, 718.857.5389/718.783.3160, dania@novitapr.com / chris@novitapr.com
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