Places of Origin – AXOR’s Culture of Craftsmanship

With the brand campaign, AXOR Places, currently running, the design brand explores the very personal Places of Memory of well-known design partners, such as Jean-Marie Massaud, Phoenix Design or Barber & Osgerby.

“We connected the very personal `Places of Memory´ of AXOR design partners with the individualization possibilities that the AXOR MyEdition faucet collection offers: maximum freedom in the choice of materiality for the mounting plate”, explains Anke Sohn, Head of AXOR Brand Marketing. She continues: “Inspired by the recollection of a certain encounter, of a mood, of an adventure, of a ‘place of memory’, we transport a certain material that is reminiscent of that place into the here and now. Thus a piece of the world materializes in the appearance of the individual faucet”.

Not only the material’s origin, but also its journey of conversion is considered. “With portraits of craftsmen, we are not only focusing on our design partners and the creatives behind the brand, but also on the craft itself, the materiality, and the origin of our products”, Sohn continues.

The finest materials give AXOR MyEdition an exclusive appearance: marble, wood, leather. Highly specialized enterprises process them near the brand’s headquarters in the Black Forest. The spirit of artisan manufacturing still prevails in the workshops: Passionate master craftsmen and women process our raw materials to perfection. Not only does AXOR value these skilled experts, but they are also in demand for outfitting high quality yachts and private jets. Overall, the perfect combination of material and craftsmanship with short transportation distances and regional strengths over the long term.

“It is absolutely extraordinary to produce natural stone in this thin format”, Joshua Walter, master stonemason, says. The Jenn Cliff Massif in South Tyrol provides the white marble for the mounting plates of the AXOR MyEdition collection.

AXOR has chosen to use the world-famous Lasa marble in addition to the black marble from Basque country. Calcite marble is very durable with a stable structure. Only pieces with especially beautiful veining are selected; the edges and gloss must be just right; production requires minimum tolerances. Mining in the quarry consists of splitting large, heavy blocks weighing about forty tons and transporting them into the valley where they are raw cut, then cut into slices and raw plates and stored.

In Oberkirch at the foot of the Black Forest, marble specialists cut these plates to production size. The wire saw cuts the plates in half once again to the desired thickness before they are ground and polished to a high gloss. In processing the plates, the specialists must meet certain challenges. Because the thin stone can be easily broken, their work must be meticulous. To make the marble ready for use in the bathroom, impregnation must be applied. Afterward, the AXOR logo is lasered into the marble and filled by hand with coloured tint. The finished marble plate is a tiny masterpiece: brilliant, perfect, and individual. 

Visit the brand website axor-design.com/places to view all the craftsmen stories!

AXOR. Form follows perfection!