Aich, April 2011 - bulthaup is synonymous with the perfect kitchen. Perfect quality and functionality have made bulthaup the driving force on the market.

Inspired by this, Marc O. Eckert, the grandson of the company's founder and CEO of the firm, is building on the values of the past and on products that bear testimony to bulthaup's innovative strength, dedication to quality, unique universality and flexibility. His goal is to steer the company - following the earlier journey of Gerd Bulthaup and Otl Aicher - into new territory, towards new inspiration and new ideas.

On this journey, bulthaup is being portrayed in unusual contexts, with different perspectives being highlighted that continuously provide a different interpretation of bulthaup's original values. The result means new stimulus for the company, its products and its business partners.. bulthaup is harnessing its experience with Otl Aicher by sending the leading "creative brains" of the world on new "journeys" with bulthaup b3, b2 or b1, to create autobiographical kitchens. The results are not new products, but rather unique creative works that communicate unexpected insights into the subject kitchen and whose execution takes the interplay of craftsman-inspired production and industrial manufacturing to its pinnacle.

Beyond this interpretation, bulthaup is working continuously to equip its products with the latest technologies and functions by applying innovative as well as aesthetic materials. The universality and flexibility of the bulthaup b3 kitchen system is being effectively enhanced with a aluminum drawer and pull-out system which can be customized.as needed. New cabinets for small appliances whose function and material can be specified to create the perfect solution blend in harmoniously with the array of seamless tall units. These are complemented by a pullout with new aluminum interiors and a new guide system, which maintains its balance even when fully laden.

New front materials, such as solid walnut and rough-sawn oak (natural and dark brown), add further depth to the range of bulthaup b3 woods and veneers. The color palette of the b1 kitchen system is rounded off with the new stone gray lacquer, while the integrated lights featuring LED technology provide the perfect illumination for working in.

The original passion for innovation will continue to make bulthaup the driving force behind the market of the future.

bulthaup offers more than just superlative quality and a perfect product. In fact, it also offers the experience of "individualism." To bring this fact back into the minds of everyone searching for the unusual and the unique, bulthaup has created the concept of "Shifting Contexts." "Shifting Contexts" invites international architects and designers to reinterpret bulthaup and to create installations based on its many elements.

Accordingly, the emphasis lies not on the development of new products, but rather on the architects' and designers' perspectives and 'take' on the kitchen living space. The specific goal is to create autobiographical kitchens whose interpretation present new insights. The first exhibit is bulthaup b3 by art director Mike Meiré, which is being showcased to mark the Milan furniture fair. - White becomes black, function becomes attitude. - Mike Meiré is countering the kitchen and pushing boundaries in the process. Surfaces that are not lacquered, but are instead covered with fine leather, create associations with haute couture. Display cabinets that present personal items - knick-knacks as well as fine pieces - as a collection, make reference to rooms that are primarily beyond the kitchen.

Mike Meiré selects elements from various origins, adding them together to create something new, a form of "animated functionality." It is the principle of eclecticism, applied to the kitchen living space. The great freedom of design that bulthaup b3 offers is taken to its zenith. As a designer, art director and curator, Mike Meiré has shaped international brands and given a new face to major publications. His installations such as "The Farm Project" and "Global Street Food," which address the theme of the kitchen, have also attracted worldwide attention. In 2010, Mike Meiré unveiled his free-form, artistic work as part of Art Basel / "The Solo Project" at the Bartha Contemporary Gallery in London. "Shifting Contexts" draws its relevance not least from its affiliation with the now legendary journey made by Gerd Bulthaup and Otl Aicher.