Stylish spray opens a world of innovative water sensation to the wash basin, reports RAVI KALMADY

Every once in a while, a true game changer comes along, a product or practice so intriguingly different that every previous benchmark pales into insignificance. The recently launched Axor Starck Organic bathroom collection is one such revolutionary concept.

The unique organic-minimalist collection was developed over a period of three years of intensive collaboration between Axor, the designer brand of Germany’s Hansgrohe SE and top French designer Philippe Starck.

Designer range: Grohe and Starck unveiled the new Axor Starck Organic collection (above); Axor Massaud collection (below) and Axor Shower Collection concealed system (above)

“With Axor Starck Organic, we managed to radically alter long-entrenched patterns of thought, behavior and design,” said Philippe Grohe, head of Axor, during the September launch in Berlin attended by more than 800 guests from all over the world.

“You can see this not only in the unique organic-minimalist design, but also in the mixer’s very innovative operating concept, and in the amazingly low water flow rate.”

The improved water efficiency was made possible thanks to an innovative type of jet developed especially for Axor Starck Organic by the Hansgrohe Research and Development department.

The ground-breaking Axor Starck Organic collection features a new spray technology, which has 90 outlets to provide a larger spray surface area. Water flow and temperature are controlled separately, making the design more economic.

It delivers a flow rate of 3.5 litres, which can be increased to 5 litres if required. The collection encompasses over 40 products spanning basin mixers and bath and shower mixers, as well as a range of accessories.

“To me, the essence of our work consists of allowing people to experience the fascination of water in its best way,” said Grohe, “and to provide innovative solutions of the highest aesthetic and technological levels.”

“Philippe Starck was the right person to talk with about this project. In the 20 years we have worked together so far, he again and again inspired us to come up with radical ways of challenging established patterns of thought, behavior and design,” he added.

Starck explained what has driven him at the beginning of this project: “A new intuition has come to me. It was more a question: What is life, what is the energy of life? And I started to work – not in another way, but from a different angle of view with the same subject of the minimum.”

UNIQUE DESIGN
Focusing on the essence of things was the inspiration for this new collection, says Starck.

In its unique, organic-minimalist design, harmonious lines reminiscent of shapes we see in nature characterize Axor Starck Organic. They give the collection an exciting, powerful and sculptural immediacy.

Starck: The collection is a cocktail of highest technology and good philosophy; minimalist wash basin (below)

The two handles blend in visually with the body of the mixers. No matter what position the handles may be in – they will reflect a perfect image. Harmonious and ergonomical, they naturally indicate the current setting. Axor Starck Organic blends with the most diverse range of bathroom styles and will be a strong aesthetic highlight in any environment.

NEW WATER SENSATION
Especially for the most frequently used wash basin mixers, the company’s spray research laboratory developed a new kind of water spray. Like a generous shower spray, each of its 90 individual outlets produces countless gentle drops of water.

This new and extremely efficient shower spray for the wash basin not only provides a new sensation; it is also more functional as it sprays a large surface area.

With its pioneering new spray, the wash basin mixer from Axor Starck Organic sets a new standard: a consumption of only 3.5 liters of water per minute as against the international standard of seven litres or more per minute.

However, if a stronger spray is required on occasion, the flow rate can be boosted up to five litres per minute.

SEPARATE CONTROLS
The wash basin mixers in the new collection allow us to use water and energy intuitively, ergonomically and economically. Water flow and temperature are controlled separately. With Axor Starck Organic, the water is turned on and off at the end of the spout. This is ergonomic, because the hands are right where the water emerges.

And not a single drop falls where it is not needed, not even onto the mixer itself. The temperature is regulated at the top of the mixer. There, it may remain at the energy-saving cold position or at any other preferred setting. If the user wants to change the temperature – which is not always necessary – then this is done in a separate action.

Grohe: Bringing nature home; wall-mounted wash basin (below)

INNOVATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE
Thanks to the special construction of the mixer, the walls of the basic body can be cast using about one third less brass – and hence consuming considerably less energy – than a conventionally produced model would.

Decoupled water conduits inside the mixer prevent direct contact between the water and the body of the mixer.

The Axor Starck Organic collection consists of more than 40 products, covering all areas within the bathroom. Mixers for the wash basin come in four different heights and a wall-mounted solution. Mixers for the shower and bath tub focus on thermostatic technology for exposed and concealed-mounted solutions. The collection is complemented with a range of accessories.

The mixers bring a strong highlight to the bathroom and blend harmoniously with the most various environments: “Nature is right at home everywhere!” exclaimed Grohe. In combination with collections such as the Axor Shower Collection with Philippe Starck, Axor Starck Organic is ideal for creating strong highlights.

HEAD AND HEART
“In our very first discussions about this new project, it was already clear to us, that we were aiming for a new way to use water in a responsible way,” recalled Grohe.

“This collection is yet another revolution, a new cocktail of highest technology and good philosophy,” Starck said.

Axor Starck Organic shifts our focus on the essence of things, highlighting their sensuality and beauty, and touching both our heads and hearts, he added.

Like all Axor mixers, Axor Starck Organic is manufactured exclusively at the Axor plant at the Hansgrohe headquarters in Schiltach in the Black Forest, Germany.