The creative genius of Karim Rashid

Axia Bath AX20 by Karim Rashid

Like all true innovations, creating a new environment for a bathroom is a kind of intuition. The evolution of this space dedicated to bath has progressed from a space dedicated to personal hygiene, to a space for care and well-being, requiring the same aesthetic and functional standards reserved to other rooms of a house.

In this context, the Italian brand Axia Bath chose to respond to a whole range of needs expressed by an increasingly demanding and knowledgeable user, demanding comfort and elegance in situations that involve exclusive spaces or specific settings where size or spatial structure precludes the use of standard products. The result is the "perfect wedding" between the vision of Italian design editor and the creative genius of Karim Rashid.

Designer Karim Rashid

The designer of Egyptian origin, currently living in the United States of America is one of the most creative of our generation, with 3000 designs in production, from furniture to accessories, design shops or luxury goods, and 300 awards, including the Red Dot and the Chicago Athenaeum Good Design awards.

For Karim Rashid, functionality is essential but at the same time it is important to raise emotions in people. From a young age Karim is obsessed with drawing. "My father is a painter, photographer and producer for television sets. Regularly he took me to England to draw churches. He taught me to observe, told me about perspective, and that I could draw anything and touch all aspects of our physical landscape". For Karim there are no boundaries to what can be created. "When I started working with Axia, I was interested in the will to explore future opportunities that could be found in a modern bathroom and divert me all too familiar archetypes, which are normally present in contemporary bathrooms".

For this new project, Karim created a concept from warm shapes. "I wanted a smoothness that semantically addressed the act of washing in a natural and organic context. While a minimalist bathroom can be very beautiful when designed and constructed with great skill, my aim was more human, decorative and totally inviting and sensual, a place where one can escape, meditate and relax ". 

Design by Karim Rashid for Axia Bath

Karim has worked with a 3D organic pattern, featuring soft indentations with sharp edges so the equipment’s surface could capture light and increase depth, while making them easy to clean.

The Axia Bath* AX collection combines these stone shaped cutouts with the richness of wood or high gloss resin, inviting the body to touch and soak in a serene and comfortable atmosphere of an authentic SPA.

AX collection by Axia Bath

Text and images: Nuno Ladeiro

^*Axia Bath is represented in Portugal by DimensãoNova