Pedini - integra in grey oak.This blog was created in order to put together as much information as possible about European kitchen design, European kitchen companies and the different kitchen brands that have been manufacturing custom kitchens and built in kitchens, in Europe for more then a century.
European kitchen designers are the first ones to introduce what we know today as the ‘built in kitchen’ – kitchens that are no longer ‘free-standing’ pieces of furniture (as they were 100 years ago) but kitchens that are designed to have the cabinetry fitting between two walls.
Companies like Snaidero, Boffi, Pedini, Dada, Varenna and Val Cucine, from Italy, Poggenpohl, SieMatic, Allmilmo and Bulthaup , from Germany and Smallbone and Clive Christian, from England are the pioneers, the innovators and the companies that set the tone in Europe – the same tone that then becomes the new look for kitchen design around the world.
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Hi kitchenguy, what do you think of gamadecor kitchens? Do they compare to Aran and Veneta Cucine? Which one do you recommend. Thanks
Reem – Gamma Decor is a lower-end product, made in Spain, by the Porcelanosa Group. It is more or less like Venetta Cucine. Aran is a bit better.
kitchenguy
Dear Kitchenguy,
Hope you are keeping well.
I found once your personal top 20 kitchen worldwide, but i am not able to find that list again. Can you please advise where to find it on your blog.
Thanks
Gary
Gary Samaha – Top 20
kitchenguy
Hi kitchenguy,
I’ve been round a number of big brand kitchen dealers but haven’t found a designer that inspires me. Do any of the big brands offer design services centrally with their inhouse designers, rather than those of their dealer networks? Euromobil appear to offer a design service but I’m not sure if this will be sent to the local dealer.
Thanks
T
Design hunter – not sure where you are located. It is different from one country to another and from one brand to the next.
kitchenguy
Hi,
Could you please help to compare Elmar cucine to Composit, Biefbi and Arrital
I didn’t have chance to work with Elmar before.
Thank you,
vahe – all are about the same.
Go with the designer you like best.
kitchenguy
Hi,
I am in doubt which brand to go for a new kitchen – Italian design-Aran, Arrex, Val Design or German design – Nolte, Schueller? I am asking about the quality.
Thank you for your answer.
Metka – from all of these I chose Schueller.
kitchenguy
How does poggenpohl company with Valcucine – are both in the same league in terms of quality and durability.
Korofo – Valcucine is higher-end than Poggenpohl, in terms of quality and design. They are also more expensive.
kitchenguy
Thank you Kitchenguy. Visited the Valcucine factory and great kitchens. So what would be your top10 kitchens regardless of price. Obviously Bulthaup, Boffi, Valcucine,Pedini, SieMatic, Poggenpol, Hacker would be in that list. Think would be nice just to see a league table from your perspective.
Korfo – hard to narrow it down to 10 and kind of unfair, that’s why I chose Top 20…
kitchenguy
Hi kitchen guy- thanks for all the info!
if you were to purchase a kitchen for your own use. which brand would you pick out of these 3 and WHY? bulthaup, poggen pohl or zeyko?
also can you provide with an updated ranking of top 2o european brands? many thanks!!
Hana – Bulthaup
Working on an updated list.
kitchenguy
thanks kitchen guy for answering my questions and all other questions , great read! + looking forward to the updated list;)
price wise i got from bulthaup for similar design is quite higher than poggenpohl and zeyko. and i don’t see such a big difference in quality..what am i missing about the bulthaup product that is so special? since difference is quite significant for similar design in this large kitchen..?been researching a lot about zeyko and the awards they received in 2015 as opposed to the other 2 brands.. should i select zeyko vs poggenpohl if all else is equal?thank you!
Hana – all are great, but Bulthaup is considered higher end (and more expensive) because they are more innovative and exclusive. If the kitchen you are interested in is somewhat simpler and is available in all brands, go with the designer you like better.
kitchenguy
Korfo – Valcucine is a better product.
kitchenguy
What do you think about KicheConcept (BoConcept group) kitchen? Ratio quality/price?
