"We have created a new type of water" - Philippe Starck
In this movie we filmed in New York, French designer Philippe Starck explains how his Organic tap for bathroom brand Axor dramatically reduces water consumption by combining it with air.
"We have created a new type of water, which we call 'empty water'", says Philippe Starck. "You have the feeling of having a lot of water, but you have a lot less. That is a new standard that uses less than half [as much water as] before."
Unlike most taps, the water temperature can also be preset at the top so there's no need to adjust it once the water is running. "[Normally] when we change temperature, we lose a lot of water," Starck explains.
"That's why this product is not a new faucet, it's a new philosophy," he continues. "It's a big revolution because it fits with what we need for today and tomorrow."
Starck cites his inspiration for the form of the tap as a childhood memory of a farmyard water pump. "We have to find the bone, the essence, the centre, the spirit," he says. "I dug into my memory of childhood, and the first time I saw water was in a farm."
He also wanted the form to mirror nature. "All the lines come from our body, all the lines come from vegetation," he says. "I tried to [capture] the organic energy."
Find out more about the Organic tap in our earlier story, or see all our stories about design by Philippe Starck.