Instantly recognised as the world’s leading luxury kitchen brand, Poggenpohl first opened its doors for business back in 1892, the same year that Tchaikovsky premiered the Nutcracker in St Petersburg and salesman William Wrigley Jr. began to sell chewing gum in Chicago.
All three are still highly successful today, but it has to be said that Poggenpohl is the only one ranked in the top 10 luxury brands, along with Porsche and Mont Blanc, according to an independent study.
A Poggenpohl kitchen is a coveted indicator of success in over 70 countries around the world, sought after by discerning home owners, architects and contractors who demand unparalleled quality and timeless modernity of design. No ordinary product can stand alongside the Poggenpohl brand; it’s in a class by itself. That might be a bold claim, but it’s true.
What makes Poggenpohl better than many of its competitors? The simple answer is that its kitchens are technically and aesthetically superior in every respect, the result of many years of research and development, whilst offering better value, higher levels of customer service and quality control. With superior craftsmanship in every detail, Poggenpohl provides the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary,
The Tradition Continues
The kitchen is a social, aesthetic and functional location. Like no other room, it is a reflection of the social and technical developments of its time: a living space that Poggenpohl, as the oldest and most innovative kitchen brand in the world, has been radically shaping for 119 years. Present in the UK since the early 1960s, the company offers in excess of 70 styles of kitchen cabinet fronts and finishes, including wood veneers, lacquers, laminates, glass and more: from classic to contemporary; all sustainably green; many surprisingly attainable. Synonymous with both quality and lasting value, Poggenpohl kitchens create the truly luxurious style sought by the most discerning clients. Poggenpohl never compromises on design functionality. Its kitchens complement their surroundings and add that special touch of style and timeless elegance demanded by today’s increasingly sophisticated clientele. What is more, the company’s vast product range affords its expert designers the freedom to fashion a truly bespoke space, tailored to the needs of the client. Carefully engineering internal fitments guarantee reliable performance and the most efficient storage. Maximising value without compromising form or function, Poggenpohl kitchens serve to emphasise the style and ambience of the architecture, optimise the space available, and establish a real focal point.
Unmistakable Style
Design at Poggenpohl means developing kitchens to the highest level of innovation, functionality, quality, and timelessness, with the company’s ability to think afresh time and time again making it stand out from its competitors.
You might recall a stunning kitchen design created in collaboration between Poggenpohl and Porsche Design. Well, Poggenpohl has come up with another remarkable design with the launch of Artesio, which, created in tandem with Hadi Teherani, a master of architecture, not only creates the shell of the interior, but also fills it with life.
The Iranian-born architect, famed for his challenging, visionary designs, such as Munich’s Swiss RH centre and the Dockland office building in Hamburg, has a unique sense of aesthetics, as well as a feel for shapes, surfaces and proportion. His enthusiasm for the extraordinary, his curiosity and his ability to think outside the box are part and parcel of every single one of his designs, and by working with Poggenpohl he has created solutions that complement each other, whilst satisfying apparently contradicting demands.
Poggenpohl thinks in terms of spaces, not units, and so its relationship with Hadi Teherani makes perfect design and commercial sense. For both parties understand that the furnishing of a kitchen is not just about fitting it out with furniture and equipment. It’s about creating structures that can be lived in. In much the same way as a house opens and closes to the outside world, so too the kitchen communicates with its environment, bringing the room to life.
The assumption that the kitchen has to adhere to specific framework conditions is no longer necessarily true, with new rules being established between space and objects. With this in mind, the Artesio range offers a communicative atmosphere without abandoning protective areas. By utilising state-of-the-art materials, but without the need to eschew the warmth of natural ones, Artesio allows homeowners to experience how harmonious a consistent concept dimension can be without being constrained into a fixed pattern.
Fresh Perspective
Poggenpohl’s creativity and ability to develop solutions for specific situations ensures that it is sought after throughout the world. In Shanghai, China, for instance, a city that boasts a cosmopolitan blend of east and west, old and new, Poggenpohl was asked to design and manufacture 645 high quality kitchens within a traditionally small kitchen footprint for the Lakeville Regency Xin Tian Di development.
The company’s expertise and flexibility allows it to craft solutions that adhere to the local culture and environment, without compromising on the quality of design, materials, build or installation. As a matter of fact, some of the most prestigious addresses in the world have chosen Poggenpohl kitchens, including Reemtsma Park (Hamburg); New Orleans (Rotterdam); Embassy Court (London); Hotel Ritz (Paris); Anthill Residence (Istanbul); One Beacon Court (New York City); 129 Repulse Bay (Hong Kong); Paradise Island (Singapore); The Binjai on the Park (Kuala Lumpur); V&A Waterfront Marina Residential (Cape Town); and on the world’s largest man-made island, The Palm Jumeirah (Dubai).
And no matter where in the world the project is located, Poggenpohl provide a holistic service that takes the client from the initial brief through to final installation. Moreover, clients are treated as part of the Poggenpohl family; the company makes doing business a genuine pleasure. At Poggenpohl each client is unique, with the company listening closely to individual desires and requests so that it can meet all of its customers’ expectations.
Astounding Value
As is clearly evident, Poggenpohl works with a great many architects and has a substantial contracts division. Once more, its flexibility means that the company can work on all sizes and types of contract, from six penthouses (where a more bespoke service is often required) through to 100 houses or 250 apartments. There is no ‘typical’ job at Poggenpohl because all of its clients are individuals.
Success in any endeavour is more than execution of a good design … even when the design is this good! It’s taking a project from concept to reality with perspective and predictive vision, active participation and accountability. Poggenpohl has grown and thrived by developing a comprehensive strategy that serves the needs of even the most demanding client.
So although its kitchens are not cheap, they do offer incredible value; a genuine investment that will stand the test of time. As a result, while competitors can copy the Poggenpohl ‘look’, they can’t copy the materials, quality of engineering, or level of customer service. And this reflects back on the owners of Poggenpohl kitchens; it’s like having a Ferrari in the drive or Lear Jet waiting on the runway – everyone recognises the names – everyone wants one.
Sensitive to the Balance of Nature
German build quality is acknowledged the world over, as is Germany’s commitment to the environment. It will perhaps come as no surprise, therefore, to discover that Poggenpohl was the very first kitchen manufacturer to achieve certification by the European Environmental Audit in 1996 for its responsible use of energy and raw materials. Indeed, the company is committed to optimising production processes to avoid, reduce and recycle waste, minimise emissions, and protect the soil and water. All materials used come from managed and renewable resources. Poggenpohls’s environmental certification shows that consideration for the world around it is incorporated into all group manufacturing and business processes, and its policy of continuous review promotes a consistently improving environmental performance, leading to ISO 14001 certification, as well as registration according to the EU
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in 2006.
Innovators, Not Imitators
Poggenpohl is known for bold, clean aesthetics, top-quality materials and innovation. Everything belongs, fits together, and yet provides its own unique look and overall blend. All of this and so much more are inherent in the remarkable Poggenpohl brand. Another distinctive feature is that Poggenpohl introduces new products every two years, often breaking ground with new concepts, materials, methods and appearances. It is no doubt the world’s contemporary trendsetter!
Ultimately, people do business with Poggenpohl because they offer the BEST kitchens in the world and are nice people to deal with – and they do exactly what they say they will. In point of fact that’s not quite accurate, because Poggenpohl has an uncanny knack of genuinely exceeding customer expectations, dictating that clients everywhere from London to Los Angeles and Sydney to Seoul go into a project expecting nothing but the very best, and get something even better!
To find out more, visit www.poggenpohl.com/en
