Axis Mundi

I worked at Axis Mundi for three months this summer (2018) and it was a challenging, creative, and yet fun environment to work in. They work hard yet value work-life balance, are personable, and they enjoy creating a genuine learning environment for the interns. I had a wide variety of experiences while working there: hands-on work at sites, creating detailed construction drawings for the contractor, visiting ICFF and high-end vendors at the D&D building, meeting clients, networking with other professionals, contributing to theoretical projects for submission to competitions, gaining exposure to the luxury residential design world, and understanding of how boutique firms are run and operated in NYC. I highly recommend students to intern here if you want to be part of a very creative team that cares about you as a person and as a young professional. It's was an invaluable experience that I would have never received in a classroom. Somethings can't be taught in school—you just must go out and do it. I cannot stress enough the creative quality of work they do, they are attentive to details, and are genuinely people-oriented. They encourage their interns to succeed. I felt like my opinion mattered, I was treated with equality, and was able to significantly contribute to the office ethos and the projects. Highly recommended.

John Beckmann is an artist. Had he been a filmmaker, John would be called an auteur: someone who controls every aspect of the job and raises the game of everybody involved in the project. He is vastly knowledgeable about the nitty-gritty of construction and design so he is able to direct contractors and even other architects about both the practical and design aspects of the job. He has photographic recall of your space; this relieved one of my biggest anxieties: that of talking over the phone with someone who cannot always be physically present. This combined with the encyclopedic list of suppliers, materials and design concepts that John has locked away in his brain makes him a hard act to beat. John also has the personality of a designer worked out: he knows when to charm and when to be merciless and this works very well with obdurate contractors. I remember when in a commercial job he helped me with, John insisted that a large and expensive soffit be torn out and redone to his specs. At the time even I agreed with the contractor that John was being unreasonable, but John's will eventually prevailed and although it added $1200 and a day of work to the budget to remove the soffit, I have thanked John every day for the past six years when I walk through that reception. His insistence on that occasion changed the look of the entire space from stodgy to modern and made it much more usable for staff members and customers alike. On other occasions John saved me money: he suggested affordable alternatives that matched or surpassed what I had in mind at a fraction of the cost. On one occasion he drove me personally to pick out a single toilet paper dispenser for the office because he thought it would be perfect. At the time I didn't know him that well so I was scared that his final bill would make that one expensive purchase but I was pleasantly surprised then (and every time since) by how reasonable and meticulous John's billing has been for the kind of quality service he provides. Lastly there is the educational aspect. I feel that I have internalized so many of my discussions and debates with John that it has fundamentally changed the way I look at spaces and objects. You don't always have a professional designer to advise you at every moment but interacting with someone like John has helped me make better design decisions by myself. I wish I knew a professional of John's caliber in every field of life that I have reason to interact with. It is a joy to do business with someone who knows his craft. I give John Beckmann my highest rating and recommendation.

We engaged Axis Mundi in an interior design project for our living/diving space. John took a high retainer fee and then did little more than post a bunch of random pictures to a messy online file that didn't reflect our aesthetic and ignore our requests to incorporate certain existing furniture pieces. He did nothing to help us on the items that we specifically requested help with such as the kitchen backsplash (he just posted two random pictures of granite which anyone can find) and the living room wall unit (we got 2-3 images which were not even on the same planet as what we asked for), and charged us to order samples for things we didn't even want. He also refused to work within our budget and came back with a line item plan that included custom pieces in rooms that weren't even in scope (master bedroom (?!?)) - I can only assume as a way to boost his profit. We basically got nothing out of Axis Mundi of any value. The bill John sent was outrageous. It is not possible that posting images (which he should have ready access to as part of his profession) plus a simple floorplan with a sofa, a few chairs (existing), a rug, a credenza (existing) and table should have taken the time he claimed. We provided CAD files from our architect so all he had to do was drop in the dimensions for the few items. I did it myself -to scale- in Excel in 30 min. Generally, he didn't listen to us, ignored our budget, wasted time/our money posting images of items we explicitly said we wanted to keep, and berated us for going on vacation and not responding on his timeline. When we tried to talk it through with him he agreed to put $2500 of the amount billed back on the table until it was actually earned. At that point we realized we could not productively work with him and requested that that amount, plus the unused part of our retainer ($500) be refunded. We have seen nothing. I have never seen a service business run like this. Please think twice before hiring this company.

