“To me, it is about designing projects that consider a person as a whole: their taste, their needs, their lifestyle. No one is the same, and this is what I love about my job — meeting people and creating something like nothing before.”Sarah Poniatowski
Paris-based interior designer Sarah Poniatowski, founder of Maison Sarah Lavoine, has gained international recognition for distinctive projects that delight with their surprising mix of styles, colors and materials. Such mixing is immediately apparent in the bathroom concept Poniatowski created as part of the AXOR Distinctive campaign.
Set beside the sea, the detached bathroom evokes an idyllic, even nostalgic, quality. Poniatowski took inspiration from her personal connection with the south-west region of France, a location known for its beautiful coastline and stunning architecture.
Poniatowski’s bathroom concept dissolves the boundary between the indoors and the elements. Natural materials such as raw pine and travertine fill the interior, striped in sunlight that passes through folding windows with wooden louvres. Drawing balance from contrasts, the bathroom welcomes a palette of aubergine with emerald blue, teal with pale pinks and yellows, and extends the same principle to the choice of materials—including the AXOR Starck collection. Finished here in the AXOR FinishPlus surface Brushed Bronze, the collection adds a refined, minimalist edge to Poniatowski’s concept. Two AXOR Starck taps set accents against the travertine washbasin, an effect repeated at the bathtub with a floor-standing AXOR Starck tap—adding a distinct statement to the interior without overwhelming it.
Featured both indoors and out, the slender AXOR Starck Nature Shower Column follows the linearity of the long, exposed pine beams and contrasts with the idiosyncratic Zellige tiles. The iconic design object expresses the simple elegance and beauty of AXOR Starck, and is equipped with a hot water connection, PowderRain spray technology for the overhead shower, and an optional hand shower.
With her sense of play and a taste for detail that confers a natural elegance, the French interior designer has been transforming spaces for over twenty years—from private New York lofts to the headquarters of L'Oréal Luxe in Paris. Lively, colorful and refined, her trademark style often utilizes artisanal furnishings and contemporary shapes.