Francesca it’s a small dealer, selling MK kitchens… – ?!?
kitchenguy
I visited them today and they sell Muller Kitchen so you meant this brand with MK… Do you think the quality is good? How would you rate it in comparision with Pedini and Dada?
Francesca – quality is decent. Not as good as Pedini and/or Dada.
kitchenguy
How would you rate keller kitchens? looking at their master line 4000. Is 13k USD reasonable for 22linear feet of cabinet GL4000 gloss(Grade 2) Nots sure hat the grade means?
BL Kitchen – sorry, don’t know about Keller as they are a very small company, selling only in Holland and the UK.
kitchenguy
I have similar quotes from Miton and Biefbi, which would you recommend?
Juan Carlos – they are very similar – go with the designer yu like.
kitchenguy
Hello. We are currently working on a very high end residential project in Downtown Beirut and are looking into the following kitchen manufacturers: poggenpohl, alno, zeyko, pedini and valcucine. How would you rate those in terms of quality and design? Any other points we should be looking into whilst choosing? Your feedback would be highly appreciated.
Ramy – my preferance will be in this order: Valcucine & Pedini, Poggenpohl & Zeyko, Alno.
The only point you should be looking into is – in multi unit projects, some of thse manufacturs supply kitchens under their name, made by another factory they own. Examples: It may say Alno, but its really made by Pino, or another brand under the Alno Group. It may say Poggenpohl, but its made by Goldreif or any other brand under the Nobia group.
kitchenguy
ryan – Elmar, Aran, Lube.
kitchenguy
Any idea about Colombinicasa !
Mohamed – some idea… 🙂 – what are you looking for?
kitchenguy
greetings Ramy & kitchenguy,
kitchenguy congrats to a very successful blog!
i agree very much with kitchenguy that you should be careful about companies part of a big group they can depend on cheaper sub suppliers from within the group for fronts and other items to achieve lower prices+meet delivery, that you wouldn’t even know of..
but do note in a similar way many italian companies buy their doors from same suppliers who have no issue selling same door to most! actually, very few companies make doors themselves or have exclusive doors they only sell themselves which nobody else has..
Ramy, i believe you require answers to these questions to better make a decision:
while choosing a supplier for multi units it is different than a singular kitchen. how many designs/kitchens are there?you are looking for modern or classic design or need both options for your clients?whats the dealers capability in terms of designers and installation teams?how experienced are they in multi unit projects?history in your market? projects list? showroom display? whats the after sales service?dealer reputation? my advice is to weigh all these points together since its more a combination of brand+dealer than just brand. i want to point out that not all dealers of a brand are the same all over the world….
@ramy furthermore about the italian brands you mentioned : have you heard of boffi and dada cucine? are they present in your market? they actually rank higher by product/brand than valcucine or pedini. why aren’t they mentioned on your list? kitchenguy wouldn’t you agree? even though pedini is a sponsor of this page 😉
finally having been in the industry for over 30 years and worked export with a few of these companies i strongly disagree with listing the italian companies ahead of the german ones.. maybe because i’m German, so that makes me biased :))
but Ramy, on a serious note i didn’t see bulthaup on your short list!? it should be there and among the top germans kuchen brands you mentioned…it may not have the widest variety in door fronts & it is perhaps more expensive BUT if you’re discussing luxury projects+ brands i would add it followed by zeyko then poggenpohl. all 3 brands are very strong in germany and internationally.
in my opinion, Alno doesn’t belong to the premium luxury segment…. some other premium brands to name a few that weren’t mentioned: siematic or warendorf rank higher than alno..
ps: kitchenguy bulthaup is misspelled under list of german companies 😉
good luck in your project in Libanon!
kat
I am looking to purchase a kitchen in Dubai and want an italian/german brand. Though i feel the top end brandes such as valcucine, siematic, hacker are a bit more expensive then next in line schuller etc. Could you recommend a few options in that range? – i have seen schuller and like it and i understand it is a bit inferior to hacker etc in terms of quality. Are there others in that same quality league that i should consider?
confusedguy – not sure which brands are in Dubai, at the moment.