I have known John for the last 10 years. We have worked together on 15 separate projects both on the East Coast and California. I originally hired John's firm - Axis Mundi to do the interiors of my recently purchased apartment on Wall Street which was a design conversion project headlined by Philippe Starck. It was my first project in engaging an interior designer/architectural firm to design a custom space and I was very pleased by the results. John designed a incredible space for me with great furniture, carpets and custom built in cabinetry which not only made the space more functional but also gave my apartment a sense of scale. The project has been featured in several real estate television shows. I subsequently commissioned John to do a significant retail project for me which encompassed designing and building of unique interiors for a yoga inspired retail concept. John developed a design concept called "Naked" for the project which had the design genesis of going back to our core roots with the use of organic elements such as reclaimed wood and an ancient Japanese burnt wood treatment called “Shou Sugi Ban.” This was a perfect fit with the ethos of my yoga company. We did a total of 14 individual projects in varied locations such as San Francisco CA, Malibu Country Mart CA, Beverly Hills CA, Brentwood CA, La Jolla CA, Short Hills NJ, Westchester NY and Greenwich CT, amongst others. Each location was individually designed and built to fit with significant oversight of contractors and the permitting process. The results were absolutely spectacular. In my opinion, there are three core elements that uniquely differentiate John Beckmann's work from the litany of other designers on the block: First - Well thought-out design solutions that are individually tailored: In all my projects, John has gone deeper to develop a design esthetic that fits the needs of the project. Unlike many other designers whose work looks the same from project to project, John has a unique sensibility to deliver a design solution for the specific client needs. For example - John designed the living spaces for both me and my sister - my apartment used finishes and furnishings that were bold and masculine, whereas he used more subtle design elements for my sister’s apartment, like a floating glass bedroom with silk curtains that made the apartment more feminine. The feeling that he delivered to each of the spaces were the perfect fit for our own individual personalities. Second - Understanding of design lineage: I feel that John is a great student of design lineage, as such he can did deep into his design experience and learning to suggest a solution that fits his clients. For example - I am Indian and John's just wowed me which his knowledge of Indian Yantra's and contemporary design lineage of designers who had worked in India like Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. While our goal was to build a contemporary designed apartment, John used subtle design features that reflected the history of my culture like a custom banquette which had red silk velvet cushions and bolsters like you would find in traditional Indian seating. I really enjoyed this process of discovery, of learning different styles while working with John. And how art, furniture design, lighting, and carpets all come together to create a spectacular space. Third - Collaboration in projects: Constructing a space is truly a collaborative effort and you want someone on your side who has done it quite a few times, as they have experience and patience to ensure that projects don't go off in the wrong direction. I find John to be a methodical worker, his drawings are very realistic and unlike other designers who show rendering on paper which are impossible to convert to real life, John's work has been consistently bang on. I find John easy going on items that are noise, but have seen him take a tough stance with contractors when he feels that a mistake is being made that will compromise the design esthetic. Overall you need a person like John who has seen the movie before, and has the focus and dedication to see a project to fruition. John loves his work and does his utmost to accommodate various budgets and timeframes. Having worked with him on numerous projects I don't think his combination of taste, design knowledge, focus and dedication can be beat. If you are looking for a tasteful, contemporary style, John Beckmann's your guy.

