German kitchens are so popular right now with Irish and UK homeowners, probably because Germany is seen as the trend setter when it comes to kitchen design, they turn to Kitchensmanchester.org – Fitters and Designers.  We love German kitchens here at Kitchenindex.ie, so we wanted to be able to tell our readers what styles, layouts and colours are popular in Germany right now.  If it’s a hot trend in Germany, you’ll see it on the market for kitchens in Ireland and the UK too.

We wanted to get it straight from the horses mouth, so we decided to interview one of the biggest kitchen retailers in Germany, Küche&Co to find out what trends are currently popular in the German kitchen market.

Kitchenindex.ie: What kitchen styles are most popular with German homeowners right now?

Küche&Co: Modern and contemporary kitchens are most popular although we still design and fit classic and country styles for certain customers.  High gloss kitchens are our biggest seller with handleless door styles growing in demand.

(Examples of German handleless kitchens.  Notice the use of soft colours)

Kitchenindex.ie: What colours would you say are the biggest seller for Küche&Co?

Küche&Co: We tend to get asked a lot for soft colours such as white, ivory, stone, grey, sand and cashmere.  But white is definitely the most popular colour for kitchens in Germany.  What a lot of homeowners are opting for is two tone or colour blocking.  This might be in the form of choosing a different colour for your tall cabinet or for a niche shelving area.  It could also be a different colour on the wall cabinets than that of the floor cabinets.  Colour blocking can give the WOW factor to a simple kitchen design, so we design a lot of this in to our kitchens, the design includes the latest appliances like ovens or a vacuum sealer land which are popular now a days.

(Some examples of soft tones, two tone kitchens and colour blocking)

Kitchenindex.ie: In terms of kitchen layouts, is it large open plan living areas that are popular or smaller kitchen spaces that are closed off from the rest of the house?

Küche&Co: Most definitely it is open plan living spaces that incorporate the kitchen, dining area and living room.  I think this is the same all over the world.  People want space around them and want the kitchen to be very much a social hub within the home.

(Open Plan German Kitchen –  Kitchen is finished in Sand Gloss Lacquer with Virginia Oak)

Kitchenindex.ie: You mentioned that classic and country style kitchens are still being requested by your customers.  What colours are popular among these style of kitchens?

Küche&Co: Even though you might think that classic and country style kitchens are traditional looking, they really aren’t so much anymore.  Our designs are quite simple in terms of door styles and colours.  Our two most popular styles from our classic and country style kitchens are the Oak Terra and the Oak Platinum.  The Oak Terra is beautiful dark coloured kitchen and the Oak Platinum is a lighter more subtle colour.

About Küche&Co:  Küche&Co are one of Germany’s largest kitchen retailers with about 100 kitchen showrooms and over 300 design consultants in Germany.  You can see their full range at http://www.exclusivkitchens.com.au/kitchen-designer-showrooms-brisbane

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Pronorm are well known for their contemporary kitchen designs with that typical German look.  Clean lines, functional design and high quality manufacturing have seen Pronorm grow to be one of the big players in the middle to high end kitchen market.  Pronorm have a rich history in furniture manufacturing, having begun production back in 1945.  The name Pronorm was introduced in 1972 and their kitchens can now be found all over the world.

So let’s take a look at some of the Pronorm range:

Pronorm Y-Line

The Y-line by Pronorm, shown here in white gloss, is a handle-less kitchen with sleek lines that fits beautifully with contemporary living.  What I love about this kitchen is the sense of tranquility you get from it and how it blends in rather than take over the room.  For anyone with a small or dark kitchen, consider a kitchen like the Y-line in white gloss.  It will give a more spacious feel to the room by blending in and allowing light (whether natural or artificial) to bounce off it.  The Y-line also comes with thick end panels which frame the doors and streamline the look.  This range from Pronorm is also available in vanilla, cubanit, anthracite and black.

Also in the Y-line range:

Proline 128

The Proline range, as you can see from the photo, can be fitted with handles or without.  If planning without handles, a touch opening system would be used instead of a finger rail.  Again, the main part of this kitchen is white, but the island shown is in black gloss.  The reason for showing this particular photograph of the Proline range is to highlight the open shelving design on the main kitchen run.  The beauty of this design is that it takes away that heavy kitchen look and lends itself perfectly towards an open plan living area.

Also in the Proline 128 range:

Classicline

The Classicline range from Pronorm is an extremely flexible range.  The idea is that homeowners can choose a modern or classic look for their kitchen depending on their preferred look.  The kitchen above left, is a mix of both titanium and teak, with the teak warming up what might otherwise be a cold looking kitchen.  As we have said before, mixing and matching is a key trend at the moment.  The kitchen to the right is a more classic or traditional kitchen.  The doors centre panel is v-grooved to give a country look with the vanilla colour being warm and inviting.

Also in the Classicline range:

To find out more about Pronorm kitchens, visit their website at www.pronorm.de.

To find a dealer of Pronorm kitchens on Kitchenindex.ie go to http://www.kitchenindex.ie/retail/category-1/Fitted-Kitchens-and-Bedrooms.aspx/page-1/perpage-10/county-no/brand-Pronorm

Nolte Kitchens have dealers all over the world, with a selection based here in Ireland.  Though they produce classic and country style kitchens, it is with their modern and contemporary kitchens where they have really made their mark. 

Lets take a look at a selection of kitchens from the Nolte range:

The Nolte Chicago in high gloss purple, as shown above, is a lovely example of what Nolte are all about.  A contemporary design while mixing and matching colours is a key trend in current kitchen design and style.  This is something I love about Nolte.  They seem to effortlessly blend and match colours and wood textures to create inviting and elegant kitchens.  You will also notice the use of lift up wall cabinet doors and open illuminated shelves that break up what could be a monotonous run of wall cabinets.  The illuminated shelves also gives extra light in the kitchen.

In the Nolte High Gloss Magnolia, you can again see the common theme of mixing and matching.  This time Nolte have match the bright hue of magnolia with a darker wood grain to create contrast.  The t-shaped island unit creates plenty of work space while still managing to fit a breakfast bar for 3 people.  The breakfast bar is a key feature of Nolte designs, emphasising the fact that the kitchen is now the social hub of the home.

Some of the photographs above show the wide choice available with Nolte Kitchens.  The Toscana in Pear Wood has a warm hue to it with the High Wood in Boston Cherry offering a darker and richer alternative.  Whether it is a contemporary or modern kitchen you want, or a classic or country style, Nolte might have an option to suit you.  You can be guaranteed that your new kitchen will have the efficiency and ease of use that is typical of German manufacturing.

To find out more about Nolte Kitchens and to find a dealer in your area visit the Nolte website at:

http://www.nolte-kuechen.de