Sorry…
kitchenguy
Hello ,
I am looking to buy a kitchen from an Italian brand called Colombinicasa but i cant find any reviews about them but i really liked their designs would you please help me with your recommendations about them and about the materials they use which chipboards , is it reliable
Thanks
Mohamed – Colombini is a very large company from san marino (not really Italy) that are producing lower end kitchens. They also own other brands, they purchased in the last 10 years, such as Rossana and Febal, which are higher end.
kitchenguy
Sorry kitchen guy
Amend that list -our choices are Rational, Next125, Nobilia, Mobalpa, Häcker.
Which will be the more robust for a family with 3 children?
which is the best value for money?
Love your blog!
Anne H – Thanks for the kind words.
Next125 and Häcker, than Rational and Mobalpa, lastly Nobilia.
kitchenguy
Dear Kitchen guy,
i wanted to ask your opinion about the best 3 spanish kitchen manufacturers that you would choose for a nice house keeping in mind i prefer spanish because of logistic reasons
Laith
Laith Maraqa – try Santos, Gamma Decor (Porcelanosa) and DOCA.
kitchenguy
Hi there. We are currently trying to decide between Mobalpa, Hacker Classic or Howdens. Do you have a view on order in terms of quality? Thank you.
Hazzles – Haecker is a bit better quality than Mobalpa. Not that familiar with Howdens, is it is a UK only brand…
kitchenguy
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Hi great blog! I am located in the US and am looking to purchase the beaux arts kitchen by Siemtaic. It is extremely pricy here though. I love the kitchen but I am trying to find a way to get it cheaper. Have you ever heard of buying the kitchen direct from Germany and shipping it over myself. Do you know if there would be significant savings ? If not are they any other companies you can recommend that give the same look without having to spend $150,000.
Daniella – there are altenatives. Where in the US are you located?
kitchenguy
Kitchenguy,
I visited a Pedini showroom to get a quote for my new kitchen, I got a price of 50K, can you recommend another European brand that has similar quality and design to Pedini but less pricey?
Jay – sure thing. Where are you located?
kitchenguy
I am located in upstate NY in Orange county.
Hi Kitchenguy,
i hope you can give me some sound advise. I’m planning to buy a new kitchen for my house and seriously considering the Bultahup b1, but I’m worried about the kitchen worktop. They offer very few options : laminated or stainless steel. If the worktop is laminated, I’m thinking it will be very difficult to maintain and keep in good shape (I’ve read that needs to be cleaned with special products and some stains might be difficult to remove). The stainless steal is more expensive and above my budget. On one hand I think that I should be safe with the laminated worktop Bultahup offers being one of the top makers in the industry but on the other I wonder if maybe I’m better off considering another kitchen altogether with a different and more resilient material for worktop (like silestone, neolite, Corian or even natural stone).
Any ideas?
Many thanks
nachoreid – my advise: get the kitchen and buy the countertop elsewhere.
kitchenguy
thx for your precious info..What would be your opinion about Europlak and Miton in comparing to Aran?
jean – they are very similar. Go with the designer/store you feel better about.
kitchenguy
thinking to work as dealer with europlak kitchens in Jordan, middle east area, do u advise?
adnan – I need more info to form an opinion… Traget clients, distribution method, etc.
Why Europlak?
kitchenguy
thank you-the level of my clients target is medium, the method of distribution: small showroom marketing, outdoor marketing, importing by containers.
why Europlak: because I saw their products in Dubai, the quality is not bad and I feel comfortable to deal with them…so what do u think? and was my feeling right about the quality?
adnan – in that case, go for it.
kitchenguy
I have heard that Miton reduced their price dramatically because they started to import product from china, is that true, what is your opinion due that reduction in prices?
adnan – Miton had a factory in China for many years. From what I know, they use it mainly for multi-unit projects but they may have started incorporating it into the “Italian” line… – where do you get your info from?
kitchenguy
thank you- because I heard that they opened a big showroom in chine
Thank you kitchenguy.
