We are delighted to have Axor, the designer brand of Hansgrohe, as a continuing sponsor for BlogTour and very excited about seeing their new Axor Stark Organic collection which will be shown for the first time at a major trade show at Imm in Cologne.

Axor is a brand of Hansgrohe, itself a revered company, founded in the German Black Forest just after the turn of the last century by Hans Grohe. Axor works with many of the world’s most successful designers to create collections which are as creative and full of personality as the designers themselves. Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Jean-Marie Massaud, Patricia Urquiola and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are amongst an impressive roster of design talent which has lent name and talent to the Axor brand. French designer Philippe Starck is probably one of the world’s best known contemporary designers and it is his ‘Starck Organic’ collection that Axor are featuring at Imm.

The Axor Starck Organic collection is remarkable for a number of reasons. Visually it is powerful but simple. It is stripped of anything unnecessary or decorative for the sake of decoration. Its clean but bold lines give it a flexibility to work in a variety of settings. The way in which it works, its use of water, is also radical. It makes efficient use of scarce and valuable resources while not diminishing the effectiveness or pleasure that is derived from them.

For example,  Axor developed a new type of water spray especially for the wash basin mixer. Despite an exceptionally low  flow rate of only 3.5 liters per minute there is no compromise in functionality. Indeed, the experience is of  softly pearling droplets of  generous yet efficient spray giving  the water a  sensuous feel. We don’t know exactly how it is achieved but the result needs to be witnessed. The controls are, at once,  intuitive and ergonomic. Water volume and temperature are controlled separately, again allowing energy and water to be used precisely, efficiently and economically.

While the technical innovations are impressive, and their consequences laudable, it is the visual impact of Philippe Starck’s design that sets this collection apart. With its distinctive, bold shapes echoing those found in the natural environment which inspired it, we suspect, in years to come,  Axor’s Starck Organic collection will be recognised as a design classic.