BORA Magazin – Englisch

EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW

EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW “Design is a central part of our company, but also a matter of the heart.” WILLI BRUCKBAUER And what do you regard as the key trends in the kitchen sector right now? Peter Zec: Many people regard the kitchen as the centre of their home and a kind of status symbol. Open-plan kitchens not only provide places for people to cook, but also to live. As such, kitchens have to meet customised requirements to a tee. When furnishing kitchens, as much attention is paid to high-quality materials as to energy efficiency and new solutions such as downdraft extractors integrated into the cooktop. ‘Smart’ kitchen appliances such as refrigerators and ovens are also increasingly establishing themselves. Willi Bruckbauer: If I may interject here... The Bavarian television company ‘BR Fernsehen’ recently came to visit us in Raubling and filmed a programme about the ‘Kitchen as an altar’. It was about exceptionally high-quality kitchens, which, as you’d expect, were far more expensive than your conventional kitchen. We have clearly noticed that there are huge numbers of these now. It may therefore be true that the kitchen has overtaken the car as a status symbol. However, the TV programme, which showed BORA products installed in the kitchens, took things even further. Namely: the kitchen is a place that can emanate an almost reverent, sacral feel as a result of its character and its extraordinary design and furnishings. That’s the theory anyway. And in reality, our planners see this approach reflected in customers’ wishes. They want products that can be incorporated into their kitchen in a subtle, refined and unobtrusive manner, but with a touch of uniqueness. And BORA seems to have made a name for itself on the market in this regard. However, this is only our intention to a superficial extent. Aside from all the beauty, elegance and extravagance, the kitchen can and must always remain a place for the family, somewhere to socialise and part of real life. A hearth at which everyone can warm themselves. Peter Zec: I’d like to add something else too: the perfect combination of aesthetics, technology and practical use plays a major role in kitchen design. ‘Made in Germany’ therefore has a special appeal because it is associated with excellent product quality, which is particularly sought-after in the kitchen sector as kitchen furnishings and appliances are usually things that you buy to last. Let’s take a brief look further down the line. What basic innovations can we expect to nd in the itchens of the ftre Peter Zec: It’s impossible to give a general answer that is valid across all product categories. However, I believe that kitchens will be increasingly characterised by automated appliances with sophisticated voice and analysis functions. Digital assistants will be increasingly integrated into products. Even today, ovens have built-in sensor technology and many kitchen appliances can be controlled using apps on mobile end devices such as tablets 54 BORA MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE or smartphones. Robotics and computer and information technologies will in all events play important roles, especially as there will be exciting symbioses with other products. Simply think about how many individual devices the smartphone already combines today. Focus will also have to be placed on social and environmental matters. Despite all the technical possibilities the future will offer, it is extremely important for designers to retain their focus on people. This particularly applies when appliances are ever more frequently characterised by highly complex internal processes yet external minimalism and simplicity. A balanced mix of modern technology and emotional needs is a particularly important design element – including in the kitchen sector. Willi Bruckbauer: I completely agree. The kitchen market is developing at an incredible pace. Who knows what currently unimaginable things will be regarded as the norm in ten years’ time? The best example of this can be provided by looking to the past. We said that we wanted to revolutionise kitchens. Vapours should be extracted downwards, not float up into the nostrils. uch a simple principle, yet no-one initially wanted to join us in our pursuit of it. Today, however, our extractors have become the norm; it has taken less than a decade for the principle to take off. As you can see, it’s the seemingly simple, the easy to explain that ultimately impresses. Our products naturally incorporate sophisticated technology and we work hard to develop innovations, but we don‘t plan to create extractors that you can simultaneously pair with your telephone, garage door, television, window blinds, burglar alarm and possibly even your electric lawnmower. To put it simply, what I’m trying to say is that regardless of all the possibilities, when working on our future developments, our primary focus will still be on people. And in addition to all the theoretical possibilities, people like our products to be impressively effective and simple to use. After all, the kitchen isn’t a research laboratory for tech-savvy chefs who use high-tech gadgets rather than vegetables, but a place of enjoyment, pleasure and sensuality. Despite all the sophisticated technology, which is actually already found in BORA products, all of our new developments are therefore based on the notion: keep it simple and intuitive. That leads me to a question: do kitchens and cooking play much of a role in your private life? Peter Zec: As a passionate amateur chef and co-owner of a Michelin-star restaurant in Berlin, I love to cook high-quality dishes in my own time. I had a clean and compelling stainless steel professional kitchen with a customised design built for me in Italy, which would fulfil the needs of any Michelin-star chef. In terms of food, I love the variety offered by Asian cuisine, which uses lots of fresh ingredients. I’m also a great fan of Mediterranean dishes. I enjoy classics like antipasti or tortellini as much as I do a perfectly cooked steak. I also appreciate the great importance of spending time with others while eating and the sociable side of meals. Do you think about good design when serving food? Peter Zec: In a word: yes! As with a product, allure plays a great role in the enjoyment of food: meals have to look appetising. Willi Bruckbauer: For me, the way things look is very important. There’s no doubt about it. But what comes first for me is the process of actually going shopping. I pay careful attention to buying good food of high quality. I come for Rosenheim and check that products have been sourced regionally wherever possible. As a Bavarian, I naturally also like to sit in a beer garden with a beer and pretzels. owever, I find it far more important to cook at home, especially with my family. I love teaching our youngest children the value of a good diet. I should probably mention that I do this in the company too. We’ve established a voluntary staff cooking event with a simple rule: I’ll gladly foot the bill providing whatever is served is healthy. I’m not some kind of missionary but when you’re passionate about cooking and your work in the kitchen sector, this is important. I also believe that good food keeps you healthy. To return to a term we used earlier, this isn’t then a zeitgeist, but simply about keeping things tasty and reasonable. This isn’t a combination that can be taken for granted. Mr Bruckbauer, Professor Zec: from design to technology to cooking – thank you for the interview. BORA MAGAZINE 55