South Africa shines on the world stage

AXOR has a proud tradition of creating beautiful taps and showers that set standards in design and innovation. The AXOR collections have always been created in collaboration with the world’s finest architects and designers, including Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Jean-Marie Massaud, Patricia Urquiola and Barber & Osgerby. Recently, some of South Africa’s great design talents were given the opportunity to contribute, too, in the AXOR AfricaEdition competition – a first for South Africa that has now set a global standard.

SA’s finest design talent brings African flair to a German design brand.
The AXOR AfricaEdition competition winning entry by Ryan Olivier.

The AXOR MyEdition range has reinvented bathroom design, bringing a dimension of customisation to the most intimate space in your home. AXOR MyEdition has over 225 combination choices of material, finishes and design possibilities to choose from, for the ultimate in personalised bathroom design – no matter what kind of aesthetic one prefers.

One of the most unique features of the AXOR MyEdition collection is the mounting plate, which accommodates the user’s design of choice, this is where South African designers recently excelled. The AXOR AfricaEdition competition saw some of South Africa’s best designers create their own cover plates, Inspired by Africa, for a chance to win a trip to Germany and the incredible AXOR Starck 240 showerhead, valued at R 10 999. Plus, the winning design will be brought to life in the real world. The designers did not disappoint.

In fact, with so much quality work submitted, the judging process was far from easy. And there was much deliberation on who the winner should be. In the end, first place was awarded to Ryan Olivier. Runner-ups were Landart Studios and Andrew Mboyi.

SA’s finest design talent brings African flair to a German design brand.
The AXOR AfricaEdition competition Andrew Mboyi

Ryan said, “There are no words to even begin to describe my excitement at winning this competition. The Black Forest has always been a destination I’ve wanted to visit. And this whole experience has been truly humbling. What an incredible learning path”.

Submissions were judged based on specific criteria. These were: presentation, the story behind the design and finally, the design of the plate itself. Each was judged separately, using a transparent points system that kept the process unbiased and fair.

Judges included both South African and international leaders. Judge and Managing Director of Hansgrohe South Africa, David Cooper, said, “The submissions we saw absolutely blew my mind. I was looking for quality submissions with a focus on Africa but what came through was beyond my wildest dreams.

International Judge and Head of Global Brand Marketing for AXOR, Anke Sohn, said, “Being a judge in a competition like this means you must keep an open mind and look at all the submissions the same way, without letting your personal affinity or taste undermine what the designers create.

SA’s finest design talent brings African flair to a German design brand.
The AXOR AfricaEdition competition runner up by Landart Studios.

“I started the process without any expectations but was actually overwhelmed by the level of creativeness I saw. The competition wowed us with so much talent and dedication, stories and state-of-the art presentations. The designs were all authentically African and could not have come from anywhere else in the world. That´s what makes them so special.”

The South African leg of the competition was the first of its kind for AXOR. AXOR continues to find the perfect middle ground between function and beauty that refreshes any space it inhabits. AXOR MyEdition just made stunning bathroom design more personal – and African – than it has ever been.