Axor Uno 2 by Hansgrohe

Anyone who's ever lusted after a Porsche Carrera or a Wustof cooking knife knows that German design achieves a kind of beauty through solid functionality.

Kitchen and bathroom fixture company Hansgrohe have placed themselves squarely in this tradition with Axor Uno 2, a series of faucets that are kind of like the BMWs of tap water.

The seven-item line-up was created for Hansgrohe by Phoenix Design, a group with offices in Germany and Tokyo that makes products as diverse as champagne flutes and cellphones.

With the goal of outfitting the urban lifestyle, Phoenix and Hansgrohe have developed an array of smart chrome fixtures that are sure to please design- and hygiene-obsessed Tokyoites.

The faucets' sleek, stylish and - yes - sexy forms represent a slimming down of the original Axor series, whose designs were crafted by such luminaries as Philippe Starck and Antonio Citterio.

Check out Hansgrohe's Tokyo showroom at 6F Ono Bldg, 2-15-21 Takanawa, Minato-ku, for the full array of goodies.