A new language in design
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Hansgrohe’s Axor-Massuad segment has lavish ingenuity from French Designer Jean-Marie Massaud and views washrooms as living spaces, says RANJANI GOVIND
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New makeovers for bathroom décor or fresh architectural designs for the washroom have been evolving over the years. While one has come across simple changes that steer from age-old moulds, some define it as an ‘extra service room’ providing some savoir-faire with instantly recognisable tiles and fixtures now hounding the market. The ascend at the moment is awe-inspiring though, for, cost factors seem to take a back-seat for high-end consumers who welcome n
ot just technology, but vision and approach for an overwhelming sense of déjÀ vu, albeit packed in a contemporary experience. Consider this: Hansgrohe, the bathroom specialists, have soared to reach planes that view ‘Wash Rooms’ as ‘Living Spaces’ roping in the French Designer Jean-Marie Massaud to bring in lavish ingenuity to its Axor segment – the designer brand of Hansgrohe AG – called the Axor Massuad. Steered by Phillipe Grohe, Axor Brand Manager, in 2005, the effort saw Massuad develop his vision of an ideal bathroom in ‘Axor WaterDream’ collection where bygone concepts were retraced with sizzling new depths. Says Grohe, “Massuad’s spatial concept searches for an elementary connection with nature. With organic and geometric forms drawing a correlation with natural aesthetics in construct, modern inventions become ceremonial sculptures dispossessed of technology. The Axor-Massuad collection doesn’t just symbolise a new language in design, it exemplifies a philosophy in relationships between people, water and space.” Whatever would that poetry in bathrooms translate to?
PropertyPlus spoke to Phillipe Grohe (grandson of the family founder Hans Grohe who started the company in 1901 in Schiltach, Germany) when the company recently unveiled its new collection for the discerning bath con
noisseurs in Bangalore. The high-end brand Axor also has extensive collections developed together with internationally renowned architects and designers such as Antonio Citterio and Philippe Starck.
You say your bathrooms are living spaces…more than just utility centres?
In the last couple of years, the bathroom has developed more into a living space in which people can find peace and balance after the increasingly hectic daily pace. This is all the more true since wellbeing and water share such a close connection – we recuperate in harmony with the element of water. In addition to its impact on product design, this transformation of function and significance steadily has an increasing influence on the room, its size and structure. Right now, we see a trend towards natural materials in the bathroom as well as warm lighting.
How did this whole designer concept in bathrooms come about,
particularly the Axor Massaud combo?
The Hansgrohe company with its 106-year history has ever been a driving force in the sanitary industry when it comes to technical innovations as well as the design of the products.
It was the first plumbing fixtures manufacturer to take up the challenge of design innovations. This also began a new phase in the company’s history, since the products were no longer considered mere technical additions within a building. The credo was that interior design did not have to end at the bathroom door – a principle that the Hansgrohe brand Axor took up in the 1990s and has continued to develop ever since.
“We don’t need fixtures, what we need is water,” is how Jean-Marie Massaud summarises his approach to design. Indeed, for Axor it is not simply about offering fixtures, showers, and accessories that are of high quality but about furnishing an important living space.
What do you mean by addressing solutions in bathrooms?
The hygienic need is not any more the only one to be addressed with a solution. People’s lives do change. To meet this requirement, Axor offers a variety of designer collections with extensive product ranges, making innumerable solutions possible for challenges inherent in bathroom design.
( www.axor-design.com / www.hansgrohe.com)
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