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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Hey k-guy.
scic or arredo3??????
nik – neither… 🙂
kitchenguy
Hello Kitchenguy,
I am hesitating between an Aster kitchen, a Nolte ( high-end range) and a Bauformat Kitchen.
Can you please let me know what is the best option for me regarding design and quality?
Many Thanks,
DG
Please add to the list above Arrital.
They are all almost the same price except for Aster.
All the showrooms are in Lebanon.
Looking forward to your reply!
DG
Dala – Aster or Arrital.
kitchenguy
Hi kitchen guy
We have got a quotation for aran – carcase in plywood and Nolte – carcase in particleboard. Which one would you suggest? Both are similar in pricing.
Dev – Aran.
kitchenguy
Any thoughts on Rational Kitchens? Have looked at Hacker (somewhat limited on what they offer and very limited on colors) and Pedini (our local dealer put together a great plan for twice what they said it would cost, then tried to sell us their own brand (which we have never heard of). Our bathroom co deals Rational Kitchens and says they used to sell Poggenpohl and that Rational are just as good at a lower price point. Thoughts?
heather – Haecker is better than Rational… I’m surprised at what these dealers are displaying and doing… Where are you located?
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy – great blog, I’ve learned a ton. Based out of Toronto, ON, Canada; just bought a nice high end condo but hate the 12 foot by 12 kitchen. Replacing the appliances with Thermador, looking to redo the cabinets as the flow makes no sense. Thinking about Leicht … looked at SieMatic but way out of my price range and designer was snobby. Any other suggestions – have read great things from you about Haecker and Pedini but don’t think they’re in Toronto? Leicht is saying ~ C$20K for cabs + 10K for countertops (+25K for therm appliances) … does that sound reasonable?
Rav – thanks for the kind words.
I don’t think that Haecker is but Pedini is available through Domani – they have a couple of locations.
kitchenguy
Thanks – I went with Pedini Eko, through Domani. 60 percent More expensive, but much better designer and product. Thanks so much for your blog!
Rav – sounds like a good choice!
kitchenguy
Hi, kitchenguy. What dou you think about these German kitechen makers: Ballerina and Impuls. Impuls is about 15% cheaper. Which to choose?
Simon – you get what you pay for… if it’s 15% cheaper, there’s a good reason…
kitchenguy
hi kitchenguy
living in Berlin and I am currently deciding between bulthaup b1 which is their cheaper product with Siemens/AEG appliances or going to Hacker for their highest range – all with top notch appliances like Miele/Gaggenau/Bora etc.
Personally I like bulthaup design but I am wondering if Hacker wouldnt give me better quality/value in the end?
thanks for advice
boban
boban – price both and ak them to give you a comperison.
kitchenguy
Hi there
I’m looking at Kuhlmann and Rotpunk brands for my kitchen in new build. I am in UK. Neither are cheap but not too expensive. Any thoughts on these brands they dont seem well known in UK. As an alternative Burbage has been suggested to me as a UK brand…never heard if it have you.
I am looking for a handless door and a big Island.
Would love Siematic but dont have 60k to spend.
Thanks
liz – decent choices. Go with your instict.
kitchenguy
Hello great blog! I am located in the on Houston, Texas, US and I like the the design and quality of the Clive Christian or Mark Wilkinson. It is extremely pricy. I love the kitchen but I am trying to find a way to get it cheaper. Do you know of any European kitchen cabinets company that can produce similar styles and quality products at lower prices? If not are they any other companies you can recommend that give the same look without having to spend $150,000 plus for kitchen.
MK – many…
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy,
I have been shopping for a new kitchen for many months now, and have finally picked a design layout i like. Now I am trying to find the right dealer/brand at the right price. The most competitive prices were from Rational, Hacker, Leicht and Schuller. Could you please rank them in order of quality and longevity to help make my decision easier. BTW brilliant blog and very helpful info
Rick – Hacker, Leicht, Schuller Rational.
kitchenguy
what is your opinion of matt glass fronted doors as opposed to matt lacquer doors to pairing with a wood finish?
I am concerned about the glass doors scratching easily or the frame of the door not being strong enough with the glass front, and looking dated after a few years
Would appreciate your advice.
