Is it your dream of a perfect life to lie down in a green meadow?
Jean-Marie Massaud: I consciously enjoy human existence for what it is – a fusion of natural and cultural elements. Of course I still enjoy lying in a meadow, but I’m dreaming of being able to lie on an energising mattress. Somewhere between these two extremes — nature and culture — we are trying to design objects somewhat more intelligently and sensitively.

 

Don’t the design solutions of Axor Massaud pose a huge technical challenge?
Philippe Grohe: It is always a great technical challenge to make technology disappear. This is what distinguishes Jean-Marie’s philosophy — he endeavours to create something totally different with what is a classical product. From the very start we understood that this concept presented a huge number of technical challenges – for instance, the large chrome plate surface. But we like it all the more when things get difficult.

 

What spatial concept do you associate with the Axor collection?
Jean-Marie Massaud: It is the mutual aim of Axor and myself to create something essential and emotional based on our relationship with water. But we also have to deal with reality. The quality of the collection is based on the fact that it does not impose a style on anybody – let’s say an organic style – only because it is fashionable at the moment. This collection operates in a very emotional way, but it also works equally well in a classical situation, with alternatives ranging from the grand tray-style solution to the standard bathroom. Except that even in the latter the experience will be somewhat different. And in this way change occurs slowly, virtually in homeopathic doses.

 

How is it possible to transfer patterns of nature into the design of a bathroom collection?
Philippe Grohe: Axor Massaud is a revolutionary approach to creating a new bathroom collection which restores water to its true dimension.
Organic contours inspired by nature harmonise with geometrical forms. In this process the fitting emerges with an additional advantage: apart from its basic function as a source of water, it can be used as a shelf for accessories like a candle-holder or a vase with a beautiful orchid. This is and additional accentuation of the the release of water in its own individual way.

 

Don’t you think that the organic design and the use of brass are contradictory?
Jean-Marie Massaud: Organic design is only a style, and here we are not talking about style, but about a new paradigm, a new standard and example of bathroom culture. In order to demonstrate this new approach, we are using the image of water. It is therefore a symbolic design, nothing more and nothing less.

 

How does Axor Massaud express respect towards nature and water?
Jean-Marie Massaud: The water spray resembles a film, almost as soft and precious as oil, and therefore one doesn’t only feel compelled to use it more sparingly, but in order to get this effect, less water pressure is needed. Self-realisation is of course a factor here, but at the same time it has benefits for society.