Axis Mundi draws from the infinitely rich vocabulary of design. We question and challenge its usual assumptions, incorporating contemporary concepts and technologies that transform that language into new, confident forms of expression relevant to today.
The team at Axis Mundi knows that being provocateurs and challenging assumptions is what catalyzes new ways of thinking. And new ways of thinking are what lead to the freeform experimentation and fresh perspectives that result in design innovation. It doesn’t mean we reject all traditional forms and concepts. We simply attempt to reimagine them in a more relevant context. It is within this tension between historical value and modern invention that Axis Mundi operates.
Our New York-based design studio has a reputation for interdisciplinary work across the fields of architecture, interior and product design. The firm has conceived and executed residential, retail and commercial projects from coast to coast. The firm’s environmental sympathies are expressed in their conscientious selection of materials, and echoed in its appreciation for original architecture and its elements. The true virtuosity of Axis Mundi’s work comes from collaboration—the meeting of minds: with each other, with our clients and with other members of the creative community. Since its inception, Axis Mundi has worked with artists and craftsmen from across the U.S. in an effort to deliver thoughtful
ABOUT JOHN BECKMANN
Axis Mundi was founded by John Beckmann in 2004, who received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design. During his studies, he apprenticed with master minimalist Joseph P. D’Urso and, after graduating, collaborated with various other design luminaries. Throughout his career he has honed an astute understanding of the intersections between architecture, design and contemporary art.
Beckmann’s honors include a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts (1998) and a McDowell Colony Fellowship (2010). He both edited and contributed to The Virtual Dimension: Architecture, Representation and Crash Culture (Princeton Architectural Press, 1998), one of the first books to grasp the implications of digital technologies on the fields of architecture and design. Beckmann has also been a visiting critic at Yale School of Architecture, Pratt Institute and Parsons the New School for Design, and he has been a featured guest on Bloomberg TV and LX-TV’s Open House.