Ro – matte glass is generally tempered and stronger and should not scratch. The only downside is the cost.
kitchenguy
Hi kitchen guy, what kind of price point is Hacker…high or mid. We are looking for a good contemporary mid end brand for a kitchen showroom.. any recommendations? Susie
Susie – they are mid to high price point, based on the model/finish/options you choose.
kitchenguy
Me again.. oops! Forgot to ask.. what about Alno? Mid or low end…
Susie – mid to low.
kitchenguy
And finally???? How about Armony Spa Italian kitchens.. mid or low end? Thanks sooooo much in advance.. great blog????
Susie – mid to low.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy!
We are in the process of ordering a new kitchen and wanted your opinion between Aran, Scavolini, Lube, Euromobil or Veneta. These are the ones offered where we live. Would you recommend one? They all look more or less the same but don’t know about quality. Thank you!
Gri – you said it right – “They all look more or less the same” and they are more or less the same quality. I would go with the designer/showroom you feel most comfortable with.
kitchenguy
Hello Kitchenguy
Two Questions
1.Have you heard of GED or GD Arredamenti? and if so how would you rate them? what price range should they be at? (and can you name similar quality companies as comparison) , I guess they are too small to be mentioned already
2.Can you name companies that make bespoke (dimensions) doors
Thanks
Brandon – 1. yes, it’s a small company and they are not cheap. What type of style, look, finish are you looking for?
2. Sure – where are you located?
kitchenguy
Good day Kitchen guy!
Hope you are doing well.
I am currently looking for a kitchen for my house. I have visited my Local Pedini Dealer and SieMatic Dealer.
I love both products. But I would like your input towards the choices.
If you have only one choice which one would it be?
Also Id like to ask if Pedini is a better brand than SieMatic?
Thanks,
Yogi – both are great choices. I personally prefer Pedini – I think their designs are more exciting.
kitchenguy
Dear kitchenguy
Hope you are keeping well
In fact I was browsing for kitchen for our country house and i noticed a new brand Arrital. I like their designs and they use german hardware, what do you think?
Where can we classify them?
By the way the price is fair enough for an Italian kitchen in my market
Thanks alot
Gary
Dear Kitchenguy,
We are looking at hacker, rotpunkt ,leicht , nobilia and magnet kitchens, in which order would you rate them for quality/longevity?Is there actually much different in quality between them? Am fed up with all the spiel from kitchen salesmen!
Whats your feedback on Hans Krug kitchens?
Can you please let me know if Aran or Biefbi is of better cabinet quality? Thank you.
Can you please comment on the differences between Biefbi and Aran? Which do you believe is of higher quality and value? Thank you.
Hi Kitchen guy! What do you think on the quality of the kitchen brand Arredo3?
Thanks,
Isabel
Hi.I need to know whether recordcucine are reliable and how do they compare to stosa and Arredo 3.
Loads of thanks.
Hi Kitchenguy: I am in the process of re-doing/designing my kitchen. I am in between Leicht and Allmilmo. I love all the details Leicht offers but have been reading a lot of good things about Allmilmo… What are your thoughts about these two?? Thanks for your help!!
I am really struggling with choosing new Kitchen Cabinets. This is new construction and we had issues with a previous kitchen dealer, so I am over cautious and nervous to pull the trigger. I am looking for a contemporary look and want good quality but trying not to break the bank.
The companies I have looked at are Cesar, Dada, Euromibil, Binova, Varenna, Valcucine and Snaidero.
A few things I have noticed: Out of all these companies, Dada has the tallest sides (depth) in drawers. All the others seem to have shallow sides. They also have a dust trap strip along the top of all the doors and drawers.
Having said that, they don’t have many options for the interior (colors of shelving), and with our budget they don’t have options for the type of pull on the slab door.
Euromibil came in the cheapest of them all and pretty much offer the same product, they also said they use Gross hinges (which I heard is better than Blum). I guess what I worry about most is choosing the right brand and getting good quality cabinet. I also want to make sure after I get my kitchen that is something goes wrong these companies will still be around and have good customer service if something should go wrong. Can you help? What are your thoughts? Preference between the companies I listed? Thanks
Frustrated – go with either Dada or Valcucina, if it’s in the budget.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy,
we are currently evaluating 3 german handleless kitchen quotes with gloss cabinets.
Hacker Classic
Nobilia N line
Kuhlmann
Service/approach from each of the 3 dealers has been equally good so far, so im looking for some guidance on your view of the respective qualities.
