AXOR Suite: basins, metal finishes and the bath

Why the metal surround matters

Designed by Philippe Starck, the AXOR Suite basins have a white SolidSurface inner bowl surrounded by a thin metal frame. The contrast between the two materials is what gives the basin its character. The metal forms a substantial visible edge rather than appearing only on the tap or waste. AXOR describes the collection and its materials here.

That makes the finish an important part of the room. On a conventional white basin, changing from chrome to a darker or warmer tap finish affects a relatively small area. With AXOR Suite, the basin itself carries that finish around its perimeter.

The shallow profile also gives the bowls a precise, furniture-like appearance. We’d consider them where the basin needs to contribute more to the design than a standard white countertop bowl, particularly on a vanity that will remain clearly visible.

Round or rectangular

The round basins come in 300mm and 400mm sizes. The angular range includes 285 x 285mm, 400 x 400mm and 600 x 400mm versions.

A round bowl can soften a very straight vanity, particularly if the furniture, mirror and wall tiles already have strong horizontal and vertical lines. The 300mm version also leaves more usable countertop around the basin, although you still need to allow sensible space for the tap and anything you want to keep beside it.

The square bowls make more sense when you want the basin to follow the geometry of the furniture. Two matching 400mm bowls can create a more ordered double-vanity arrangement, provided the unit is wide enough to give each basin some space. Putting two bowls too close together usually makes an expensive vanity feel crowded.

The 600 x 400mm rectangular basin has more visual weight and suits a longer single-basin layout. It can give one person a generous washing area without dividing the worktop into two smaller bowls. The 600 x 400mm model is listed as a countertop basin without a tap hole or overflow.

The bowls have an internal height of 80mm, but that figure shouldn’t be considered on its own. The finished basin height, worktop height, tap outlet and reach all need to work together. A wall-mounted tap set too high can cause unnecessary splashing, while a countertop mixer that doesn’t reach far enough into the bowl will be awkward to use. The chosen mixer determines the water delivery, not the basin.

Choosing the finish

Choose the metal surround as part of the full palette, not from an isolated product image.

The round basin pictured in Ushi Tamborriello’s Gretel and Hansel concept for AXOR has a Polished Red Gold surround, paired with a MyEdition tap. The warm metal gives the white bowl a distinct edge and works well with timber and warmer stone colours.

The square basin creates a sharper outline in Matt Black. The 400 x 400mm version, model 42003670, combines that metal frame with a white SolidSurface bowl. We’d use the contrast where the room already has dark details, such as a mirror frame or shower enclosure.

For another warm option, the 400mm round basin is offered with a Brushed Gold Optic frame. Compare the brushed surface with polished alternatives alongside the tap and worktop samples, where differences in colour and reflection are easier to judge.

We’d compare the basin frame, tap finish and worktop sample beside one another before ordering. Photographs can help you narrow the choice, but polished and brushed metals respond differently to the stone colour and lighting around them.

Our guide to AXOR MyEdition cover plates explains the tap’s material choices if you want to coordinate the two. Agree the exact tap and basin together so the finish, height and reach all work.

The Suite bath

The AXOR Suite bath is a 1900 x 850mm freestanding model in matt SolidSurface, also designed by Philippe Starck. It carries the same restrained geometry as the basins, so it works well when you want the bath and vanity to feel related without making them identical. AXOR lists the bath dimensions and SolidSurface construction on the UK product page.

AXOR shows the bath with a Polished Black Chrome shelf in Masquespacio’s Utopian Dream concept. The shelf is a separate addition, so ask for it to be included in the quotation if you want the arrangement pictured.

The named bath finish refers to the metal waste, not to a chrome, black or steel shell. Even the Stainless Steel Optic version remains a SolidSurface bath, with that finish applied to its included push-open waste. The Stainless Steel Optic model is specified this way by AXOR.

At this size, the room needs to do more than contain the bath on a plan. There should be enough clearance for the form to be appreciated, for you to move around it and for the surrounding floor to be reached. If fitting it means narrowing the shower or leaving an awkward strip beside a wall, we’d question whether the room actually benefits from a freestanding bath.

Our guide to freestanding and built-in baths looks at that room-planning decision in more detail.

What to agree before ordering

The Suite wash bowls don’t have an overflow and aren’t supplied with a waste. They require a separate non-closing waste, so there isn’t a plug intended to hold water in the bowl. This applies to the referenced round 400mm, square 400 x 400mm and rectangular 600 x 400mm models.

They also have no tap hole. That leaves the tap to be mounted on the wall or in a suitable countertop position, but it doesn’t make every tap compatible. The fitter needs the basin, worktop and mixer specifications early enough to agree the outlet position, reach, clearances and connections before anything is drilled or built.

The bath is different. It has an overflow and includes a push-open waste and siphon. It weighs 180kg empty, and AXOR gives an approximate loaded weight of 440kg with water and one 70kg person. Those figures are stated for the 1900 x 850mm bath. Floor support and the full delivery route therefore need to be checked with your fitter before the order is placed, including doorways, stairs and the final approach into the room.

We’d choose a Suite basin where the metal surround adds something to the room, rather than paying for a detail that disappears against the worktop. The bath deserves enough space to appreciate its shape and reach the floor around it.

You can explore the wider AXOR collection available through Bowmans or book a showroom appointment in Braintree or Leigh-on-Sea. We can help specify and supply the products for a complete bathroom or work with you on a supply-only basis if you already have a fitter.