It is viewed as being the forerunner of fitted kitchens: Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky’s Frankfurter kitchen (left).Initiators: Stefan Möller, Head of Sales at Häcker Küchen (left), Rainer Zumholte, Sales Director at Pfleiderer Deutschland GmbH (middle), Jochen Finkemeier, Managing Director of Häcker Küchen (right).
“Nowadays, individuality in kitchen design is practically limitless. In our range alone, there are more than 27 million possible combinations. What we sell nowadays is a kitchen concept. Nearly every one of the 180,000 kitchens that we sell each year is absolutely unique,” reports Michael Dittberner. He is Head of Product Development & Product Management at Häcker Küchen, which is based in Rödinghausen, northwestern Germany. Together with Pfleiderer, the well-known manufacturer has now developed a completely new concept using HPL (High Pressure Laminate). The concept is particularly attractive due to its stringent design and its excellent price-performance ratio. In the first weeks after the launch of the concept, it is clear to see that this kitchen is receiving a very warm reception from architects and families.
There is not actually anything new about using HPL in kitchens. Häcker Küchen has been consistently using the material for decades. “Yet with the increase in individualisation and the larger range of products on offer, the material has become less relevant. HPL has many excellent qualities, however, which are particularly advantageous in kitchens,” explains Rainer Zumholte, Sales Director at Pfleiderer Deutschland GmbH. So it seemed natural that he should partner with the experts at Häcker Küchen to consider ways of making HPL more prominent as a material for use in kitchens. The outcome is a flexible design and material concept that facilitates the creation of custom-designed kitchens that look like they are cast from a single mould. The modern colours – pearl grey, satin and polar white – reflect current trends.
HPL fronts, sides, shelving and worktops are given a special design feature: there is a 45° bevel along all of the edges. “HPL’s impressive features are its high resistance to impact, shock and heat and its colour fastness. It is easy to clean and it is stable in terms of surface texture and colour. The matt surface remains matt – there is a significant reduction in the polishing over time that can happen with other matt surfaces. All of these aspects can make a big impact on day-to-day life in the kitchen,” says Zumholte. “With many materials, it is necessary to compromise on the technical qualities for design purposes. Together with Häcker, we have now successfully reconciled the obvious technical advantages of HPL with modern design requirements.” As a result, this kind of kitchen is also perfect for young families. As Michael Dittberner says, it is “the perfect child-friendly kitchen and it uses a coherent concept that unifies shape, colour and materials.”
Pfleiderer thinks that this concept has got what it takes to be a trendsetter – in a similar way to the Frankfurter kitchen, which was created around 100 years ago and is seen as the forerunner of fitted kitchens. At that time in Frankfurt, it was very difficult to find a home. The municipality therefore began a housing construction program and commissioned architects with the task of finding future- oriented solutions. Viennese architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky was part of this program. She designed a small, rational and functional kitchen that was optimised in such a way that all the necessary things could be reached effortlessly without having to move around much: the hob, worktops, oven, fold-down ironing board, food cupboards, swivel stool, table, bin, draining board, sink, storage drawers and a range of cupboards. By 1930, the Frankfurter kitchen had been installed in around 10,000 flats and it became a benchmark for the decades that followed. Another feature was that this kitchen needed to be blue, since it was believed that this colour deterred flies. Modern replicas can be viewed at the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, among other locations.
The clever, functional solutions are still used in current day kitchens. In addition, modern kitchens feature design, a wealth of variation and a wide range of materials and combinations. The traditional fitted kitchen still has its place in small homes. Those who have more room at their disposal often tend to integrate the kitchen with the living room, creating a communicative living space. This varies significantly depending on the different lifestyle habits of people in different countries.
With this approach, Häcker’s HPL kitchen combines tradition with modern, future-oriented styles. The initial idea, which grew out of a conversation between the manufacturer and the supplier, has been developed into a product within the space of just nine months. “We know our market very well and we are in constant dialogue with our clients, the retailers. It became apparent at a very early stage that this kitchen had the potential to generate a lot of interest,” explains Michael Dittberner. “If we hadn’t already been convinced, we certainly were by the time we had trained our international and national sales teams – about 400 people in all.” Product quality, logistical flexibility and many years of trust-based partnership between the two companies was an excellent starting place. Rainer Zumholte: “This kitchen is a great example of how HPL is still an excellent material for use in kitchens. We really enjoyed developing and implementing this project with Häcker Küchen.”
