From stove to hotspot

Kitchens are cultural history in a small space. Their design tells of technological upheavals, social role models and changing ideals. The journey from the Frankfurt kitchen of the 1920s to the open kitchen island of today is long - and revealing. Because kitchens often say more about our lives than any living room - as the Munich exhibition "Kitchen Culture" impressively shows.

Text: Lilian Ingenkamp

Two decades later, the picture changed: architect Le Corbusier opened up the kitchen in his "Unité d'habitation" high-rise apartment building in Marseille. The model designed by Charlotte Perriand with a half-height counter facilitated interaction - both culinary and social. Cooking became part of communal life, no longer an isolated activity in the back room. A break with old role models - and the beginning of a new living culture. The Scandinavians also set the tone: in 1957, Danish architect Arne Jacobsen designed a kitchen for the Interbau building exhibition in Berlin that was more than just a place to work. It became the heart of the house - architecturally well thought out, comfortably staged. A workshop of life in which functionality met Nordic elegance. In the GDR, a more pragmatic approach was taken: The "Eschebach K21" from VEB Küchenmöbel Radeberg was functional, robust, but with a strikingly friendly design. The modular building blocks shone in soft colors: Mint, light yellow, peach. The furniture system was very successful in the GDR and Soviet Union.

While kitchen furniture changed over time, the range of appliances grew. Toasters, bread slicers, refrigerators and microwaves were introduced from the 1950s onwards - initially as technical Wunderwerke, later as status symbols. The kitchen was electrified, wired and automated. More and more new appliances promised convenience, efficiency - and the best taste. And today? "An important development in the modern kitchen is the kitchen block," says Xenia Riemann-Tyroller - but admits: "You need space to integrate these large kitchen islands." One model that helped shape this change was the Bulthaup workbench (1988). Inspired by the work surface of a craftsman, it was designed as mobile and modular work furniture. Sustainability also plays a role: during the coronavirus pandemic, the Munich collective J*Gast developed a kitchen system that saves material thanks to its filigree frame structure. Today, there are many variants between imposing luxury kitchens and pragmatic kitchen solutions, depending on lifestyle and requirements. And high-tech is also becoming increasingly popular: Some kitchens today are as smart as a computer, networked and controllable via an app. The oven knows the recipe, the fridge orders the milk. Sometimes you ask yourself: wouldn't the percolator be enough?

Images: The Design Museum / Gerhardt Kellermann, Freilichtmuseum Roscheider Hof / Helge Klaus Rieder, bulthaup