Häcker has launched the Limited Edition 1926 to mark the 100th anniversary of the modern fitted kitchen. As a tribute to the historic archetype of the modern fitted kitchen created in 1926 and its inventor Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Häcker Küchen will make this kitchen available throughout the anniversary year. It features historical design elements at no extra cost: a selection of seven curated NCS colors in a durable lacquer finish, an integrated pull-out table and a built-in folding step.
When Ernst May, architect and town planner, brought Austria’s first female architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky to Frankfurt in 1925 as part of the New Frankfurt housing project, she was tasked with designing suitable fitted kitchens that would meet the demands of the time: standardisation, faster, more cost-effective production and efficient use of space within a few square meters, as well as ergonomics, hygiene and ease of maintenance. The aim was to coordinate the forms and functions of the kitchen so precisely that daily kitchen tasks could be carried out quickly and easily. What emerged went far beyond these historical circumstances, for Schütte-Lihotzky’s Frankfurt kitchen became the archetype of the modern fitted kitchen as we know it today – and thus a milestone in architectural history.
With the Limited Edition 1926, Häcker positions itself within the legacy of the Frankfurt kitchen and draws on two key elements shared with it: quality and simplicity.
The Limited Edition 1926, available to order in the year of the 100th anniversary, is inspired by distinctive historical features of the Frankfurt kitchen and integrates them into a modern design that can be seen as a tribute to its predecessor. At the heart of the Limited Edition 1926 are three historically inspired features, which are offered at no extra cost in combination with the Systemat AV 6000/AV 6000-GL kitchen.
Häcker offers six colors from the NCS spectrum — forum yellow, Heidenfeld grey, Burgfeld green and three shades of blue — whose names already refer to the locations of the original kitchens, designed in these colors, on various streets in Frankfurt. With panorama blue, the most famous color of the Frankfurt kitchen, whose name alludes to the company’s headquarters, Häcker offers a seventh NCS shade inspired by the historic blue hue. The Häcker Limited Edition 1926 features water-based matt lacquers that impress with their enduring elegance.
As a further design element, Häcker provides an integrated pull-out table. Such extendable table elements were fitted in Frankfurt kitchens in large numbers during the 1920s, as they allowed space-saving design to be combined with a high degree of flexibility.
Another characteristic feature of the Frankfurt kitchen, which is incorporated into the Limited Edition 1926, is the ceiling-height design, which ensures ample storage space even in small kitchens. To ensure the storage capacity of the tall cupboards is used to the full, Häcker offers a built-in folding step, the Step-fix, that can be stowed away in the base unit. It can be quickly and easily removed from the cupboard and stowed away again, thus ensuring access to all kitchen supplies and utensils at all times.
From floor-to-ceiling designs and stylish glass wall units to backsplashes, the design elements of the Frankfurt kitchen serve as inspiration for Häcker, finding expression in the Limited Edition 1926. In Häcker’s kitchen studios, customers have the opportunity to have their own bespoke Limited Edition kitchen designed, tailored to their individual wishes, preferences and spatial requirements.
