Design study forecasts a new trend / the "Dining Desk" arrives on the market

Herford, 15 September 2006 - Cooking and living - everything in one? The market strategy of the kitchen manufacturer Poggenpohl has acknowledged this issue and emphasizes in its company policy that the "habits" of people will continue to undergo change over the next few years.

Where we really live: Kitchen, bedroom and bathroom

"In the future people will only be looking towards three rooms to gain a feeling of good living: the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The social life with family and friends will be played out in huge kitchens with a dining room which will take over the role of the living room", says Duffner. As he continues to explain, Poggenpohl is going one step further as regards predicted trends and has theoretically repositioned the kitchen entirely into the living room. This is demonstrated by a design study conducted by the East-westphalian company; a business which has distinguished itself as a global brand (more than 75 % of its products are exported in over 60 countries). First the conference, then the cooking and eating

In this design study the original kitchen area with its appliances, storage and work surfaces are concealed behind technically and aesthetically perfect fold-slide doors. The living room itself is dominated by a "Dining Desk", a prestigious working, conferencing and dining table whose long sides pull apart. At the centre of the table a function area then opens up with kitchen elements as diverse as trays, Teppan-Yaki, chopping boards, containers and trolleys revealed. The table prototype is set to become reality

"Our table prototype caused such a furore at the International Milan Furniture Fair in April that we have actually decided to put it into production", Elmar Duffner announced. "The design study really came about as just a lighthearted vision of the future and a discussion point for the design scene."

Text and photo download: www.poggenpohl.de

Further information about Poggenpohl: Elmar Duffner, Geschäftsführung Poggenpohl Möbelwerke GmbH, Herford, Tel. 05221 / 381-213 or 0171 / 76 58 360 E-Mail: [email protected]

Poggenpohl - knowing what counts. Pioneering innovations since 1892

In its 114-year history, Poggenpohl has developed from a joinery workshop with adjoining furniture store to become the most well-known kitchen brand in the world. Today, the company exports its products to more than 60 countries. Poggenpohl employs 526 members of staff worldwide, 385 of whom work in Germany. All of its products are manufactured at a 45,000 sq.m. production plant in Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The brand is distinguished by quality, exclusivity and innovative developments that have made it famous across the globe.

When Friedemir Poggenpohl (1859 - 1924) founded the company in Bielefeld back in 1892, he did so under the motto "Our goal is to improve the kitchen". The oldest German furniture brand and No. 1 German kitchen furniture brand follows this maxim to the present day, appreciating the kitchen as a space for living and recognising the home as an expression of one's own personality. This way, innovation has become tradition at Poggenpohl. In 1897 the company transferred its operation to Herford. In the years that followed Poggenpohl went on to develop many pioneering achievements in the field of kitchen design:

* 1928 saw Poggenpohl present its Reform kitchen, consisting of connected units, separate shoe cabinet as well as a sink, table and chair, reflecting the technical achievements of the age. Known as "Zehner Schleiflack" (10-layer polished lacquer), the Reform kitchen's new surface material gained a reputation that extended well beyond Germany's borders.

* In February 1950 Poggenpohl presented the first mass-produced unit kitchen, the "form 1000". Twelve years later, the company brought out the form 2000 as the world's first fitted kitchen, setting the trend for future kitchen generations.

* In 1968 Poggenpohl launched the first solid wood kitchen, thereby guiding the trend towards wooden kitchens.

* 1970 saw the arrival of "experiment 70", the futuristic study of a round kitchen developed in conjunction with Luigi Colani and the Institute for Environmental Physiology.

* In the 80s and 90s Poggenpohl continued to set new highlights in kitchen design with innovative developments: 1982 saw the launch of the +DIMENSION75® midway range, optimising the use of space between wall and base units. In 1995 Poggenpohl created a new milestone in ergonomic engineering with the +MAXMORE® large carcase system.

* Poggenpohl entered the new millennium with a further design highlight: +SEGMENTO®, the 'weightless' kitchen, emphasises the horizontal. In 2001 +SEGMENTO® was presented with the Good Design Award by the Architecture and Design Museum 'The Chicago Athenaeum'.

* Poggenpohl presented +INTEGRATION®, the concept of the overriding kitchen, at the 2004 Milan Furniture Exhibition. The once utopian vision of integrating design, architecture, technology and new media, in the way Colani did for Poggenpohl back in 1970, had now become reality. With +INTEGRATION®, Poggenpohl let a dream take shape, once again writing a new page in furniture history.

+INTEGRATION® has received the following design awards: - "Good Design 2004" from the Chicago Athenaeum - "Interior Innovation Award Cologne 2005" - "red dot design award" from the Design Zentrum NRW - Nomination for the "2006 Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany"

* PLUSMODO is the name of the latest kitchen architecture created for Poggenpohl by the renowned Spanish designer Jorge Pensi. It is a powerful, poetic dialogue between presentation and concealment. Shown for the first time at the Cologne Furniture Exhibition in 2005, the kitchen architecture appeals to consumers with a penchant for good design.

PLUSMODO has received the following design awards: - "New Classics" from "Schöner Wohnen" magazine, 2005 - Good Design Award 2005 (Chicago Athenaeum Museum) - iF Product Design Award 2006 (iF International Forum Design GmbH Hanover) - "red dot design award 2006" from the Design Zentrum NRW - Nomination for the "2007 Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany" - iF Product Design Award 2006

Since 2000 Poggenpohl has been part of Sweden's Nobia kitchen group. Even in a difficult market environment, Poggenpohl has managed to improve its competitive position with an export share at approximately 70% as well as with continuing growth in sales and profits.