There was eager anticipation: what would it look like – the new Axor collection which was created for the first time by a female designer? What kind of bathroom concept lies behind it? And how would Patricia Urquiola, right now the most popular and sought-after creative female in the world, describe her ideal bathroom? For more than 540 guests from 26 countries it was definitely worth the anxious wait when on November 28 the curtain rose in the Museu Maritim in Barcelona to reveal the wonderful new bathroom world of the star designer. Here, it wasn’t only the Spanish native who obviously felt at ease in the Catalan capital, but the customers and media representatives who also succumbed to the charm of the designer and her refreshingly different bathroom ambience.

 

The event, indeed, presented two stars at the same time: Patricia Urquiola, an Italian by choice, full of energy and extremely dynamic, won the public over instantly. Her entertaining and spirited lecture, in which she explained her ideas, her concept of space and the special design features of this collection, put the audience in the mood for the second key player of the evening: a living landscape, designed by Patricia Urquiola with a sleeping area and bathrooms. Numerous “oohs� and “ahs� could be heard when the visitors went on a tour of discovery of this enchanted area which awoke all the senses and inspired dreams.

 

“Capito?!!�
Patricia Urquiola and Philippe Grohe had already conveyed this very special Axor Urquiola spirit to more than 100 international journalists in the course of numerous interviews. “Capito?!!� was the most frequently heard word with which the likeable designer emphasised her statements at the end of almost every sentence. These conversations were, however, always lively – even at the end of a 12-hour interview marathon. The “volcano of ideas�, as one magazine dubbed Patricia Urquiola, entertained her audience time and time again. Whether it was her portrayal of the concept of space or her explanation of the design language of the fittings – she took her guests on an exciting journey through her bathroom which was conceived as a place of encounters and intimacy, of memories and new developments, a place where one feels comfortable and somehow at home from the very first moment.

 

Finally Philippe Grohe summed up this world premiere of Axor Urquiola in a very positive way: “This collection has helped us to take a giant leap forward, because with Axor Urquiola we are not only offering our hitherto comprehensive bathroom collection. With Axor we have, for some years now, portrayed the bathroom as a holistic room. With Patricia as well, we have again taken an important step forward regarding this concept and expanded our understanding of how people live and interact with each other in the bathroom. Inspired by her feminine perspective, we have debated totally new aspects here in order to be able to reproduce them in our Axor Urquiola bathroom concept. Together with Patricia Urquiola we were able in Barcelona to communicate this especially clearly and in a fantastic atmosphere to our customers, partners and media representatives from all over the world.�

 

 

Please click here for some impressions of the event, taken out of a video produced for Studio Urquiola.