1. How would you rate varenna, stosa, biefbi, and miton?
2. I’ve been told that varenna and biefbi are high end is that true?
(my questions are related to quality and prices as well)
jean – in this order:
1. Varenna, Biefbi and then the other 2 (more or less the same).
2. Varenna is better.
kitchenguy
Hi! What do recommend between Valdesign cucine and Record
What are the differences in terms of quality?
Thank you!
Nathalie – they are not that much different…
kitchenguy
Hi, We are in the UK hoping to install a German manufactured kitchen. We’re currently considering Alno, Hacker, RWK or Schuller. Budget will probably dictate bottom end of their ranges. Please advise your recommendations. Thanks.
Oska – if all else is equal, Haecker will be my choice.
kitchenguy
Hi kitchen guy,
I am looking to get a modern minimalist kitchen with around 20 linear feet of cabinetry for around 20k in Southern California. Have checked out Scavolini, Porcelanosa and Leicht- which comes in over budget). Are there any other brands I should be checking out?
Kloy – where in So. Cal. are you? What is the cabinet finish?
kitchenguy
Kitchenguy, comparing to aran, how do you rate stosa and arrital?
price and quality.
jean – similar.
kitchenguy
Dear Kitchenguy, i have got quotes from Boffi, Poggenpohl, Siematic, Alno, which one is of the highest quality, irrespectively of price? thanks in advance for your feedback. it would be very helpful in my decision at this stage.
valentina santo – Boffi, Siematic, Poggenpohl, Alno. in this order.
kitchenguy
Hello Kitchen Guy,
I am interested in buying a Cesar Cloe kitchen, in eco cement working top… what is your opinion on Cesar eco-cement ?
Karsten – Cesar is fine. They had some financial difficulties last year, but it looks like they are abale to continue. The Eco Cement is a nice, durable finish.
kitchenguy
Dear Kitchenguy, great work on the website.
I need to buy a kitchen for my new house and I have visited and received quotes from Mobalpa, Schmidt, Ixina, Nolte and Pedini. All of them seem to be able to propose something within my budget range which is about USD 30K. Which ones would you recommend in terms of quality and value for money.
Thanks a lot
Astrid – from this list – Pedini, hands down! They are a step (or two) above the others.
kitchenguy
Dear Kitchenguy
Can’t express how useful ur blog is, wish saw this before. I am in UK. I have seen a UK make Wren Kitchen – their Linda Barker range which is their higher range comes with lifetime guarantee etc . How would you compare this against the following:
Alno
Schroder
Mobalpa.
And if pricing was same for these 3 what would be your order of preference. Also do they belong broadly to same range? ie do the 3 fall in the mid-high category overall for their higher range?
somnath – sorry, but i’m not that familiar with Wren, as they are a UK company, selling only in the local market.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy and everyone. I was lucky to get a 2-year-old Aran Miro Kitchen. However I need 1 additional door. Do you know a NY supplier I can order one from? Thanks for any help.
Great Blog
Hi Kitchen Guy
About to get quotes for Leicht, Alno and Hacker. If all else is equal I know you prefer Hacker. Could you please highlight the following points?
– Hacker Classic vs Systemat – what are the difference b/w them in terms of carcass etc other than door range, dust seal etc?
– Will a Hacker classic be same in build etc to a Leicht or Alno ?
– Leicht and Alno = how far behind are they in terms of build quality and can you please give some examples?
– Carcass material – understand all are chipboard but in terms of their quality/strength is there any difference? The hacker dealer mentioned they are sourced from Switzerland which is best and also treated for moisture proofing due to their focus on East Asia sales. Is this true and is this a differentiator from the other 2?
