The principle of mass production that has characterized the Industrial Age has outlived its usefulness – as its rigid system of organization subjugates people and their needs. Today’s digitized, globalized world, however, is marked by an ever-growing desire for personal growth and authenticity. People increasingly crave liberty – but they also long for security and lasting values.
bulthaup’s vision is to turn the kitchen into a place where people can experience all of this. The time has come for a new sensuality. The bulthaup b3 system turns people into directors who determine their kitchen’s scenography. It can be adapted to individual needs and wants and can grow organically in line with changing imperatives. The kitchen becomes a place with many meanings: a place of communication, a place to find peace and quiet, a place where we can feel at ease and at home. It creates a space for ideas and change, for lasting enjoyment and a new type of kitchen culture.
In 1949, Martin Bulthaup founded a furniture factory in Bodenkirchen in Bavaria, and started manufacturing kitchen cabinets and sideboards of exceptionally high quality. He focused on function and durability. In 1978, his son Gerd Bulthaup took to the reigns. Under his leadership, the company grew in leaps and bounds. The “Die Küche zum Kochen” study (The Kitchen is for Cooking), produced in collaboration with designer Otl Aicher, described the brand’s philosophy. bulthaup’s system b. was launched in 1982. The company became the market leader, and continued to set new milestones.
Marc O. Eckert, the founder’s grandson and Gerd Bulthaup’s nephew, has been at the helm of the family business since 2010. Building on the values that have made the brand strong – passion and consistency – he is re-imagining the form-and-function vision in line with the ever-changing nature of our society. The re-interpretation of the classic bulthaup b3 is an adaptive system: it changes to suit users’ needs. Marc O. Eckert describes the expansion of functions, elements and space as “organic growth into space”. Building on its traditions, bulthaup continues to evolve, breaking with old conventions and using familiar elements to create something completely new: indenraumwachsen – creating space through function.
Passion and consistency. These values have been at the heart of our business right from the start of the bulthaup success story. They remain as valid as ever and continue to drive our day-to-day activities. A passion for re-thinking space; the challenge of interpreting and re-interpreting kitchens; the burning desire to take ideas beyond the previously conceivable: bulthaup does not simply launch new products, it creates genuine innovations.
bulthaup is also synonymous with the values of craftsmanship, authenticity and a steadfast refusal to compromise. Craftsmanship finds its expression in precise and perfect manufacturing, and beautiful design. Beauty in the shape of timelessness, order and balance. This gives rise to products where less is more, whose form and function serve to benefit people. The result? Lasting joy.
The bulthaup philosophy takes the “form follows function” principle to the next level. For bulthaup, function does not have an intrinsic value. It is the people each function serves who are important. But people live in different cultural and social environments. Each individual has their own needs – and their own views on what is useful.
bulthaup breaks free from rigid systems of organization. The new bulthaup b3 system grows organically. At the heart of this reinterpretation are what we call functional prisms. They create a clearly structured framework: in drawers and pull-outs, and in the future on the walls above worktops. They create space and order, a kitchen where everything has its place – without tying the user to a specific function. The functional prisms and additional elements allow people to reengineer their space in any way they like. At any time, they are free to intuitively redefine, expand and reorganize functions. The kitchen is adaptive: it changes in line with people’s needs and desires.
bulthaup aspires to timelessness; to a highly distinct design language that shuns the superfluous. Form must reflect the purpose of the object. Rather than dominating the architecture of a room, bulthaup products blend harmoniously with their surroundings and with the personal belongings of those who live there. The aesthetic appeal of a bulthaup kitchen stems from the combined impact of product and room design. Quality is of key importance. It finds its expression in products designed for intelligent clarity. Products that achieve technical perfection, fulfill exceptional aesthetic standards and radiate sensuality. Products that gain a cultural significance that ensures their relevance for years to come.
Timelessness and minimalism do not mean saying goodbye to emotions or individuality. Good design is about engendering feelings. Unique constellations of carefully selected materials, combined with precision manufacturing, create a wholly new type of sensuality.
The world is changing, rapidly and profoundly. While this creates freedom and exciting new possibilities, it also brings us back, time and again, to what really matters. To the simple pleasures in life. Cooking combines all of these ideas: it involves all our senses, we create something new with our hands and it gives us a wonderful opportunity to communicate. bulthaup creates the perfect space for this feast for the senses: kitchens of intuitive design where everything works perfectly – but at the same time, kitchens that enable emotional enjoyment. Kitchens that adapt to changing lifestyles and life plans, because they can be changed as often as desired. Static design makes way for people and their needs, wants and emotions. The kitchen is the place where we fulfill our potential; the place where we truly feel at home and at ease.
