< Previouscommercialinteriordesign.com January 2022 40 H ygiene is the new gold standard in commercial bathrooms. While cleanliness has always been a goal in designing semi- public facilities, coronavirus has increased the need and expectation for creating hygienic and safe environments. Electronic mixers by AXOR set standards for comfort, hygiene and design while offering outstanding functionality. The non-contact operation sensor control and absence of handles, makes them perfect for use in public areas such as hotels, Electronic mixers by AXOR are setting standards in commercial bathroom projects restaurants or lounges, where they also make a positive contribution to water saving efforts. To reinforce the designer aesthetics, AXOR collaborated with noted designers, Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio and PHOENIX to create electronic mixers that refl ect their respective originality. AXOR Starck, AXOR Starck Organic, AXOR Citterio and AXOR Uno collections all incorporate electronic mixers, available in two versions; with temperature re-set or temperature control. COLLECTION FOCUS FUNCTION & AESTHETICS Axor's Uno MixerSpecial Report 41 January 2022 commercialinteriordesign.com The Axor Starck Organic Let's look at the range in more detail. As the AXOR Uno is minimalist in design, inspired by the early Modernist aesthetic of Purism, this electronic, wall-mounted mixer by Phoenix Design has a sensor fi eld on the bottom of the spout that's effective yet discreet. Philippe Starck's AXOR Starck Organic is an another minimalist mixer, with a design that saves a great deal of water – using about 50 per cent less than standard faucets. The ample mixer shower jet uses just 3.5 litres a minute, making it an attractive and practical product option for bathroom projects. AXOR Citterio single- lever and wall-mounted single-lever faucets with the signature pin handle feature intuitive joystick technology. Also available in wall- and basin-mounted versions, AXOR Citterio three- hole faucets come with minimalist lever handles or classic cross handles. The wall-mounted AXOR Citterio electronic basin faucet with infrared sensors instantly conserves water when hands are withdrawn. Finally, the AXOR Starck by Philippe Starck – reduced to the basics, this mixer is the electronic variant of the purist AXOR Starck basin mixer and, like other products in the range, is available with and without temperature control. Its archetypal form is inspired by the traditional well pump, the collection was fi rst launched by AXOR over 25 years ago. Of course, the brand's heritage stretches much further back than a mere quarter of a century. Part of the 120-year-old international fi ttings and shower specialist Hansgrohe Group, AXOR was founded by Klaus Grohe in 1993. The youngest son of the titular Hans Grohe, he wanted to create distinct design objects for luxurious bathrooms and kitchens and, since then, AXOR has worked with world-renowned architects and designers to create faucets, showers and accessories in a wide variety of styles. Bathroom options that are practical & attractive... Designed by Philipe StarckArt in design commercialinteriordesign.com January 2022 42 Louise's artwork is inspired by natural elementsArt in design 43 January 2022 commercialinteriordesign.com THE BRIEF IS 'BURJ' Burj Al Arab opens to the public for its inagural tours, revealing contemporary art created by one of its fi rst ever visitors NINE NEW ARTWORKS When landmark hotel Burj Al Arab opened in 1999, artist Louise Duggan was among guests at the grand reveal of the KCA International-designed interiors. Nearly a quarter of a century later and Louise's artworks are on show at the lavish property, with its contemporary new interiors created by KCA. In January 2021, Louise, founder of Ophelia Art Consultancy, was invited by KCA International and Burj Al Arab to develop nine artworks for a new visitor experience. The brief was that they should reflect the original interior design concept for the Burj Al Arab, which is based around the four elements of nature. Khuan Chew of KCA created an environment of ornate grandeur with an explosion of colour. KCA revisited this theme within the new areas by bringing it up-to-date with a modern twist, clean lines, and elegant features. Now, for the first time, Louise's art and the interiors revamped by KCA are open not just to the hotel and restaurant guests. Now the public can tour around the Burj's ample gold leaf, dancing fountains and towering 180-metre atrium, as well as Louise's harmonising artworks.Art in design commercialinteriordesign.com January 2022 44 Concept Ophelia Art Consultancy received carpet and fabric samples so they could create a seamless journey from the floor, furniture and art. One challenge was creating artworks that function within the already