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Philippe Starck and Axor Launch New Faucet Collection

I headed to Berlin last week to attend the launch of the Axor Starck Organic bathroom collection, which is a collaboration between design genius Philippe Starck and the German company Hansgrohe’s luxury brand, Axor. The collection combines a sleek, organic faucet form with a revolutionary way of saving water.


Philippe Grohe discussing Axor’s history with designers

The Axor/Starck collaboration began 20 years ago and each design has become iconic. This latest design was three years in the making and you can easily see why. While Starck focused on the design, Philippe Grohe, head of the Axor brand, was behind the technology to make it work. The faucet houses 90 separate outlets that release little pearly drops of water that you can actually feel. With the average faucet using 7 liters of water per minute, the Axor Starck Organic line consumes only 3.5 liters per minute, which is half the norm. The best part is that you can’t even tell you’re using less water.


Starck talking about the design

In typical Starck form, the design is fun one. It’s a curvy, branch-like shape that was nature-inspired. He even mentioned it being inspired by the human body – his wife’s to be exact.

The Axor/Starck partnership is a perfect match. Both are passionate about what they do and are insanely excited about each design. No seriously, Starck is a firecracker and had all of us hanging on his every word.


Grohe and Starck explaining the features

Another great feature is the two separate controls – one for volume of water and the other for temperature. The control at the end of the spout is what turns the faucet on and off, meaning your hands reach the water a lot quicker than they would with regular top-mounted knobs, thus saving water. The control at the top of the faucet controls the temperature of the water and it even comes with an energy-saving cold setting.


Starck standing off to the side letting Grohe do his thing

They had a room set up for everyone to get their hands on (and under) the faucets.

Starck and Grohe held a Q&A in the display room and took questions from the crowd.


The branding is all about “Harmony of Head and Heart”


Signage on the outside of the E-Werk building where the launch took place

Listen to Starck discuss the new collection:

Our trip to Berlin was provided by Hansgrohe and Axor.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.