Room for a new thinking

Milan, 14.04.2010

New thinking has a tradition at Poggenpohl. Always open when it came to breathing life into innovative design concepts, this was the basis for creating premium kitchens that have excited customers across the globe not only in terms of design but also through the high-quality materials used. So, what could now be more obvious than to think a step further, liberate the kitchen from its traditional, spatial barriers and integrate it into the overall structure of the home? And who better could have been won over to create this concept than an architect and designer who's known for his "connecting architecture" and style of design with conceptual strength and a quality that appeals to the emotions?

When Hadi Teherani approaches a new project as an architect, his first step is always to scrutinise the surrounding area. This was how he designed his famous dockland office building that resembles a "ship" in the port of Hamburg, or his "crane houses" inspired by historic loading cranes in the Rheinauhafen, the site of Cologne’s former goods traffic harbour directly by the Rhine. He has formulated this guiding principle for his firm of architects "BRT – Bothe Richter Teherani": "Understanding our architecture means grasping the aspects that join everything together."

This fusion now provides the core for the new +ARTESIO® kitchen concept developed jointly by Hadi Teherani and Poggenpohl. It unites the hitherto customary divide between furniture design and room architecture, building a bridge to a completely new lifestyle feeling. Poggenpohl doesn't think in terms of kitchen units but in spaces. It's no longer a case of fitting kitchen furniture into an existing space in the best way possible but of re-defining this space completely through the "kitchen" concept. Ideally while living space is still being planned, with architect and kitchen planner coming together and coordinating. And while +ARTESIO® also cuts an outstanding figure in existing spaces, as a completely flexible concept it has the strength, even in its smallest possible form, to provide the kitchen with a space-creating function.

The arch design immediately demonstrates this fusion between kitchen and living environment in the form of an inwardly reaching gesture, lifting boundaries and uniting the two spaces in a way that says that's how they've always meant to be. Hence, the innovative kitchen concept is actively integrated into the building's architecture and, together with the design of furniture, creates a new feeling of space. Its overall concept and many details allow +ARTESIO® to create links: it embraces the design of wall, floor and ceiling. Forming a central element, it uses a design grid of 130 mm that's reflected in both the frontage as well as in the carcase sides and wall panels. Furniture and walls merge visually into one. The uniform style of the newly developed carcase that permits identical fronts and sides is a unique innovation in the world of kitchen design. 

Evident throughout is Hadi Teherani's purist style that strictly harmonises with Poggenpohl's past kitchen concepts, resolutely continuing them. The familiar Bauhaus credo of "form follows function", seminal to Hadi Teherani's previous architectural and product designs, provides maximum practicability in conjunction with clarity of line.

At the same time, Poggenpohl also treads new paths in the choice of materials. In addition to matt melamine fronts in Sand, Terra or Alabaster, +ARTESIO® is also available with real wood fronts in brushed pine or walnut as well as with lacquered glass fronts in Sand, Terra, Mallow or Alabaster. The design of the kitchen also forms a discernible liaison with the pale leather seating in the adjoining living area. Dining table, chairs, bench and corner bench create a look of aesthetic clarity with their architectural design that picks up on the style of the kitchen.

As a result, +ARTESIO® does not restrict the design of a kitchen merely to the way it's fitted out with furniture and appliances. Poggenpohl's kitchen concept creates innovative, liveable structures. The way a home opens and closes to the outside, communicates with its surroundings and makes space an exciting experience to live in.

+ARTESIO® is geared towards design-focused individuals with an appreciation for aesthetic looks and the special things in life, individuals who every day re-discover the beauty of their kitchen, see, experience and feel its quality. A concept by an architect for architects, its space-creating function at the same time opens up new options in interior design. +ARTESIO® will be on the market worldwide from the beginning of 2011.