Dear future customers, I engaged Axis Mundi business to assist me with design services for decorating my home. I paid a high premium retainer fee for the services he would deliver, with the remainder of the fee paid once the services were complete. The contract called for measuring the existing space at my home and preparing computer plans, multiple shopping visits to be scheduled, detailed budget spreadsheet to be created, and much more. To my disappointment, not only did Axis Mundi business owner not deliver any of the above; but, he consistently did not respond to my emails and several requests to measure the space diligently and provide feedback throughout the process. He instead threw together images of products in a "drop box" from random places and other customers and unorganized in any logical order. I found myself having to chase him to answer my inquiries and determined that they did not care for the project he took on nor were they going to commit the time required to do it successfully. Shortly thereafter, we terminated the working relationship, and though John did not dedicate time toward the services, he refused to provide a full refund nor a partial refund for the project which is sizable. I have worked in corporate for a long time; and, I have yet to encounter a similar experience with any other business dealings. Please read other reviews on his Houzz webpage and you will see others were victim to this experience as well. I document my experience only for the purposes of informing other customers. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. If I could give a minus review I would. Thanks, Laura

I work with John and Axis Mundi on a regular basis and it is always a great experience. They have a unique modern/contemporary vision. Very specific attention is given to the personality of the client; translating to the design of individually crafted spaces as an extension of the lifestyle of the client. No repetition! As a purveyor of Modern Furniture, I have worked on both residential and showroom projects with Axis Mundi; all smooth sailing and on schedule. I have referred several clients to Axis Mundi to use as their Interior Designer for larger projects. They have been thrilled with their particular brand of personal service- and with the results of their adept mixing of new technology and the handcrafted; classic pieces and contemporary / futuristic styles. In addition, Axis Mundi has enabled said clients to sell their apartments for exponentially more than their purchase+renovation price! Highly recommended for a fun and interactive experience.

I know John and his team and their job and design are always stunning Great architecture and design firm to work with. John is a nice guy a brilliant designer with a great experience in residential corporate and hospitality projects ****

John Beckmann and his firm Axis Mundi are great to work with. Always professional and incredibly talented, the work they do is anything but common. John and his team always create and design rooms that are fresh and exciting. At the same time he takes the clients wishes and needs very seriously and manages to elevate them. I highly recommend Axis Mundi.

I connected with Mr. Beckmann 8 years ago because I appreciate his design vision and wanted an associate in the business to share firm experiences and discuss architecture, design and development. He is passionate about his craft and open to sharing ideas with colleagues. In time we developed an strong relationship which lead to several collaborations. While collaborating, I observed his business and design operations; an impressive orchestration of team work, focused processes, technical proficiency, and efficient communication. His team is an intelligent group of hard-working individuals who share a desire to be the best in the industry. Mr. Beckmann focuses his staff on making sure the client is completely satisfied. John Beckmann is one of those rare design talents who has the discipline and drive to meet deadlines and respect budgets, while always maintaining a unique poetic vision.

The team at Axis Mundi is super focused on their craft. They are true professionals in that they live and breathe design and have enough years of experience in the field, dealing with all kinds of clients and manufacturers and technicians, that they truly know their stuff. They know what they're doing and do it really well. They keep a sharp eye on value and quality and efficiency. Most important;y, they enjoy what they do. Working with the people at Axis Mundi is intense, but also fun. The results are always inspiring.

It just makes me sad to think of the time and money I wasted with these guys. After taking my retainer check, all I got was email links to various mass market products (West Elm, Design Within Reach, etc) and I did not like the direction they were taking. Instead of working with me to find things that I did like, I felt like the ran out the clock to eat up my retainer and then I never heard from them again. To add insult to injury, they sent me a promotional email touting that an apartment they decorated was being featured in NY Mag. I was shocked to see that it was all the same recommendations they had made for us. Same artwork, same pillows. No wonder I felt like their recommendations weren't for me... they literally weren't... they were for someone else.

My wife and I recently hired John and his firm Axis Mundi for the design of our loft after seeing a recently published project of theirs. We were thrilled with the design they came up with and the attentive professionalism through the construction process. He is a very creative thinker, pays a great deal of attention to the details, and is down to earth. He is on top of his game. Highly recommended.