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Bauhaus and sensuality

Three systems – b3, b1 and b+ solitaires – new and revised are this year’s new products from Bulthaup presented at the space in the former Church of San Carpoforo. #MDW2016

“Up until now we have never had a line of furniture, we have always thought in terms of systems”, explains Marc O. Eckert, CEO of the German manufacturer. “We are introducing for the first time, a line of furniture that this year are the real protagonists. Not so much the actual pieces but more the philosophy behind them: people don’t want a ‘status-symbol product’, they want stories. And we literally put everything on the table”. A table that in practice, is translated into an elegant worktop in oak, anchored to its metal frame via a clip, also in black metal.

Bulthaup, Sistema b+ — Bulthaup, b+ solitaires system, Fuorisalone 2016

But why the table? “Because it’s the centre of the community, the base of both comedy and tragedy. The kitchen in practice is the place where everything happens. It is always around food that we share the best moments of our life. And the table is the centre of the space, it is the place where people talk to each other and communicate”, continues Eckert. As well as the table, series b+ also includes new lamps (in black matt aluminium with wings covered in Japanese pergamena) in which can be inserted an extractor hood, butchers blocks equipped with pull-out functional tops on two sides, shelf-units.

In terms of the b1 series, Bulthaup presents a series of islands: a work block that sits on a frame in metal and can be equipped with sink, food prep module and hob and finally, fitted out underneath with storage. “We have tried not only to redesign the kitchen but to create a platform where people can create different rooms depending on their mood. All using materials and light, that are the basic ingredients of creating an atmosphere in a place”. Technology – that for Bulthaup is the thing almost taken for granted – is always a perfect symbiosis of aesthetics, engineering and functionality. “Technology in a system always has to open new options and should not imprison the consumer”, points out Eckert. “This year we want our more hidden side to come out in the open. It is a Bulthaup where you can see the forms and materials. Our German soul, functional and Bauhaus, embraces sensuality”.