Also interested on your view between the Hacker classic and premium offerings. Is it only the lacquered doors and features that are different – are the carsacces/runners etc all the same between the 2 ranges?
darren – Hacker Classic
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchen Guy,
We are in the process of buying a new kitchen. Between Scavolini and Del Tongo would you recommend one? We value quality and finishes on kitchens. Thank you for your time!
Gri – both are similar. Prob. Scavolini…
kitchenguy
Dear Kitchenguy, if you had to choose between Aran and Biebi cabinets, which would you prefer? Thank you!
Hunter – Biefbi (i’m assuming you meant them).
kitchenguy
Hi kitchen guy, Schuller, Nobilia or Alno.. in terms of quality and value for money at the mid to low end?
Hi again, super information! Pedini or Schuller? Is Pedini a lot more expensive? Many thanks
Susana – Pedini and it shouldn’t be much more
kitchenguy
Sue – Schuller.
kitchenguy
Hi Again, YES, I am stalking you???? Your info. Is super. Just back from Salone de Milano. WOW? Valcicine, Boffi, Dada showrooms.. one more beautiful than the next??
Back to reality.. Leicht or Schuller.. are they similar in terms of pricein price and quality? Mid end?? Hope not too many questions…
Sue – Schuller
kitchenguy
KitchenGuy,
Living in the USA, what are my best options to get European Style Modern Kitchen Doors. High Gloss Lacquered? Is there a good USA manufacturer as well?
If not, which distributor sells European ones in Bay Area San Francisco, and then what European brand is best bang per buck?
Thanks,
Stephen
Stephen – Us brands can’t compare in quality to the Europeans. As far as “best bang per buck”, try Pedini’s Eko line.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchen guy! We are renovating our kitchen and we are among these brands: Rot Punkt, Arredo 3, Arrital, Nobillia. These are more or less the same price tag, which of these do you recommend? We also have the SieMatic or Leicht options but they are pricier..We like minimal white laquered or synthetic design. Please help us! Thank you!
maria k – all about the same. Go with the designer you like best.
kitchenguy
Can you group these companies by quality?
Poggenpohl, Siematic, Snaidero, Arrital, Scavolini, Ernestomeda, Pedini
Victor – Poggenpohl, Siematic, Snaidero & Pedini. Then Ernestomeda. Then Arrital & Scavolini.
kitchenguy
Can you rank by which ones have the most exciting designs?
Viktor Petrov – thats a matter of personal taste
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy,
We’re in Australia and are comparing two options for the same mid century modern design.
One is a mix of Doimo Cucina and ArcLinea.
The other is a mix of Arital and Effeti
Are these all good brands quality wise? Anything to look out for?
We are leaning towards the first option as it can better match the 1960s teak inbuilt furniture in our 60s house (surprising jack of teak/rosewood veneers about).
Thanks for your advice
Pat – I like ArcLinea better than Effeti and Arital, better than Doimo… – sorry…
kitchenguy
Very informative!!! Can you kindly rank in order of quality Stosa (with 2 year guarantee), Nobilia (with 5 year guarantee) and Veneta (5 year guarantee). Thanks so much!
Catherine – all 3 are on the low end side, driven by price…
kitchenguy
Hi there kitchen Guy great blog!
In your opinion… Rotpunkt or Schuller
Pedini or Schuller Nex125
Keep up the great work,
Dylan
Dylan – Pedini.
kitchenguy
Hi kitchenguy!
Congrats for your very interesting blog! Keep up the good work. We are currently looking for our new home kitchen but unfortunately our dealer-options are limited in the area we live..so we have come down to the following options: ballerina, Schroder, miton and
Ar tre. Could you rank these brands for me in terms of quality?? So you can make our decision easier!!
Thanks in advance!!
Athena – all 4 are price-driven products. I would chose, based on the designer and dealer that sell them.
kitchenguy
Hi, so far Ive looked at the following German companies in the UK, Remp, Hacker, Sie Matic, Pronorm, Schuller, Leicht. Can you rank these and are there any others I should be looking at? Also what Italian companies should I check out? Thanks
Ben Fox – from the ones mentioned, stick with Hacker & SieMatic.
kitchenguy
Hi
Are you familiar with Crown Imperial kitchen range? (in UK), they also do a glass door range.If you are familiar how would you rate them in the list below (copied from your earlier reply)
Same with Cesar kitchens
Poggenpohl, Siematic, Snaidero & Pedini. Then Ernestomeda. Then Arrital & Scavolini.
