Hadi Teherani: the bathroom is as a “source of new energy”

Hadi Teherani: the bathroom is as a “source of new energy”

AXOR project DISTINCTIVE was born from Hadi Teherani’s vision to define his interpretation of a bathroom with personality…

Hadi Teherani approaches his architecture and design projects holistically. Born in Teheran and raised in Hamburg he is a prolific and versatile designer and versatile designer whose works can be found in Germany and all over the world and which are regularly recognised with internationally renowned awards for their ecologically sound sustainability and holistic approach. Maybe that’s the reason why he is never out of ideas: he sees the process of creation as a reaction to what he sees, senses and feels.

Teherani designs from personal perception and inspiration. This is also how the bathroom concept for the AXOR project DISTINCTIVE 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.

It is a space where I can retreat, throw off the stress, and come out reborn, Teherani explains. “I see the bathroom as a space where I can clean myself  –  in a metaphorical sense as well. Here is where I arm myself for the day. This space protects me, offers me security, but at the same time, it doesn’t restrict me but rather gives me a feeling of space and infinity.” And how can one single room fulfil these seemingly so contradictory and at the same time holistic demands? Also, here the solution lays for Teherani in the formulation of the question itself. “What do you need to feel safe and secure and at the same time free and liberated? Human beings have always built cocoons in which they feel protected and could find shelter  –  whether made of snow, earth, or stone. The primal form of housing if you like. Enveloping but not narrowing. And this is what I take up in my vision of a bathroom.”

The designer’s concept features the form of a cupola placed in the centre 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 organised symmetrically. In the centre, 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.

And why does the architect choose this particular architectural style for his personal idea of a bathroom? “For me the cupola symbolises 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”, he says. The semicircular openings lend additional generosity to the bathroom concept  – and make the space a place that allows 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?” 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.

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 fulfil the role of a functional jewellery”, 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 angels? “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 so many individual product variants so that it’s always possible to find a solution.”

In material, layout and furnishing, 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 the designer. “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 individualisation is a further form of luxury.”

Personalisation has emerged as one of the mega trends of our time. With globalisation advancing, creating a sense of sameness through standardised products and one-size-fits-all solutions, people everywhere seek more personal expressions of luxury, style and well-being. A widespread and rising sense of uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity has only accelerated the trend, especially in the home, creating a demand for spaces and objects that reflect one’s own personality. How can architects and interior designers better understand their clients’ personal evolving desires, developing distinctive and sustainable long-term solutions that give meaning and satisfaction for years to come? And how can their clients get to spaces designed for their very individual needs? These and other questions are explored in our new project DISTINCTIVE”, says Anke Sohn, Head of Global Brand Marketing AXOR.

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Main image credit: Hansgrohe