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If you’re looking for the best information on creating your dream kitchen, bedroom or bathroom, look no further than Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine online.
We’ve selected our favourite features from Britain’s best-selling kitchen, bathroom and bedroom magazine, from wow-factor kitchen spaces, to sublime bathroom and bedroom sanctuaries. In fact, you'll discover all manner of expert planning advice for the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom as well as regular news of future designs bound for the home.
We also bring the latest and greatest home appliances to the fore, so whether you’re after a top-end professional oven for the kitchen, or the hottest designer showering system, KBB magazine online has got it covered. What’s more, we’ll bring you profiles of the industry’s best designers and their innovative designs that could take centre stage in your kitchen, bedroom and bathroom projects of tomorrow.
Of course, there’s much more in store in the latest issue of Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine, which is on sale from December 2nd. But, in the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy our dedicated online service.
Jackie Daly, Editor
Free Thinkers
The Axor Bouroullec bathroom collection
We get into the minds of French brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
They have been described as the ‘second coming’ after Philippe Starck – a French duo that has the design world feverishly entranced. I refer, of course, to the Bouroullec brothers. Famed for a sensibility that mixes a whimsical romanticism with functionality, they bring to the art of design a rare combined genius: they work as a team and are engaged in a constant dialogue fed by their different personalities and focused by the perfectionism they share.
Still relative babes in arms – I speak here of their place in the established order and not their physicality; Ronan was born in 1971 and Erwan 1976 – they have notched up an impressive client list that sounds like the who’s who of design greats. They have several prestigious awards under their belts, staged exhibitions of their work across the world, and their products can be viewed in the Musée National d’Art Moderne Centre Pompidou, the Museum of Modern Art New York, and the Art Institute of Chicago – the list goes on and on.
A series of shelves or platforms define this collection. On the basins one or two integrated shelves can be selected. The range is complemented by accessories including the mirrors
The brothers’ first big break came in 1997 when presenting their ‘Disintegrated Kitchen’ in Paris. It was a design that made such an impression on the great Giulio Cappellini that he gave the pair their first industrial design project – ‘Litclos’ (or ‘Closed Bed’) and Spring Chair. 2002 ushered in a collaboration with Vitra, 2004 saw another with Magis, followed by the duo’s most famous design to date for Kvadrat, the Cloud, formed from textile tiles that, like repeated architectural patterns seen in nature, take on life when seen as a whole – in this case the playful form of a fluffy, billowing cloud.
However, what interests me most is that Ronan and Erwan’s latest collaboration is with Axor – the innovation arm of Hansgrohe. Under the leadership of Philippe Grohe, Axor has collaborated with the crème de la crème of the design world with a genuine desire to push the design envelope.
“We differ from others through continuous innovation,” Philippe begins as he introduces us to the La Maison de Metallos, a very apt industrial-style building once inhabited by Parisian trade unionists. “We need strong characters who are passionate about what they do and share our intrinsic perfectionism. They are designers who have a global understanding of how people want to live and that’s why we can offer unique products.”
The shelf as a defining design feature reappears on the exposed shower system. In this case it provides a platform for toiletries
It comes as no surprise then, when I learn that Axor Bouroullec was a project six years in the making. The pair dipped their toes with Axor and bathroom design with the conceptual WaterDream project – an exploration into the possibilities of the bathroom space. Axor Bouroullec was the next logical step and Philippe readily admits it was “the biggest and most complex challenge” Hansgrohe has faced.
The stars of the event are clearly grateful for what was an open brief and Axor’s willingness to give them the time and space to perfect what is now a full collection of bathroom products. Without a set brief, key decisions became the framework for the collection, the main consideration being to find a ‘language’ to create a harmonious space with a softer feel – a reaction against the sharp, geometric lines that have come before. “In the bathroom everything relates to the body; you are naked, exposed and often two people share the space – now I am flustered thinking about two people in the bathroom!” Ronan says as he begins to smile. “The point is that we realised this was an exploration into sensuality but this had to be done with a simplicity and elegance to provide something that will still look good in 20 years’ time.”
Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
The next defining factor was a desire to create a collection that wasn’t restricted to a specific space. “We didn’t want to deal with a design that would only work for a king-size bathroom,” they both proclaim in unison – they do this often. “We wanted a collection that would work just as well for a very small apartment in Paris, as it would for a hotel in London and so on.” The resulting 85 pieces are not just adaptable to individual spaces, however; they allow you to design to your own personal preferences. In short, design becomes playful.
The November issue of KBB is on sale now or you can subscribe online here
