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It’s so easy!

If you have done a new kitchen in the last few years, or even if you haven’t, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the term – ‘Blumotion’ – the latest and greatest drawer system from Blum, the world’s best manufacturer of hinge, lift and pull-out systems for the kitchen.

Blumotion is simply a drawer system that allows soft closing, without the drawer banging into the cabinet. When it reaches the point of almost closing, it breaks to a very quite and soft close. With the introduction of this mechanism, in 2001, it was the best thing since full extension drawers… Any other drawer system in the market was simply none existing. None existing until early 2006…

In April 2006, while at Euro Cucina (the worlds largest and most important kitchen show, held in Milan every other year) at the Pedini Cucine booth – I saw the Servo Drive® for the first time – It was incredible! Pedini had a locked-up glass room, with a chrome finish kitchen inside it. People were walking around it looking in, trying to figure it if this ‘thing’, that looks like a kitchen, actually works.

Pictures: Pedini Display, at Euro Cucina 2005.

This prototype kitchen was named Cubika – it did look like a shiny chrome cube. The kitchen had no handles, pulls or even a recessed channel to open the drawers –If you waited long enough, someone from Pedini would open the glass door and demonstrate how these cabinets actually work – all you needed to do is tap lightly at the drawers, with your knee or hand and as if someone said ‘open sesame’ – the drawer opened…

About half an hour before the show closed, a couple of guys showed up, dressed in grey work-robes/aprons (the type that workers use in German and Austrian factories) and took apart the drawer mechanisms. They put them in special cases and were on their way back to Austria. They did that, I found out later, to insure that the competition doesn’t even get a glimpse at how this new wonder works…

This new look was finally in production by Pedini in the beginning of 2007, under the name Q2 and you can now get the ‘cube’ look, in many finishes, including one that looks very similar to this prototype from the 2005 Euro Cucina booth, in all glass.

Picture: Pedini Q2                                                                                                                          

I’m not sure why, but Blum is calling the new drawer system in two different names – ‘Tip On’ and ‘Servo Drive’. Maybe they are undecided on the name yet…

Want to view the Servo Drive in action?