Hadi Teherani approaches his architecture and design projects holistically. Born in Teheran and raised in Hamburg, he is a prolific and versatile designer whose works can be found in Germany and all over the world. His projects have been recognized with internationally renowned awards for their ecologically-sound sustainability and holistic approach. Maybe that’s the reason for his constant stream of ideas: he sees the process of creation as a reaction to what he sees, senses and feels.
Designing from personal perception and inspiration, Teherani's bathroom concept for the AXOR DISTINCTIVE project was born. When asked by the brand how he would define his very personal “bathroom with personality”, the architect answered with a design that reflects an individual idea of this space, derived from this self-image — in its daily use, its design and its furnishing.
The concept features the form of a cupola placed in the center of a house or a hotel suite. Openly laid out, the circular room is accessible from several sides; the four window openings and round arches facing each other are organized symmetrically. In the center, the architect places an organically formed bathtub that takes up the layout and around which a spacious shower area and a generous, oval double washbasin are arranged. “This concept is inspired by the public baths in the Middle East”, Teherani says. These places usually cover an area of hundreds of square meters, formed out of several individual cupolas accommodating the reception area, the dressing rooms, the main bathroom, the fountains, and the toilet.
On why he chose this particular architectural style for his personal idea of a bathroom, Teherani explains that “For me the cupola symbolizes openness and secureness. The vastness comes from the high arched ceiling with a glass mosaic that stretches across the room like the sky. When you lay here in the bathtub placed in the center of the room you get the feeling of looking into the vastness of the starry sky.” The semicircular openings lend additional generosity to the bathroom concept — and make the space a place that allows for encounters. Despite its generosity, this bathroom is also meant to be a place of retreat. “And where on the other side is it better to dive in as in an enveloping shape without corners and edges?” Hadi Teherani asks. This effect is amplified by the materiality: Light marble surfaces in the shower area and a dazzling, silver glass mirror mosaic that extends from the floor to the cupola provide the room visual and haptic consistency without sacrificing sensuality and warmth.
To complete the design, AXOR Citterio E faucets, AXOR overhead and hand-held showers, as well as AXOR Universal Softsquare Accessories in Matt Black form a striking contrast. “For me, these products fulfill the role of a functional jewelry”, Hadi Teherani describes. “The faucets crown the bathroom concept with their timeless elegance and transport the water to the washbasin. The overhead shower is a recharging area for new energy, the bathtub faucet the water source at the bathtub.” And how can linear products, such as a towel holder, be included in a bathroom concept with rounded walls without right angles? “Here and there you have to work with little cuts into the walls and you have to plan the positioning accurately. The good thing about AXOR is that the brand offers many individual product variants so that it’s always possible to find a solution.”
In material, layout and furnishing, Hadi Teherani’s bathroom concept is an expression of individual experiences and personal preferences, holistic thinking and detailed planning — all seamlessly combining modernity and history. “The passages offer the possibility to add more cupolas with a steam bath or an extra shower area and thereby extend the bathroom”, says Teherani. “This concept is, so to speak, the basis with primary areas needed in a bathroom: washbasin, shower, bathtub. The design allows one to complete the bathroom according to personal ideas. Or to equip it with faucets and showers in special finishes. This type of individualization is a further form of luxury.”
For more information and inspiration, visit the AXOR website.