bold interior but still be powerful enough as stand- alone paintings. Louise was inspired by a quote from Buddhist nun Perma Chodon: "It's said that when we die, the four elements – earth, air, fire and water – dissolve one by one, each into the other, and finally just dissolve into space. But while we're living, we share the energy that makes everything, from a blade of grass to an elephant, grow and live and then inevitably wear out and die. This energy, this life force, creates the whole world." Harmonising energy The colours associated with the elements are earth, green and brown; air, yellow and white; fire, red and orange and water, blue and pastels. KCA initially incorporated these within the carpets and into the furniture, so Louise's goal was to follow their lead and harmonise the energy into the art. The Burj Al Arab works are an inherently personal project for Louise. She's known the KCA design team for over 20 years and has admired the standing of the sail-shaped building since its opening. Art in design 45 January 2022 commercialinteriordesign.com Pride and joy Louise's standout piece for this project is the VIP lounge installation, she says. Four elements combine using yellow, red, blue, and green with overflowing gold lines dripping down the canvas. KCA and Ophelia Art Consultancy worked closely together to develop the paintings to create one voice throughout the interiors. Louise says: "It was truly a celebration to work on such an iconic project." As a mixed media artist, she brought exciting, vibrant paintings to the space using different materials that playfully react with light on the canvas. Gold lines "We loved this idea that while living we share the energy of the elements, air, earth, fire and water. Greek philosophy describes these as primal powers since none can survive without each other. All support life. To embody this, we used gold lines to illustrate the movement of energy," Louise said. She added: "We wanted to use the gold lines and elements of gold leaf to bring the paintings together as a collection, but more importantly, the gold in each artwork represents this idea that, as guests pass through the hotel, they leave their own trail of energy in this iconic building, therefore, adding to its life force. Anyone that has visited this iconic hotel has left a little bit of their energy here."commercialinteriordesign.com January 2022 46 White Rabbit beauty studio in Minsk, Belarus, by Polinii interior design WONDERLAND ENTER WORLD VIEWWorld view 47 January 2022 commercialinteriordesign.com commercialinteriordesign.com January 2022 48 Turning the every day into fantasy... Follow the White Rabbit The anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland leads the title character Alice to a strange world of unusual creatures. For Polinii interior design studio, the White Rabbit became a symbol of looking a-new at familiar things. Rabbit ears in pop colours frame the mirrors in this Belarus beauty studio, a comment on the salon's ability to transform the everyday grey into fantasy bright shades. While Alice is a classic novel that's well over 100 years old, Polinii is a new studio founded in 2020 by the duo of architect Polina Telegina and designer Polina Alekseychikova. Master of Architecture Polina Telegina worked on the design and implementation of the world famous Hyatt hotel chain, Moscow's Domodedovo airport and French brand Leroy Merlin's supermarket chain. Polina Alekseychikova is an interior designer who received her BA from the University of Essex in England. She participated in the design and implementation of large offi ce, public and residential interiors. So far Polinii has designed the interiors of apartments, private houses and is also behind the landscaping of a hotel complex, as well as this Minsk salon. White Rabbit opened in 2020 in the WORLD VIEWWorld view 49 January 2022 commercialinteriordesign.com Bright shades frame the mirrors capital and the largest city of Belarus and the designers are choosing to share it now, as the world reintegrates third place spaces with the new normal. How deep does their rabbit hole go? All the way back to the neon futurism of the 1980s, with a retrofest of neon –realised as perky lagomorpah ears. The designers explain how the concept was executed: "White Rabbit interior project is made of a combination of purity and frolic, it is an ethereal creature in a wilderness of houses. Holographic palette in decoration and tinted glass arouse the spirit of Asian epatage and space futurism from the 80s. "White metal partition divides open work space and creates functional zoning as well as emphasises colour and the capsule shape of mirrors." FAST FACTS Completion year: 2020 Gross Built Area (m2): 69 Project location: Minsk, Belarus Photo credits: Egor Piaskovsky The white rabbit himselfNext >