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Hear, ‘Premium German Kitchens’ and this phrase immediately evokes ideas of highly luxurious kitchen designs at the top end of the market. But whilst many German kitchen manufacturers (and there’s lots of them) will tell you they are premium, many (just like their British counterparts) actually operate at lower parts of the market. So how do you know the difference?…To help, here is a guide to assist in identifying the features and qualities that separate the standard from the premium.
Range of Premium German Kitchens
The leading German Kitchen manufacturers tend to have wider ranges and more expensive materials available for their clients to choose from. For example, real stone veneer doors, thin concrete doors, real wood veneers in a combination of woods and stains, and metallic doors, are finishes often only widely available from the best manufacturers. These doors appeal to the designer/ specifier market, but not the mass market because of the associated price. The manufacturers offering these kitchens are likely to be premium German kitchen manufacturers.
Premium Kitchen personalisation and customisation
Much as above, the best manufacturers focused on more discerning clients have to offer a high degree of personalisation and customisation. This might mean offering a bespoke colour spray service for gloss and matt lacquer kitchens; or the ability to offer factory produced kitchen units at reduced depths, widths, and heights. If the manufacturer your retailer is suggesting can’t offer such bespoke services, they are probably not one of the premium German kitchen manufacturers.
Premium German Kitchen Innovation
Look out for ‘Red Dot’ design awards winners for innovation. The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. The recipients of these awards have been recognised by a jury of experts in product design for either the aesthetics, function, smart, or innovative nature of a product. The Red dot product design awards have been running since 1955 and many Premium German Kitchen manufacturers and their suppliers have won awards over the years. You can find a list of previous winners through searching the database here: Red Dot Design Award (red-dot.org)
Premium German Kitchen Drawer Boxes and Hinges
The best-known drawer box manufacturers are Grass, Blum, Hettich and Salice. Grass, Hettich and Blum are German manufacturers, whilst Salice is Italian. Each has their own ranges and features, yet knowing the brand name isn’t enough; instead, go onto each of their websites and look at what their premium features are… If the Kitchen you are looking at uses the top spec. features from of these companies in terms of weight loadings, complexity of opening mechanisms, nonstandard colours etc, then it is far more likely that you are looking at a premium German kitchen product.
Environmental credentials of Premium German Kitchen Manufacturers
The top German kitchen manufacturers are often dealing with designers, architects and specifiers whose own client briefs are placing an ever-increasing emphasis on environmental consciousness and responsibility. For the kitchen furniture industry, this is wider than just Co2 emissions, but covers responsibility for forestry management, chemicals in paints and lacquers, and suitable waste disposal and recycling etc. Examples are the use of Greenline Bioboard made from recycled wood.
Ask the question of the retailer and again it will help you validate your opinion of whether you are buying a true premium German kitchen.
Premium German Kitchen warranties.
Some manufacturers offer warranties of only 1-2 years, whereas for others the warranty can be up to 30 years. Ask about this for the products being offered, and ensure they are clear on what is covered by the warranty. Again, this can help you understand whether the prospective kitchen you are buying is truly a premium German kitchen.