– Lastly in your view in terms of % how much more expensive a Hacker classic and a Systemat could/should be for same design compared to Leicht/Alno
Look forward to your opinion which is vital for me to proceed! My kitchen is approx a L shape 5m X4.5 M with about 16-17 units
Any update Kitchen guy? Also one specific question on Hacker (have decided to go with them). If for the same base material (MDF Satin lacquered) I get the desired colour in Classic and Systemat range, is it worth paying the extra for Systemat? I guess the systemat is about 10-15% more than Classic at retail price in UK, therefore my question is what is the premium for ? I know of some like dust seal, slightly larger cabinet size. Is there any other fundamental finish in quality, make?
Som – in additiona to what you alreday know, it is also the ability to customize it.
kitchenguy
Som – sorry, but I can’t complete this “study” you’re asking for… 1, max 2 questions please…
kitchenguy
Hi, we are looking at a Schroder kitchen against Alno and Hacker. Can you comment on Schroder as we can’t find any reviews on the brand even though they claim to be older than Alno ?
Shahid – what would you like to know about them? Here is their History.
kitchenguy
Thanks. How does Schroder compare with Hacker and Alno in terms of quality and rank ?
Shahid – they are all very similar, if you’re comparing the same model/range.
Go with the designer/dealer you like better. They are as importent as the product spec’s.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchen Guy
Your blog is amazing.
I’m based in London. We currently refurbishing our house, need a brand new kitchen.
I’ve narrowed it down to two so far, I like the hacker range and Schroeder. Which one is better in terms of quality. The showroom selling hacker also sells nobilia, how would you rate them. Also we were looking at appliances, in terms of ovens and cooker, Siemens or Neff?
Many thanks I’m advance
Tan – Haecker is a step (or two) above both Schroeder and Nobilia.
kitchenguy
Thank you for getting back to me, much appreciate it and really needed the advise.
Want to finalise tomorrow hopefully.
So is it justifiable to spend 20% more on a haeker kitchen in your opinion
And what’s really the difference between systemat and classic.
Many thanks once again
Tanvir – 20% more than what…?
The difference between systemat and classic is mainly in the options.
kitchenguy
Trying to decide between Record, Lube and Snaidero for a larger contemporary kitchen. Appreciate your opinions.
Also, feedback on finishes is appreciated (wood veneer vs technical veneer vs melamine)
Many thanks!!!
J. Lopez – that’s easy – Snaidero.
What would you like to know about the finishes. They are all good, depends on the budget, use and taste you have.
kitchenguy
Hello! Great blog…I am considering SieMatic, Schuller Next and Snaidero kitchens. Could you please rate them in terms of quality? Thank you!!
Jeannie – thanks.
SieMatic, Snaidero, Next, in this order.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy,
Love your blog.
I live in Bahrain and I have a choice between choosing either a Nolte Kitchen or a Pedini Kitchen.
Could you advise me about the difference between these two brands and which one would you prefer, and why?
They are both within my budget.
Awaiting your reply.
Thanks
A. Rahimi – Thank you for the kind words!
Very simple – Nolte is a ‘price driven’ product, where Pedini is a higher quality, better design product.
kitchenguy
Thank you Kitchen Guy,
Question – Actually three (Sorry) – What do you mean when you said Price-Driven?
What about Berloni? Are they good? Can you list the following in order, 1 being the highest in quality and durability?
Appreciate your response.
Do you have any other websites or Social Media in which I could follow you other than this site?
Thanks
A. Rahimi,
‘Price Driven’ is a product that is designed and built to be cheaper in price, rather than higher in quality or better looking.
Berloni – used to be a decent product. Went bankrupt, bought by a Chinese company… do I need to continue…?
No other sites – just this one… 🙂
kitchenguy
Just wanted to let you know, what you are doing… is Amazing, keep up the good work, hope you get the attention needed, not so many people around me know about you, but I have done what I can to let people go to your website and seek for advise. Thank you Kitchenguy.
A. Rahimi – thank you for the kind words!
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy.
Your blog is really great.
I’m looking for the brands with the quality in middle class to export to Ouaga 2000 for the appartment project. Can you advise me some brands i can contact.
