Mr. Clean: Philippe Starck for Hansgrohe

Elizabeth Wine -- Interior Design, 7/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

 

He's done toilets and tubs, and this is his second foray into the shower. Philippe Starck's sensibility has now won even more adoring fans with Hansgrohe's Axor Starck ShowerCollection—and a coveted IF award from Germany's International Forum Design, to boot. The line builds on the simplicity of the square, with 5-inch modules in stainless steel or brushed nickel. They can house a thermostat, volume and diverter controls, or light and sound elements in addition to serving as a hand shower, body spray, or showerhead.

Arrange the modules any way you like, in horizontal, vertical, or artfully asymmetrical configurations. And adjust the jets horizontally or vertically. For spray styles, choose uninterrupted flow, soft rain, or whole-body jet. Water flows from a single 5-inch shower at a rate of just over 1 gallon per minute. Or leave the little modules behind for the line's 28-inch three-spray ShowerHeaven, which rains down a total of 7½ gallons. 800-334-0455; hansgrohe-usa.com. circle 437