New forms flow
Designers Barber & Osgerby recently made their ‘bathroom debut’ with Axor Hansgrohe at the recent London Design Week
The world premier of their Axor One shower control element, developed in collaboration with Philippe Grohe and his engineering team, was made during the internationally acclaimed design week.
The new element was presented to the world’s media and designers at the company’s new Clerkenwell Water Studio, which is due to open in 2016.
The Barber & Osgerby duo has laboured for the past four years on the new shower accessory that, with its rounded edges and sleek lines, has at first glance an uncanny resemblance to an Apple iPhone.
The media was told by Osgerby that Axor hopes this new gadget will revolutionise shower designs. He recalls: “Our relationship began when we sent Philippe a letter suggesting that we should look at ways of collaborating together… And here we are, many showers later, with a unique new product…”
Barber explains: “Initially we envisaged an electrical element, but soon realised that a mechanical one was a safer option. Our goal was to create a user-friendly control that would make showering easier – for both the user and the installer.”
The ever-practical duo devised a unit using the Hansgrohe ‘Select’ technology – which provides a push mechanism, so that rather than turning a tap or swiping a lever left or right, the user simply pushes the unit’s paddle inwards, either with the hand or the elbow, to open or close the water flow.
“It is a great honour to receive the London Design
Medal and to be recognised for our work over the last two decades. It’s a huge accolade and it’s lovely to be acknowledged by our own city”
– Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
“All you need to do is gently tap on the paddle in order to active the overhead, side or hand shower,” the duo explains.
“It’s a bit like pushing the top of a ballpoint pen,” says Grohe, adding: “It’s so easy, and great for people of all ages – and with any difficulties with using their hands.
“The temperature is set by means of a central dial, under which there’s a simple lever with which bathers can control the water volume.
“While the unit looks sleek, tucked behind the wall is an equally easy-to-install system that should be welcomed by the plumbers, who don’t need to fiddle with separate units for the thermostat, etc.”
“It’s a completely fresh interpretation of water control: by consolidating many individual controls into one simple element, it streamlines both the look and the functionality. The possibility to simultaneously turn multiple water outlets on and off with the back of the hand or elbow makes it an engaging shower experience,” explain the designers.
Discovered by the ultimate design talent scout Giulio Cappellini in the late 1990s, Barber and Osgerby are the latest designers to join the Axor Hansgrohe stable of leading designers that includes Starck, Citterio, Massaud, Urquiola and more.
“Our challenge was not just to develop a functional and practical unit that would meet the increasing demands of the contemporary bather, but also to create a design that could be used with the other Axor collections,” Barber and Osgerby say.
The result is a clean monolithic singular unit with softly curved edges, with accurate detailing – a timeless piece that merges with any bathroom scenario. Clear symbols to indicate the water outlets that each paddle controls make it
easy to use, leaving the bather is no doubt as to what jets will be activated.
“We wanted a tactile design, something soft and welcoming, to be used comfortably and with ease when you are naked and at your most vulnerable in the shower,” the duo explains.
The soft edges of the Axor One are very much in keeping with the DNA of many of Barber & Osgerby’s designs, which demonstrate a tendency away from harsh, straight lines, such as the Tobi Ishi tables for B&B Italia, the Bedleian Libraries Chair for Isokon, and a recent wood and stainless steel tableware collection for Royal Doulton. This approach goes back to their prototype Hula stool in 1999, which was a complex assemblage of compound curves.
In their East London studio, the designers are known to spend enormous amounts of time folding and making card models of shapes and prototypes for their commissions. They deployed the same process with the development of the Axor One. Similarly, their Tab lamp for Flos was inspired by the folding of card to create what eventually became the shade.
Folding seems to have led to much of their success – be it card, paper or plywood – and their Shell table, based on structural studies in folded plywood, led to a prestigious Compasso d’Oro nomination…
While the challenge was to create a control until that would be functional and work with harmony with some of the more flamboyant Axor designs, the Axor One is no wallflower. Depending on the positioning and finish, the unit can be as discreet or as obvious as the interior design dictates. The units can be finished in any of the company’s ‘Manufaktur’ finishes – from the currently trendy bold pink gold to a more subdued brushed chrome…
The fact that once you tap the paddle off the water stops flowing will also
lead to less water wastage by people who don’t quite turn a traditional the tap off.
“With this system, there’s no possibility of a tap being left dripping, [and] this should make it popular for use in large hotels and condo units.”
When set in Eco mode the unit water consumption is reduced by up to 50 per cent.
Barber and Osgerby, who have received OBEs for their services to the design industry, are already collaborating with Axor on a new, as-yet-under-wraps project.
The duo graduated from London’s Royal College of Art and established their multi-disciplinary studio in 1996. They have earned a reputation for challenging the boundaries of industrial design, architecture and art. Over the years they have collaborated with some of the biggest names in the design arena including Vitra, Capellini, Flos, Venini, Hermès and Knoll, to name but a handful.
Their work is part of the permanent collections in many of the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Victoria and Albert in London, The Metropolitan in New York, The Design Museum in London and the Art Institute of Chicago. They also designed the Olympic Torch for the London 2012 Olympics, which won multiple awards, including the Design Museum’s 2012 Design of the Year award.
While they are developing their relationship with Axor, the duo is also working towards the 2017 launch of London’s new Crossrail railway line, train carriages and associated livery. They’re designing both the interior and exterior of the 200-metre-long Bombardier-built trains that will each have the capacity to transport 1500 commuters across the city.