Bowmans · Inspiration · Design
Why we love AXOR brassware: Starck and AXOR One
By Jonathon Barclay · · 10 min read
AXOR Starck and AXOR One are two personal favourites at Bowmans. Here’s how we’d compare their designs and specifications.
Starck is the more direct design. The cylindrical body and simple pin handle give it the clarity of an object that has been reduced to what it actually needs. AXOR One is softer and more architectural, with flatter surfaces, rounded corners and a wider choice of control styles.
Neither collection is the automatic choice simply because you’re spending more on the bathroom. The tap still needs to suit the basin, the rest of the brassware and the way you want to use it. But when the room calls for fittings with a very clear design identity, these are two collections we’d look at closely.
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Why AXOR appeals to us
AXOR has been part of the Hansgrohe Group since the brand launched in 1993. Its collections are developed with external designers rather than treated as minor variations of the same standard tap. That approach is particularly clear in Starck and One, even though the two look quite different. You can read more about the history and design approach behind AXOR.
What the premium spend buys is choice and coherence. You can carry a recognisable shape, handle style and finish across the basin, bath and shower instead of choosing each fitting separately and hoping they work together.
That doesn’t mean a less expensive tap is bound to fail, or that every fitting needs to make a statement. In some bathrooms, we’d rather keep the brassware quiet and spend more on the furniture, bath or tiles. AXOR makes most sense when the fittings are going to be seen properly and their design contributes to the room.
AXOR Starck: simple, direct and easy to recognise
The AXOR Starck collection was created with Philippe Starck and launched in 1994. Its design was informed by the simplicity of a traditional water pump, which helps explain the upright body, projecting spout and slender pin control. AXOR discusses that starting point in its interview about the Starck collection.
What we like is that the idea is easy to understand when you see the tap. It doesn’t rely on decoration or an elaborate handle. The proportions and the small control do the work.
That makes Starck a strong choice for a bathroom where you want the brassware to look precise without becoming heavy. It can sit comfortably against stone, timber or a visually strong basin because there isn’t much competing detail.
The drawback is that such a reduced shape leaves very little to hide behind. The position of the tap, the basin and the surrounding surfaces all need to look deliberate. If the basin is too large, or the tap is set too far behind it, the neat silhouette won’t compensate for an awkward reach.
A Starck specification in practical terms
The names attached to taps don’t tell you enough about how they’ll work with a particular basin. You need the actual product dimensions.
For example, the AXOR Starck single-lever basin mixer 100 in Stainless Steel Optic, product 10003800 has a 103mm spout projection and a 95mm spout height. It uses a ceramic cartridge, has a maximum flow rate of 5 litres per minute at 3 bar and requires at least 1 bar operating pressure.
“Stainless Steel Optic” is the name of that finish. It shouldn’t be read as a statement that the tap body itself is made from stainless steel.
Those measurements need to be considered with the chosen basin. We’d want to know where the water lands, whether there’s comfortable hand space beneath the spout and how close the tap can sit without making the area behind it difficult to clean.
AXOR One: softer forms and more choice at the controls
AXOR One, designed with Barber Osgerby, has slim forms, curved spouts, flat surfaces and softened corners. It feels broader and calmer than Starck, with less emphasis on a single upright cylinder. You can see the different product types in the AXOR One collection.
One of its most distinctive options is the mechanical Select basin control. You press it down to turn the water on or off, then swivel it clockwise to make the water warmer. But that isn’t how every AXOR One tap works. The collection also includes lever and cross-handle alternatives.
That distinction matters because silhouette and control should be chosen together. You might like the outline of AXOR One but prefer the familiarity of a conventional lever. Or the Select control may be the part that makes the collection right for the room.
We wouldn’t assume the most unusual control is automatically the best one. Think about who will use the bathroom and whether they’ll find it natural. A guest bathroom may benefit from a familiar lever, while a main bathroom designed around very simple surfaces may suit the cleaner appearance of Select.
Don’t compare the 70 and 100 names in isolation
A product name such as 70 or 100 isn’t a substitute for checking the technical drawing.
The AXOR One single-lever basin mixer 70 in Chrome, product 48000000 has a 130mm projection and a 70mm spout height. It has a lever handle rather than Select, uses a ceramic cartridge, has a maximum flow rate of 5 litres per minute at 3 bar and includes a pop-up waste.
