Invisible aspects add value to kitchens

Poggenpohl has been a pioneer of kitchen design since it was first established in Germany over 114 years ago and has continued to win international recognition for its innovations.

Dubai-based Kitchens & beyond LLC, a member of the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group, is the exclusive UAE distributor of the brand which has a growing following in the region and has been specified in a number of prestigious developments, including The Palms.

The award-winning kitchens displayed represented some of the company's latest styles, including +Segmento combining wide vertical panels with slim work surfaces fitted flush to the fronts and +INTEGRATION contrasting solid high gloss acrylic Parapan with fine wood veneers.

Sigrun Jonas, a Poggenpohl head office representative, said +INTEGRATION also reflected a growing trend toward people making the kitchen part of the living environment, rather than just a work area.

"People are increasingly incorporating televisions, DVD and music systems into their kitchens and our designs offer cabinetry to allow for that while remaining in keeping with the overall design," said Miss Jonas.

Examples of the kitchen in Germany also demonstrated its ability to go to the next level of technology integration by providing space for computer hardware and featuring docking stations for a Tablet PC, although the option had not been widely adopted, she said.

Newest in the range on display was the PLUSMODO kitchen which was created in conjunction with renowned Spanish designer Jorge Pensi. The kitchen is characterised by its novel presentation of open and closed functional areas and has already won four awards, including the "red dot design award 2006" from the Design Zentrum NRW and the iF Product Design Award 2006 (iF International Forum Design GmbH Hanover).

Central to the design is the striking 13cm thick island worktop cantilevered from the base to apparently hang weightlessly, while pull-out trays, running on concealed guide rails directly beneath it, opening up the previously enclosed base unit space for a multitude of uses. Alternatively the trays can be enclosed in frosted glass to conceal their contents.

A specialised PET honeycomb construction allows makes the bench lightweight for ease of handling, yet extremely strong. Sliding doors in the wall units and tall units are made from 10 millimetre thick honeycomb to obtain the same lightweight durability.

Drawers are designed to carry a load of 23 kg, while the pull-outs have a load-bearing capacity of 40 kg. Poggenpohl's proprietary +Motion closure system (supplied as standard to the complete Poggenpohl range) eliminates the possibility of slamming by easing the doors, drawers and trays to a virtually silent close every time, regardless of how hard they're pushed.

Lighting (that can be switched on or off) further enhances the design. The wall unit featureas glass shelves lit from above and below, turning kitchen utensils and accessories into gleaming adornments or allowing them to be concealed by sliding doors if desired. Meanwhile, vertical lighting from bench level creates a wall of light to illuminate the work area while adding to the overall ambience.

Assistant general manager of Kitchens&beyond LLC, David Kimber, said the first PLUSMODO kitchen had yet to be sold in the UAE where residents had often opted for more traditional styles in the broad Poggenpohl range. This allowed them to work with an in-house designer to combine one of around 60 front styles with their choice of a large range of cabinet sizes and configurations while gaining all the benefits of the latest developments in superior materials, construction and durability, he said.

Meanwhile Poggenpohl continues to explore the future of kitchens and has recently announced a long-term co-operation agreement with the Porsche Design Group to develop a new kitchen by 2007 that will stand out for its functional and purist design, although details are being kept a closely guarded secret.

Managing director of the Porsche Design Group, Dr Siegmund Rudigier, said high standards, first-class quality and a clear language of form were what united the two brands.