Martin Bulthaup founded the company in 1949 and his vision was that design should be a comprehensive process involving form, material and processing. Unnecessary decoration of any kind was - and still is - eschewed.
The company laid the foundations for its innovative leadership back in the early Seventies, with the launch of the C12 kitchen program. This use of shape, unusually modern for its time, coupled with its smart installation concept, made bulthaup’s name as a pioneer for the industry.
Gerd Bulthaup took over as head of the company in 1978, following his father's death. His vision of expanding bulthaup to become the market leader in design-orientated kitchens brought him into contact with the designer Otl Aicher. He was co-founder of the Ulm school, which reflects the tradition of the Weimar Bauhaus movement.
In his book entitled "The Kitchen for Cooking", published in 1982, Otl Aicher described a new kitchen philosophy, based on a survey carried out for bulthaup, in which ergonomic working was the most important factor. The design aimed to achieve this through function and material and regarded reduction to the essentials as its goal.
Next came the practical butcher block, a sturdy worktable made from solid wood that was placed in the centre of the room, which became a bulthaup trademark.
1974
The bedrock of bulthaup's innovation leadership: the introduction of the C12 kitchen program. With its use of form that was unusually modern for its time, coupled with its smart installation concept, bulthaup became the pioneer for the entire industry with its c12 program.
1976
Gerd Bulthaup, the son of the company's founder, took over the running of the company together with his sister and brought his love of architecture, the Bauhaus philosophy and contemporary design to the firm. And so began a new and radical stage of development for the rapidly-growing company - its expansion to become the market leader of design-oriented kitchens.
1978
Unveiling of the "Contur” range
1980
Start of the collaboration between Gerd Bulthaup and Otl Aicher, the designer of the Summer Olympics in Munich and mastermind of the corporate identity concept. Aicher, who died in 1991, was one of Germany's most outstanding 20th Century designers and was to play a key role in shaping bulthaup design.
1982
Aicher's study for bulthaup, entitled "The Kitchen is for Cooking”, is a classic and best seller. It founded a completely new kitchen philosophy and unleashed a wave of creativity among designers and kitchen planners. In a nutshell, authenticity in function and material and a reduction to the essentials. After all, the most important factors are enjoyment, cooking and communication.
1984
"system b”, as a response to Aicher's intensive research. Ergonomics was the keyword for a kitchen that encourages cooking. New working heights, new constructional and functional elements and the consistent implementation of short pathways and separate work areas were the cornerstones of this system, which set standards for an entire decade.
1988
A milestone in kitchen history: bulthaup brings the kitchen workbench onto the market. The media proclaim it the first real innovation since the Frankfurt kitchen.
1989
bulthaup unveiled a new extractor that was unique in terms of its form and technology. It was awarded the "Highest Design Quality” commendation. It was classed by the Haus Industrieform Essen as one of "the best of the best”.
1992
bulthaup set new standards with the introduction of system 25, a flexible modular system whose modules and variety of built-in elements permitted virtually any design configuration and which turned every kitchen solution into a living solution. Thanks to its modernism, functionality and versatility, the brand became synonymous with the most advanced ideas for the architecture of the kitchen living space.
1994
bulthaup presented communication furniture with its korpus and duktus products for the kitchen as a living space, where people could eat and communicate together.
1997
Another innovative high point in bulthaup's history: mobile function elements allow spontaneous configurations. bulthaup system 20. Modern society's demand for mobility was anticipated beautifully with this system.
2000
With the "architecture of the kitchen”, bulthaup established a product line on the market based on system 25. Using sculpturally and functionally designed kitchen furniture, it offered customers the ability to create distinctive living spaces that were pared down to the essentials and which radiated an appealing warmth.
2004
The new bulthaup b3 product generation, for the first time, allows planning a kitchen not just based on the floor plan, but also activates the walls. The static base element is the bulthaup mulitfunction wall. From it hang cabinets, appliances, accessories or even TV screens. The floating, lightweight character of the kitchen is accentuated by the clarity of its construction and the thin materials. bulthaup b3 is the design concept for the entire homes.
2008
bulthaup b1 is oriented towards the ever-expanding group of form and quality-conscious people in the world, people who share bulthaup's values but who so far have been unable or unwilling to afford their own bulthaup kitchen. The concept: end-to-end simplicity and a concentration on a few basic elements, front finish variations and materials with purposeful forms that look simply stunning.
2008
bulthaup b2, the mobile kitchen that can be added to and arranged individually defines the "kitchen workshop" in its original meaning - comprising the workbench for the fire and water point; the kitchen tool cabinet for crockery, utensils and supplies; the appliance housing cabinet for the oven, dishwasher and refrigerator. The principle: "removing anything superfluous". All that remains is value - the best materials, the best tools, the best raw materials and the best crockery.
When you look for a simple kitchen set observe these measures :
No single item affects the look, cost, and longevity of your kitchen as much as cabinetry. Buying the cheapest available is rarely the best choice. Drawers soon wobble on their substandard guide hardware or fall apart altogether, and inferior finishes wear away. Unless the cabinet surfaces are solid wood or wood veneer, painting or refinishing will be difficult or even impossible. When comparing cabinets, ask about construction details and look for these signs of lasting quality:
Solid-wood face frames with doweled-and-glued joints, unless the cabinet is frameless.Mortise-and-tenon joinery; it's even better, but it's a custom-only feature.Solid-wood drawer fronts and door frames; solid or swell-veneered door panels.Solid-wood or plywood drawer sides at least 1/2-inch thick, with doweled or dovetailed joints (avoid stapled-and-glued joints).Self-closing drawer and tray glides able to bear at least 75-100 pounds each. Ball bearings are best. Full-extension glides increase storage space.Corner braces, plywood sides, and rear panels in the cabinet box.Adjustable shelves in wall cabinetsPullout trays instead of fixed shelves in lower cabinets.Drawers and doors that open without any trace of wobbling or binding.Extended warranties and performance guarantees.
