It’s a kitchen appliance showroom with a difference. From the rammed-earth and black-sand-infused plaster walls to the 700-year-old wind-felled tōtara flooring and basalt upon which Auckland is built, every element within the Fisher & Paykel Auckland Experience Center has been thoughtfully selected in collaboration with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei group to emphasize connection to place.
“The Auckland Experience Center represents our ‘Designed in Aotearoa New Zealand’ identity, our connection to place, the things that shape the way we think, and the way we design unique and meaningful things. It’s different because it is a complete manifestation of where we come from. It defines our place in the world. It’s where our people are. It’s where our company was born in 1934,” says Daniel Witten-Hannah, CEO of Fisher & Paykel, the New Zealand-based appliance company.
Walking through the 8,800+ square-foot showroom designed by Knight Associates, clients have the opportunity to experience each of the signature appliance styles through dedicated kitchen vignettes. The hero spaces within the building include luxury kitchens that are a result of design partnerships with three leading kitchen design companies: Boffi, Arclinea and Henrybuilt. Each is an immersive experience showcasing the potential of a particular Fisher & Paykel appliance design style.
Three Appliance Collections, Three Kitchens
Describing the rationale for choosing each kitchen partner, Mark Elmore, Fisher & Paykel’s VP of design and brand, praised their design rigor and systems thinking. “Boffi, Arclinea and Henrybuilt are renowned for heritage and continuity, design innovation, kitchen systems and the quality of their craft and construction. Like us, they have a commitment to design and detail resolution at the highest level. Each kitchen shows how our products can be expressed, detailed and integrated in the most beautiful ways.”
The Social Kitchen
For cooking demos and other hands-on learning sessions, the Social Kitchen is the spot in the showroom to gather. Here, an Arclinea kitchen island is positioned alongside a monumental, 9m-long dining table of 45,000-year-old reclaimed kauri wood.
Other spaces include a luxury laundry and wardrobe area, also designed with Boffi, an outdoor kitchen presenting Fisher & Paykel’s outdoor cooking brand DCS, a showcase of luxury appliance solutions in an apartment setting, and several product galleries. In total, around 250 products are on display.
The experience center is also a working space for visiting architects and designers. A Plan & Choose Studio is equipped with all the material, product and specification resources required to work through project options and make considered choices.
—By Leslie Clagett, KBB managing editor
