Water as muse: Tatler House Dialogue explores architecture, design and art through AXOR

Tatler House Dialogue returned to Hanoi on 4 August with AXOR, the German bathroom design house, to explore "The Poetic Landscape of Water" — a theme that wove together reflections on water's role in domestic space and human creativity.

Held at the AXOR showroom inside Phố Xinh, a curated retail destination for interior design, the intimate salon-style conversation was led by writer Hiền Trang and featured architect Vũ Hoàng Sơn (co-founder of design studio VUUV), architect Dương Thanh Tuấn (creative director of Erato Design), and contemporary artist Phạm Minh Hiếu.

Design, craft and timelessness

AXOR, established in 1993 and part of the Hansgrohe Group, has positioned itself as a pioneer in reimagining the bathroom as a complete sensory space rather than a purely functional room. The showroom showcases collections from globally renowned designers including Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Barber Osgerby, PHOENIX Design, Patricia Urquiola, and Jean-Marie Massaud — each bringing distinct aesthetic perspectives to fixtures ranging from taps and showerheads to basins and bathtubs.

Christophe Gourlan, global business director of the Hansgrohe Group, emphasised during the dialogue that AXOR's designs endure through refined aesthetic language, exceptional craftsmanship, and superior technology. The brand also offers AXOR Signature, a bespoke service allowing customisation of form, colour, dimensions, and engraved details — personalisation options that extend the appeal beyond standard offerings.

The philosophy behind the conversation

Tatler House Dialogue is structured as a selective salon forum, creating a private conversational space for deeper exchanges on ideas and cultural movements reshaping Vietnam's contemporary landscape. Nikita Chu, editor-in-chief of Tatler Vietnam, noted the significance of hosting the dialogue in Hanoi, positioning Tatler as a platform connecting figures shaping Vietnam's culture, business, and creative life.

The evening opened with a reference to French philosopher Gaston Bachelard's 1942 essay collection Water and Dreams, in which he wrote that water's voice transcends metaphor — it is a poetic reality that teaches both birds and humans to sing, speak, and tell stories. This philosophical grounding set the tone for discussions around how water functions as more than plumbing, instead becoming a medium through which memory and emotion flow.

Dương Quốc Nam, founder of Hoàng Nam Group and the Phố Xinh retail chain, shared his conviction that curated design — each piece carrying cultural narrative, historical depth, and exceptional quality — belongs in every home. The Phố Xinh ecosystem comprises 60 international interior brands, each selected to reflect both craft heritage and contemporary living standards.

Through speakers spanning architecture, design, and visual art, the dialogue examined how water's presence — whether as a visual element, sensory experience, or metaphor for flow and transformation — informs the spaces we inhabit and the stories we tell within them.