It all began in 1949 in Aich, in Lower Bavaria. By the 1950s, bulthaup was furnishing kitchens all over Germany, quickly acquiring an excellent reputation.

In 1966, bulthaup launched Program N, the company’s first fitted kitchen. Its design was inspired by the Frankfurt kitchen, which made kitchen work easier thanks to the carefully planned arrangement of cabinets and appliances. As most of the kitchens in new buildings at the time were quite small, it was essential to take full advantage of the available space. 

Son Gerd Bulthaup and daughter Ingeborg Eckert assumed management of the company after their father’s death in 1978. Gerd Bulthaup, an enthusiast of architecture, Bauhaus follower, and aficionado of timeless design, turned the company into the leader in its field. As part of this effort, he joined forces with Otl Aicher, co-founder of the Ulm Design School, the pioneer of corporate identity, and one of the most significant designers of the 20th century. This cooperation was the beginning of a major influence in the future design of bulthaup kitchens. In a book published in1982, The Kitchen for Cooking, Aicher describes a new kitchen philosophy that places the focus on ergonomics.

Otl Aicher: “The design of kitchen elements needs to focus on the essentials, since enjoyment, cooking, and communication are what matters in a kitchen.”

In 1982, Aicher implemented this philosophy with bulthaup. The outcome was system b, complemented with a preparation island: an outstandingly functional workspace that turned the kitchen into the center for communication within the home. The further development of the kitchen island materialized in 1988 in the form of the kitchen workbench, a design classic that the press described as “the first true innovation since the Frankfurt kitchen.”

bulthaup sets a new standard: the kitchen becomes a living space

Shortly thereafter, in 1992, bulthaup marked another milestone in international kitchen design with its system 25. In 1992 bulthaup was honored with the Corporate Design Award and in 1997 with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1997, system 20 brought the paradigm of the fitted kitchen to an end. Individual, freestanding elements provided design solutions that could be changed at any time to reflect its user’s increased flexibility.

In 2004, bulthaup delivered yet another kitchen revolution: The bulthaup b3 system said farewell to the floor plan-oriented method of kitchen planning. Instead, the wall surfaces were activated and brought into play. Thanks to the multifunctional wall, for the first time ever, furniture could be freely suspended. The b3 concept had a new outcome in 2007 with the unique monoblock, which developed the former kitchen island into a monolithic stainless steel sculpture, where the worktop and the side walls form a seamless unit. 2007 was also the year that bulthaup b1 was launched, featuring a timeless design reduced to the essentials and offering an entrance into the world of bulthaup. This focus on the essentials was also the underlying premise on which the EOOS design group based bulthaup b2, a mobile and flexible kitchen workshop that brings a whole new interpretation to the kitchen living space.

We will soon be offering articles with specific information about b1, b2, and b3 systems in this section.

Ever since the beginning, bulthaup has based its inspiration and innovation on ergonomics, functionality, and authentic materials of the finest quality. It has always striven to convey the importance of architecture, design, and excellence, where nothing is left to chance. A command of space, attention to detail, the wisdom of everyday gestures, the mystery of humble actions, the secret of simple things, together make bulthaup projects unique. These values of the bulthaup brand adapt to all sorts of different projects—including affordable solutions for small spaces. That is why bulthaup is introducing:

The first bulthaup access award for architects and designers in Spain, Portugal, and Andorra..

The bulthaup access award strives to acknowledge professionals who are sensitive to the vision and the excellence involved in designing spaces where people live, share, cook, and enjoy the company of family and friends—and their everyday life as a whole. A place where individuals can express their particular values and sensitivities.

In his introduction to Otl Aicher’s book The Kitchen for Cooking, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa* conveys the essence of bulthaup:

“Reduction to the simplest form is the essence of excellence.” Aicher found time for details. When he was doing the background research for his book, he reached the conclusion that the history of cooking was as interesting as that of architecture itself. “The truth of eating stems from cooking, from its process, from doing, from use; just as distinct individuality stems from the decision to lead one’s own life as opposed to that of others.”
Cooking has its roots in preserving food and the notion of storage. But it has become more than that: “It is the act in which we state our humanity.” Humanity and freedom are both words that Aicher uses with caution. They constitute the essence of his active quest, the roots of life and the meaning it took on for him. But the question here is more than sanctifying festivities or celebrating rituals. As a philosopher of utility, Aicher celebrates the precision of tools and the pleasure derived from using them. Without a knife, a spoon, and a fork, we would live off what we could grab with our hands. “We would lose the art of cooking, and along with it, something that sets humans apart from animals”: a mixture of wisdom and skill. Few essayists have been more critical of contemporary art than he. For Aicher, the distinction between life and art is a cause rather than a consequence: humanity justifies design, the key decisions. “A work of art hanging on a wall ceases to be useful when what we are searching for is a way of life that is bearable as a whole. Life itself has become art.”
The best designs for living spaces with bulthaup kitchens capture that essence.

If you are interested in submitting an entry, read the terms and conditions in the bulthaup access award section of this blog. Premio bulthaup access de este blog.

*pág. 8-9 Otl Aicher, La cocina para cocina. El final de una doctrina arquitectónica.