Thank you!
Hi Kitchen Guy,
I live in Denver and am deciding between Bulthaup, Semantic and a local designer who worked for Verenna for years and designs kitchens that are locally made, look like Verenna and use Blum interiors. My problem with Bulthaup and Semantic is that I would like a very light oak and am not finding the exact veneer I would like from Bulthaup and Semantic. The local designer can customize his veneers but I don’t know much about the quality of Blum. Additionally, I have chemical sensitivities and would like as green a product as I can find. Any ideas would be great. I have gleaned so much from your site. Thank you.
Romy – both brands are fine and I will go with one of them, before I would use a local shop. Blum is fine – they buy it ‘as is’, but i doubt the quality of the doors and boxes will even get close to Bulthaup and SieMatic, not to mention the accessories that are proprietary.
Also, regarding the sensitivity, with a local shop you can’t be sure of the chemicals as they are not being monitored regularly (if at all) by anyone. Check Bulthaup and SieMatic for their Green credentials. Also Pedini opened a new showroom in Denver recently (had one for years and that’s a new location) and I know they are very green – check them out.
kitchenguy
Thank you so much Kitchen Guy. I really love your blog. I am currently visiting LA and will check out Pedini in LA as well as Denver. I knew they had closed but was unaware that they were open again. Also, the kitchen design details I really love are the clean lines of Boffi and Verenna. Boffi doesn’t have a showroom in Denver, and I am assuming that it really only makes sense to use a company with a showroom and installer in the city in which one lives. Verrena does have a showroom. Would you mind commenting on the differences among Verenna, Bulthaup, Siematic, Pedini and Boffi? Again, I am so grateful for your thoughts.
Romy
Romy – they are all very good quality products, using the same hardware, buying doors from the same suppliers, etc. You can achieve the same exact ‘clean lines’ from all of them.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchen Guy,
Wonderful blog, I follow it often. As a Kitchen Design professional I really appreciate you educating the public about the products I work with on a daily basis.
I saw your conversation with Romy from Denver about their search for cabinets with Green credentials. I am the owner of Pedini of Denver showroom and I’d love to see if I can help them decide if the Pedini product will be a good fit for their project.
Thank you for being informed so well about the Denver market and the Pedini product.
Take care,
Jill Folwell
Owner of Pedini of Denver
jill@pediniofdenver.com
I blog often and I really thank you for your content. The article has really peaked my interest.
I will take a note of your blog and keep checking for new details about once per week.
I subscribed to your RSS feed too.
Hi Kitchen guy,
Are you attending eurocuccina this year? Would love to meet up with you over a quick lunch during the fair, my treat!!
Ramsey – just got back from the fair and saw this message… – sorry. Maybe next time… 🙂
kitchenguy
I will be attending IMM cologne
Hi kichenguy is it possible for me to buy a Schuller kitchen or any German kitchen direct from Germany without having to go through a retailer in the uk?
Jayne – it’s possible that some small companies, that have no dealers in the UK, will sell direct, but why would you want to do that…? You’ll save money, but will have to ship on your own and be without service and/or warranty. A bad move, in my opinion…
kitchenguy
Have you heard of Falma kitchens? I believe they have traditionally been more of a closet/furniture/built in maker. What about Cesar in terms of quality? How would you rank them? Thanks.
Rick – no.
Ceasr is a nice quality.
kitchenguy
Also, how does Binova compare to Cesar?
Rick – Binova is better
kitchenguy
Which of them is better ?
Aran cuisine or Arredo3 ?
Dipin Roy Cherian – about equal.
kitchenguy
Great site kitchen guy. Modulonova vs Armony.. Which are better?
.
Susie – Modulnova.
kitchenguy
Hi kitchenguy – we are buying in the UK and trying to decide between Leicht, Hacker and Pronorm. I’m after simple lines, good quality and well designed details. How would you rate those? Thank you!
Jax – go with Haecker. Better quality and value.
kitchenguy