Hansgrohe : New Axor “WaterDream” Installation with Front

Following Axor WaterDream Installation by Nendo, it is now time to present to you the Axor WaterDream imagined by Swedish designers Front.

For 20 years now, Axor, the designer brand of Hansgrohe SE, has been developing alternative visions for the bathroom as a living space, re-thinking the shower and searching for new archetypes. Continuously engaging in this dialogue with various internationally renowned design partners, Axor has invited Stockholm-based trio to think about their own personal WaterDream. With a simplicity that is characteristic of Scandinavian design, Front re-thought the shower by exploring the technical origins of the water. Their installation is an homage to artisanry and to the aesthetics inherent in technology and installation.

Above – Front posing besides their Axor WaterDream – Photo © Flodeau

Axor Waterdream by Front – Photo © Flodeau

 

 

 

The Axor WaterDream created by Sofia Lagerkvist, Charlotte von der Lancken and Anna Lindgren allows us to experience the path water takes in its most original form.

 

“We used our personal perception of the shower and showering to draw attention to the technology behind the wall, which is often concealed,”explains Charlotte von der Lancken.


Usually invisible and concealed to the eye, Front decided to sublimate the network of pipes and hardware components and expose them as a sculptural work of art – Axor Waterdream by Front – Photo © Flodeau
A combination of copper pipes, elbow fittings and shower heads were used to construct this modular installation – Axor Waterdream by Front – Photo © Flodeau

 

“It was important for us to foster an awareness of what is the most archetypal aspect of the bathroom – the installation itself. For this reason, we played around with the most elementary components that are used to bring water to us – pipes, valves, couplings, and funnels,” adds Sofia Lagerkvist.

“Front show how something that is normally hidden from view can become a visually appealing and valued spatial construct,” says Philippe Grohe.

 

 

Detail of a copper shower head – Axor Waterdream by Front – Photo © Flodeau

Axor Waterdream by Front – Photo © Flodeau

 

 

The invitation to re-think the shower produced another installation by Japanese Design Studio Nendo (read the coverage of Nendo’s Axor WaterDream here).
Despite operating within different cultural contexts, the visions developed by the two design studios have one thing in common.

Both present new archetypes in a charming and captivating manner: light and water pathways are re-interpreted in surprising and unconventional ways, and long-established functional and spatial separations between the living and bathroom spheres are challenged.

« The focus is not primarily on the products, but on providing additional scope for creative development, for breaking down established behavior patterns, and for conducting an open, interdisciplinary dialogue. Within our overall understanding of the use of space, the interaction with water, and the multifaceted individual needs of people, we focused specifically on the shower this time, interpreting it anew with Front and Nendo. » says Philippe Grohe, Head of the Axor brand and grandson of the company’s founder Hans Grohe.

Detail – Axor Waterdream by Front – Photo © Flodeau

 

 

 

Axor, the designer brand of Hansgrohe SE, successfully realises “Designer Visions for Your Bathroom”. In cooperation with Axor, leading product designers, architects and interior designers develop their vision for the bathroom as a living space.The Axor collections offer a great number of unique and sustainable solutions to create personalised bathrooms of the highest aesthetic and technological levels.

To date, Axor design partners include Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Antonio Citterio, Front, Jean-Marie Massaud, Nendo, Phoenix Design, Philippe Starck, and Patricia Urquiola. They all contribute towards making life in and around the bathroom a little more meaningful and beautiful.

The Axor brand is headed by Philippe Grohe, grandson of the company’s founder Hans Grohe.

Detail of the pipes, valves, couplings and funnels – Axor Waterdream by Front – Photos © Flodeau

The pretty ladies of Front – From left to right : Sofia Lagerkvist, Charlotte Von Der Lancken and Anna Lindgren – Photo © Flodeau

The official presentation at the Hansgrohe Headquarters in Schiltach, Germany Photo © Flodeau

The official presentation at Hansgrohe Headquarters with Front – Photo © Flodeau

I would like to warmly thank the team at Hansgrohe SE, and in particular, Philippe Grohe and Astrid Bachmann, for inviting me to this remarkable event. Their hospitality, kindness and fun made my stay in the German Black Forest, memorable. Bis Bald und Vielen Dank!

On my way home… Stuttgart airport – Photo © Flodeau

+ Discover the first part of the story with Hansgrohe’s New Axor “WaterDream” Installation with Nendo.

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