Compare that with the Starck example above and you can see why the collection name alone isn’t enough. The One tap reaches further but sits lower. Whether that is helpful depends on the basin’s shape, rim and tap position.
AXOR Starck or AXOR One?
Both collections are visually controlled, but they do different jobs.
Swipe across to compare all columns.
| Consideration | AXOR Starck | AXOR One |
|---|---|---|
| Overall character | Upright, cylindrical and direct | Slimmer, broader and softly rounded |
| Most recognisable detail | Slender pin-style control | Curved spout and choice of Select, lever or cross handles |
| We’d consider it for | A room that needs a precise, recognisable fitting | A calmer scheme built around flatter surfaces and softer corners |
| Important decision | Whether the reduced proportions suit the basin and surrounding space | Which control type you prefer, as not every model uses Select |
| Specification check | Exact projection, height, pressure and product code | Exact projection, height, control type, pressure and product code |
Which design suits your room?
If the room already contains strong shapes or detailed materials, Starck’s simplicity may be easier to place. If the bathroom has broad vanity surfaces, rounded furniture or a quieter architectural feel, AXOR One may sit more naturally.
But we wouldn’t choose from photographs of the tap alone. A basin mixer is always seen and used with a basin. The relationship between those two objects matters more than whether one collection is newer or has the more unusual control.
Choose the basin and tap together
The most useful specification check is where the water will actually land.
A short projection on a wide basin rim can leave your hands too close to the back of the bowl. A long projection over a small basin may bring the stream too far forward. Spout height also affects the space available for washing your hands and how the tap sits visually above the basin.
So we’d normally look at the basin drawing and tap drawing together. The number in the product name may help distinguish models within a collection, but it doesn’t reliably tell you whether the tap suits your basin.
The same applies to wall-mounted taps. Their simplicity depends on decisions hidden behind the finished wall. The rough-in and compatible concealed body need to be specified before the wall is closed and finished. This isn’t something to leave until the tiling has started.
A complete brassware specification
If you’re using your own fitter, confirm the exact product code, chosen finish, available water pressure and any required concealed parts with both the fitter and supplier. Customers can buy AXOR through Bowmans and have it installed by their own fitter, but everyone needs to be working from the same specification.
Keep the finish decision connected to the product code
AXOR One is offered in Chrome, Matt Black and up to 15 AXOR FinishPlus surfaces, but availability is product-specific. Don’t assume that seeing a finish elsewhere in the collection means it can be ordered on the exact tap or shower fitting you’ve chosen.
The manufacturing route also varies. AXOR explains that its finishes can involve electroplated chrome, PVD metallic coatings or lacquer, depending on the surface. So it isn’t accurate to describe every AXOR finish as PVD. The AXOR FinishPlus information explains those distinctions.
We’d keep the finish choice restrained and repeat it where it matters. The basin tap, shower controls and bath brassware should look intentional together. Smaller details can then be checked individually rather than forcing a poor product choice simply to make every item the same colour.
Is AXOR worth the extra spend?
It can be, if you’re using the design options properly.
With Starck, you’re paying for a particularly reduced and recognisable piece of design that can be carried through the bathroom. With AXOR One, part of the appeal is the relationship between its softer form, different handle options and wider collection.
What we wouldn’t do is choose either name and then assume every product within the collection will suit the room. The exact model still needs to earn its place. Projection, height, operation, finish availability and compatibility all matter.
There’s also no need to specify the most expensive or unusual version simply because the bathroom has a substantial budget. A straightforward lever mixer may be the better choice if it suits the basin and the person using it. Good specification is about getting those details right, not adding complexity for its own sake.
Choose your AXOR brassware with Bowmans
You can explore AXOR at Bowmans for more information about the brand and how it may fit your bathroom.
If you’d like help comparing Starck and AXOR One, bring the chosen basin, room photographs or plans, and any exact tap codes you’ve already shortlisted. We can check the design as a complete specification rather than judging the tap on its own.
You can visit our showrooms in Braintree or Leigh-on-Sea, or talk through your specification with the Bowmans team. We can supply the products for a Bowmans design or for installation by your own fitter.
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