Not long ago, two new landmarks appeared in the bulthaup showroom network, and neither one of them has passed unnoticed. The powerful character of each one of these projects, based on clearly distinct conceptions, make them representative of new trends within a brand philosophy that is strong enough to be capable of holding its own in a variety of languages and accents.

 

Needless to say, there are other common elements as well: both spaces invite us to come in, stay for a while, look, touch, and experience sensations. And both have a clear focus on the customer.

 

The Barcelona showroom blends into the ground floor of a building designed by José Antonio Coderch and Manel Valls in 1958 awarded a FAD prize in 1960. Laura Íñigo, the showroom’s interior designer and director, explains that the space offers an intuitive itinerary through the different bulthaup systems following a layout similar to that of the residential apartments in the building’s upper floors. Instead of limiting the space, the two interior supporting walls, running perpendicular to the façade, break the surfaces up and enable visitors to explore the different options bulthaup has to offer, setting it apart from the open spaces we find in so many other showrooms. The experience suggests the proportions and divisions in a real home, while also making it possible to visualize each configuration individually, without distractions–and on a human scale, easy to extrapolate to one’s own home. “We’ve made the most of a compartmentalized structure, turning it around to make it work for us, not against us,” explains Laura Íñigo.

 

The staff has also moved out of the office and closer to the customer. At bulthaup Barcelona, Bach 7, a 60 square meter white cube, raised on a white platform, stands in the central space. Set against this luminous background, we find contrasting dark wood in the desks–a nod to the original materials from the 1950s building–, matching the outdoor woodwork and the stairs leading to the basement level.

 

Speaking of his showroom in Girona, Leopold Bautista tells us that “the aim was to adapt to our customers, to elicit their having an overall experience rather than simply seeing kitchens in different styles and finishes. We have broken away from the notion of a showroom as an exhibition area, creating a multipurpose space. We want professionals and the general public to see things we didn’t used to show before, things we kept backstage.”

 

Bautista’s space and the Barcelona showroom both share a common aim of moving closer to the customer. Here, in Girona, that closeness has an accent of its own: a video wall catches the eye of passers-by, conveying the company’s philosophy and seducing the uninitiated with bulthaup’s visual appeal. One they’ve been drawn in, the bulthaup staff takes a step further: one of its members goes up to the door and invites the passerby in, the way things used to be done. This long-standing sense of hospitality continues with a cup of coffee and a conversation. Gradually, the message of the bulthaup brand sinks in as the guest yields to the atmosphere, the friendliness, and the presence of a series of undeniable tangible elements: woods, laminates, pull-outs, drawers…

 

A central space provided with one large active kitchen with a wooden table–the place to gather–also contains an island that encloses all sorts of surprises: a while laminated block whose pull-outs the bulthaup staff opens to reveal its hidden treasures. In this one we find hinges, screws, rails, and profiles. That one unveils handles, a steel foot, a plinth panel. Several drawers jutting directly out of the wall belong to the same archipelago, enclosing their own well-kept secrets. Old-time hardware store? Breakfast at Tiffany’s? The customer, in the best of company, explores the thousand and one secrets of an exceptional brand.

 

“The area for project presentations is larger than in the previous showroom. We realized it was a key moment in our work,” recalls Leopold Bautista. Sitting around the big table, “we discuss the customer’s needs, look at samples, and glance at the two screens that enable us to view virtual images where the customers identify their own homes, even with the landscape they see outside their windows and doors, helping them to make their purchase decisions.”

 

Another element that must not be underestimated: a designated area within the showroom for the kids to have fun frees customers up so they can relax and stay focused. In addition, the element of fun is there for grown-ups, too! Workshops, presentations, and gastronomic events aimed at professionals and the general public open up the showroom and breathe new life into the space time and time again.

 

In Barcelona and Girona, the two new showrooms converge in offering a hands-on experience of the product’s quality, with the main focus always clearly placed on the object of all its efforts: understanding and satisfying the bulthaup customer.

bulthaup Barcelona, bach7,
bulthaup Girona

• 
•