In your opinion are glass doors here to stay or a trend? possibly this is permanent solution / alternative to lacquered doors?
Thanks
Sergio – don’t know much about Crown.
For the others, in the exact order you have them: First – Poggenpohl, Siematic, Snaidero & Pedini. Then second tier – Ernestomeda. Then third – Arrital & Scavolini.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy, currently deciding between Pedini Arke and Arrital AK. Pedini is substantially more expensive but reading from your other posts the Pedini kitchen is the higher quality kitchen. In what way is Pedini superior over Arrital?
Thanks & best regards,
Guido
Guido – yes it is – 2 levels above…
kitchenguy
Hello.
Which kitchen is of a better quality: Varenna Twelve or Rempp?
Are they at the same level?
Thanks,
M.
Monika – Varenna.
kitchenguy
Hey Kitchenguy,
First off your blog is amazing. I’ve found it impossible to find a helpful source in trying to find reviews and opinions.
We’re looking to renovate a kitchen and are about to get estimates from several different companies in NYC. Right now, we’re starting with Siematic, Poggenpohl and the Haecker.
The catch is we’re not too ostentatious and looking towards a fairly straightforward matte white kitchen with great build quality and not as much the aesthetic designs the upper brands are known for. It seems like aesthetic design is part of the premium for Siematic and Poggenpohl. Are there any other entry-level kitchen designers we should be looking at that you recommend? I couldn’t find a Schuller supplier. There might be a Nolte. Anyone else you recommend?
Kev C – look at Bulthaup’s b1 and Pedini’s Eko.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy!
I got a good offer for the Express kuchen Star (Nolte).
I’m worried about the thickness of the front (16mm) and finishing.
Their brochure says: Laminate paintwork in high-gloss, fronts with color-coordinated, all around thick edging.
What is this processing? Is that okay?
The price is about 75% of the price for Dieter Knoll?
Should I take Express Star into consideration or I should look at Dieter Knoll or something in that range?
Thanks and best regards!
Damir
Damir – these are all ok. At that price, they are very similar.
kitchenguy
Can you please comment on the differences between Biefbi and Aran cabinets? Thank you.
Hunter – Biefbi is a more custom product, while Aran is more price-driven.
kitchenguy
Hi kitchen guy, we’re creating a kitchen with a pretty big island and want to go elegant/modern but still very inviting, deciding between Boffi and Bulthaup- any preference or any others you think we should consider? Also, on the island we want a breakfast bar to seat 3-4 bar stools. Would you recommend using the island as it is for the breakfast bar or creating a separate level /ledge/ table effect in a different material? Which looks more elegant? Thanks, we are in London.
SeemaC – both are great choices, go with the look you prefer. Can’t suggest others because I don’t know your location…
kitchenguy
You are a genius????????
Ballerina or Rotpunkt, are they similar in price & quality..
Which are better in your opinion
Thanks in advance
Susie
Greetings????
Rotpunkt, Ballerina or Nobilia?
Cheers
Hi. We live in France, where we moved not long ago to a small town near Geneva. We will be moving soon to our own apartment and as it’s new, we need to get a kitchen. Will be an open plan kitchen and we would like something beautiful but solid, of a good quality . We visited some shops like Schimdt, Perene and Varena and found the difference of price quite significant. After seeing Perene (which seems to be very good quality, exteriors are beautiful and interiors and accessoires look solid and nice) we decided we won’t comeback to Schmidt and try Perene but then when we had the project priced it was nearly 40% more expensive. So a little desappointment
We came across a new Kitchen shop, Varena, who has some nice kitchens in exhibition and they has made an estimated which comes just 13% less than Perene, though they don’t tell you final price until you don’t commit and pay and advance (they charge for technical study). Exteriors from Varena look very similar to Pérene though they don’t have much on display the accessoires and interiors look of à little less range- thought not huge different-than Perene. I don’t know anybody who has a Varena kitchen so have no idea about quality and long term duration. Could you advice on this? We would like a beautiful open plan kitchen but also a solid one that would last and resist our family move for cooking and baking.. Also, came across some independent artisans cuisinistes, which seem to be popular here and are obviously cheaper
Some of them with good references a small have no doubt they could do a nice job but again not sure about the warranty and quality they can offer and of they are a good alternative to the pricy shops. Any idea?
Thanks
Hi
For my kitchen there are 2 options came with PET finish and Laminated finish
We use kitchen rough.
which finish do you suggest ?