Poggenpohl, the German luxury cabinet brand, hosted a Design Workshop called “Sensing Space” at its new brand experience centre (SXC) located at 8 Hengshan Road in Shanghai. This centre was designed by Ippolito Fleitz Group. After the event, Poggenpohl interviewed Peter Ippolito, Chief Designer of Poggenpohl SXC and Co-founder of IFG, as well as Xie Tian, Designer of Poggenpohl Hangzhou Experience Centre. They discussed their personal connections with kitchens and their design philosophies related to kitchen spaces.
Sensing Space
The Kitchen as the Natural Centre of Home Life
Kitchen & Life
Both Peter and Xie share the belief that the kitchen serves as the natural heart of the home. It's a place for families to gather, communicate, and pass down cultural heritage. They agree that modern kitchens should foster social interaction while maintaining functionality. Peter, who delights in cooking for loved ones, places particular emphasis on the emotional aspect of kitchen design, encouraging self-expression and indulgence. Xie underscores the pivotal role of good design in bringing people closer together and creating an inviting kitchen space.
Kitchen is a natural center of life at home.
German Quality
German products are renowned for quality, characterised by precision, reliability, and enduring engineering. In the design of the Poggenpohl Shanghai Experience Centre, Peter's vision unfolds in three key aspects: creating a contextual experience about life and its various expressions, showcasing diverse ideas for home furnishing and lifestyles, and revealing the product's potential. Additionally, the centre harnesses urban energy to connect with the local audience in Shanghai, emphasising the importance of location. Above all, the goal is to encourage discovery. Strong images and ideas are presented to visitors, allowing them to explore without imposing a singular approach.
Germanness is always connected to like our secondary virtues, which is about quality, precision, and reliability.
Design Concept
Poggenpohl constantly envisions the future of kitchen design. Peter and Xie both resonate with the brand's innovation and longevity of 131 years. Peter admires the central space where the brand engages with clients to discuss dreams, and the ever-changing perspectives throughout the showroom. This dynamic experience reflects the fluidity of life. Xie focuses on creating a unique ambiance in the Hangzhou experience centre, using lighting, artworks, furnishings, and carefully detailed materials to complement the product.
Not standing still, being always in a moment as life changes all the time, you gotta be able to find a new perspective.
Future Trends
Regarding future kitchen trends, Peter highlights the increasing digitalisation and integration of digital life, along with a countermovement towards reconnecting with tangible, analogue experiences. He sees the kitchen as a potential place to reconcile these trends. Xie predicts larger kitchens as people spend more time in them, reflecting the decreasing significance of the living room due to changes in media consumption habits.
Like ways in life, whatever you have, you want the other, so the kitchen might be the place to reconcile them.