It’s rare these days that we get even a few minutes of peace away from the interruptive presence of technology. One of the few places, but one too rarely considered a retreat, is the bathroom.
In Spanish designer, Patricia Urquiola’s vision of the bathroom for Axor, the bathroom is no longer a necessary utility. Instead, it becomes a luxurious plant- and light-filled retreat that allows maximum freedom to express individuality.
The collaboration between Axor, the designer brand of Hansgrohe, and Urquiola began five years ago with the WaterDream 2005 project. Many of the aesthetic features of the recently released Axor Urquiola range take their inspiration from this initial collaboration – a combination of soft curves and hard angles, with a focus on nature and harmony of elements.
Urquiola believes that living spaces tell the personal stories of those that occupy them, and so the Axor Urquiola collection celebrates detail, variety, and the individual.
“I designed this bathroom for an imaginary couple,” says Urquiola, “for two different personalities.” Thus, the two bathtubs, two facing showerheads and two basins in the ideal spatial layout created by the designer.
This is a concept that looking firmly forward, to new ways of experiencing the bathroom. It also remembers the past, however, celebrating memories with basins and baths that recall the shape of the washtubs of bygone eras.
The collection responds to changes in the way space is used. In the Axor Urquiola concept, the sleeping area is fused with the bathroom, separated by a freestanding screen that functions also as a radiator. Thus, a holistic, nature-filled space for relaxation and regeneration is created.
Axor Urquiola, launched recently at the Matisse showroom in Auckland, follows on from previous collaborations between Axor and renowned designers, including Phillippe Starck and, most recently, the Bouroullec brothers (yet to be released in Australasia).
Hansgrohe
