German Kitchens

We have heard so much about German engineering, but how does interior design fare in Germany? And we are especially interersted in kitchens!

We featured some Italian style kitchens before, but today we feature kitchens from two outstanding German style kitchen makers – Kutchenhaus & Schueller

First 5 designs are from Kutchenhaus

The rest are from Schueller

Tuscan Style Kitchens

Tuscany is a region in Italy and the kitchens there are famous for the rustic mood they bring. Tuscan style kitchens sport characteristic warm earth tones along with natural materials to produce a worn out look. Although the appearance it produces is that of a century old kitchen, one can achieve it without buying expensive antique pieces.


So what gives the Tuscan look?

Color

The colours chosen include those that prominent in the Tuscan landscape itself. Think earthly shades of orange, yellow, red and green. Golden yellow, Burnt Orange, Burgundy should work out.

Texture

Use natural materials as far as possible. Stone, slate, granite, marble, limestone or terra cotta would help for flooring. Mosaics and coloured tiles work as well for flooring or table tops. Walls should be roughly plastered. You could try out textured suede effect paint or add a bit of builder’s sand to normal paint just to create a rough look.

Lighting

Again, think old style when you choose the lighting. Chandeliers and pendant lighting and even recessed lighting are okay but nothing too shiny or modern.

Furniture


Furniture you choose should be rustic and old fashioned. Chunky wood furniture, with a distressed finish is desirable.

Here is a quick tip on how to create that distressed wood finish: Apply a little wax on places that would appear to wear naturally like corners and edges. Now when you paint, it won’t adhere at those places where you rubbed wax. Keep the piece for drying and then sandpaper those areas where you would want to create the distressed effect.
If you plan to buy rustic furniture be sure to check out the local flea markets first. They may have some good deals.
In general, pine or oak with neat, simple, uncomplicated lines would help accentuate the Tuscan look.

Decoration

Murals, Metal urns, terracotta planters, decorative bottles and jars, filled with speciality oils all help give an authentic look. It is also common for herbs and spices to be displayed in ceramic or stone jars on top of racks and shelves. Wrought Iron scroll wall grilles are also often used to add to the decor. Grape vines positioned over doorways or around cupboards are iconic of Tuscan kitchens.

Inspiration

by Rob Sanders


by Nancy Hugo

by Crystal Visions Art


by Linda Paul

Kitchens from Scandinavia

Countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden form the Scandinavian peninsula and the kitchens in this part of the world are known for their emphasis on natural light, clean lines and cool colour palettes. The Scandinavian kitchens strike a balance between tradition and modernity and most of them notably embrace the colour white. Here are a few snaps of Scandinavian kitchens that caught our attention.

Kitchens from a Sports Car Designer

Scavolini entrusted non other than Fabrizio Giugiaro for designing their ‘Flux’ set of kitchens. For the unintiated, Giugiaro is one of Italy’s powerhouses in design, renowned world over for its contribution to the automotive industry and Fabrizio himself was instrumental in designing the 2006 Ford Mustang.

All this is well, but if you are wondering how successful could car designers be in designing kitchens, we suggest you take a look at their work below and decide for yourself.

A striking, contemporary composition with metallic red gloss lacquered doors, combined with steel worktops and wall claddings. The base and wall units, with curved doors, have visible aluminium-colour carcase. The circular cooking zone, including a base unit with revolving basket and cylindrical hood with mat black lacquered wings, is also eye-catching. The steel sink is integral with the worktop.

The entire body of the kitchen, in “Wood”, is arranged around the island, with its rational appeal and highly original dynamic, curved shape. The sinuous, ergonomic lines of base and wall units make it easy to organise storage space effectively. The base units have roomy pull-out big baskets, while the fl ap doors of the wall units mean more space inside.

Innovatively designed, high-tech, ergonomic, versatile and multifunctional. The Flux kitchen, born of Scavolini’s vast experience and the inspired genius of a master of design, expresses a new kitchen lifestyle: dynamic, young, and open to the world and all its novelties.

Trendy shades for an absolutely unique kitchen. The composition with curved base and wall units cannot fail to surprise with its unusual colour and sophisticated alternation of pale grey gloss lacquered and metallic purple gloss lacquered fi nishes on the base and wall units. The kitchen’s strong identity is further underlined by the little satin-fi nish metal handles and the breakfast bar with metallic support.

Open, Modern Kitchens with Few Pops of Color

The open kitchen has been a modern design staple for some time now. The pros of such an open and airy space, are many. They allow people to freely flow in and out of the adjoining rooms, and are usually closely located near a dining room or breakfast nook, which encourages togetherness, closeness and an all-around more social, and more interactive environment. These open kitchen designs are all designed by Italian designer, Armando Ferriani . All of the kitchens featured here are modern, open, and mostly white, except for the few pops of color in each and every one.



This kitchen is simply an island and cabinetry, mostly composed of white steel, but with touches of pretty purples and blues in the decor and kitchen utensils.



This kitchen is the least open out of them all, but it does lead into the breakfast nook





This design is perhaps my favorite out of the bunch, because I feel it melds the traditional, antique, rustic elements with the modern ones. The white cabinetry is reminiscent of a country farm, as is the dark wood flooring, yet the planks in the ceiling help to streamline the room and the simple furniture offers the modern vibe.









Ferriani likes to play subtley with color. Here, the kitchen is a simple grey and white that trails off into a yellow and white living area.



The cabinetry here is interesting, jumping from white to grey to blue.





This kitchen is very attached, or is just an extension of the living area space.



This funky kitchen employs mostly white in its cabinetry, but offers pops of unexpected mustard yellow and eggshell blue here and there.



This beige and white kitchen is very open and connected to the rooms adjoining it. It only seems to be separated by the deep blue (a nice color choice) large cupboard area.



This brown and white kitchen is nicely understated. Instead of additional shelves or cabinetry, the design is further simplified by attaching a single rack that lines the wall above the sink, and open “storage” space underneath part of the counter area.