Brand Story
The success story of the Hangsrohe company stems from over a century of design, innovation and a genuine passion for the element of water
For years, Hansgrohe has been revolutionising the bathroom through a genuine passion for the element of water
The bathroom as a sanctuary is hardly a new thing. Long enjoyed by people from all walks of life, it is an archaic indulgence dating as far back as the ancient Roman baths to Japanese sento bathhouses to Middle Eastern hammams. The bathroom has come a long way since our forefathers and over time has evolved into a sanitised, hygienic version of its former self. Today, modern bathrooms come in all forms and sizes: large and extravagant, small yet comfortable. No matter the size, it remains a place of privacy, luxury and a personal haven for its owner. While bathrooms were once regarded as communal areas shared by many, the private bathroom only began to emerge in the early 20th century with the invention of internal plumbing, which made the installation of toilets and showers in the home a possibility. It is during this era, in 1901, that a young innovator named Hans Grohe, who operated a small metal pressing workshop in the Black Forest town of Schiltach in Germany, decided to ride on the early yet exciting wave of bathroom technology and founded a company of the same name. Driven by his passion for water, Hans Grohe drew from the skills of his workshop to specialise in producing tin showers, an innovation which was regarded as an affordable replacement for the bath and a convenient alternative to the overhead shower. Since then, Hans Grohe remained relentless in the continuous development of his innovation in sanitary ware, a feat which earned him the reputation as a specialist and a pioneer of the German sanitary industry. Today, the hansgrohe brand has remained one of the world’s foremost bathroom fittings manufacturers, encompassing showers, shower systems, bathroom and kitchen mixers, and kitchen sinks – all of which are designed to focus on the needs of the user. The brand’s innovative solutions, cuttingedge design and unsurpassed quality have shaped the nature of modern bathrooms worldwide, both as a personal retreat and an extension of the living environment. A case in point is the Unica wall bar, an ingenious solution created in 1953 by the 82-year-old Hans Grohe, which allows the hand shower to be attached according to the user’s desired height. A radical innovation in the 1950s, the revolutionary wall bar has now become an indispensable part of bathroom hand showers. Over the years, hansgrohe has introduced many firsts to the bathroom industry. Among them are Selecta, the world’s first hand shower with adjustable jet types; Allegroh single lever mixer, the first to feature a bowshaped handle and rotatable spout; ibox universal, the first concealed installation for standard or thermostat solution; and Puravida, the first dual finish mixer range. Innovation is at the core of every hansgrohe product, where comfort, functionality and simplicity culminate to offer a higher degree of convenience for the
user. This notion is best exemplified by the intuitive Select technology. The underlying concept of Select is to transform twisting knobs into a simple push button. With Select, the selection of water functions can be easily controlled with a click of the button – a purely mechanical innovation that is incorporated into the hansgrohe Talis Select basin mixers and Raindance Select hand showers designed by long-time collaborators, Phoenix Design. The success of hansgrohe’s products – both commercially and critically – paved the way for the establishment of the Axor brand in 1993. While the hansgrohe brand comprises a wide range of products known for their design, innovation and functionality, the Axor
THE BRAND’S INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS, CUTTING-EDGE DESIGN AND UNSURPASSED QUALITY HAVE SHAPED THE NATURE OF MODERN BATHROOMS WORLDWIDE
brand stands for visionary bathroom solutions that bring a diversity of unique ideas to life. For this, the Axor brand partnered with a sterling line-up of prolific designers, such as Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio and JeanMarie Massaud, in creating avant-garde and luxurious collections to seamlessly merge the bathroom and the living space to create a unified, harmonious living experience for the everyday. Showcasing design, technology and craftsmanship at their finest, the Axor brand is synonymous with some of the most iconic creations seen in bathrooms today. Axor’s collaboration with acclaimed French designer Philippe Starck results in a series of bathroom collections for the brand. With Starck, Axor pushes the envelope of conventional bathroom designs to set new standards of using and controlling water.
One of Starck’s earliest and most recognised design for the brand is the Axor Starck collection, of which its archetypal joystick handle introduced a new way of controlling the flow of water. Other notable masterpieces include the Axor Starck Organic, which offers a resource-efficient solution with a new spray mode, and Axor Starck V, a collection of taps with a movable and detachable spout made of organic crystal glass or porcelain. The Axor portfolio also includes the exploration of a variety of distinctive bathroom styles with renowned design luminaries. With Milan-based architect and designer Antonio Citterio, Axor developed the 1930s neoclassicism-inspired Axor Citterio collection which features taps characterised by acute edges and distinctive flat surfaces that reflect light perfectly. With French architect and designer JeanMarie Massaud, Axor unveiled the Massaud collection which enables water to flow like a natural waterfall from the sculptural tap that doubles as a shelf. The innovations from the hansgrohe and Axor brands have since garnered worldwide recognition through more than 500 design awards. As the most decorated bathroom manufacturer, the Hansgrohe company’s accomplishment is a testament to the brand’s dedication in delivering the highest degree of design, innovation and quality. The Hansgrohe company has remained as a family-run business for three generations with up to 80 per cent of production taking place in Germany. The group marked another tremendous milestone in 2016 by achieving record sales of one billion euros for the first time in its company history and was ranked 10th in the International Forum Design of the best companies in the world for design. These extraordinary achievements were followed by the unveiling of new collections at the ISH 2017 with a new range of showers, the geometric Metropol range of taps, and built-in kitchen sinks from the hansgrohe brand. The Axor Showerheaven 1200 shower spray and Axor Uno taps were also introduced during the trade fair. From its humble beginnings in a small Black Forest town to a billion-euro organisation with worldwide presence, the Hansgrohe company has indeed come a long way. Despite its global success as a market leader for mixers and showers, the company has remained true to the primary goal established by its founder since day one: to create an enjoyable user experience with water by marrying design with function, and the German art of engineering with leadingedge innovation.