Abimis makes stainless steel kitchens for homes. But the great flexibility of its kitchens and the ability to create them to the centimetre, based on the customer or the designer’s indications, makes Abimis kitchens extremely flexible both in terms of the environments where they are installed and in terms of their intended use. An interesting example of the creative use of Abimis kitchens can be seen in this house in Biberac, a small but lively village in the Stuttgart area of Germany.
In the park of a typical German house with generously-sized historical architecture dating back to the 17th century and recently renovated, there are several “service” buildings. At one time they were used as agricultural storehouses (the house was owned by a family of landowners). But then, in the 1970s, the farm moved and the estate was abandoned. Since then, the park and all of its architecture has been slowly declining.
A careful restoration revives the old family ‘estate’
The decline seemed irreversible, until a young member of the family, a dynamic and visionary entrepreneur, founder of a very famous craft brewery in the area, decided to move his residence and business to the property that belonged to his ancestors.
He thus began a lengthy renovation of the park and the main building. He installed the beer-making equipment in the cellars, large and scenic brick-vaulted rooms; the ground floor, instead, has become an exclusive ‘haut de gamme’ brewery, with food tasting sessions prepared every evening by a star chef.
Finally, his personal apartment was built on the top two floors while the attic has become a large cinema, his other great passion along with craft beer and gourmet food.
A kitchen in the annex for parties and dinners with guests
The various annexes of the property were yet to be arranged. Some have been converted into offices, storerooms and warehouses for his business. But the most beautiful, a small 19th-century brick building close to the house, has become a large kitchen room for the parties and exclusive dinners frequently organised by the host.
“I wanted to completely separate my private life from my ‘social’ life – the young German entrepreneur told us – so I asked my architect to create a second kitchen, immersed in the centuries-old park, where I can invite guests and friends informally and without invading my spaces.”
The exterior brick walls have been cleaned and the old arched windows restored. The roof, however, has been completely rebuilt as neglect and bad weather had compromised the old beams.
In the middle of the room stands a large island kitchen from the Ego line by Abimis, made entirely of hand-orbitally polished stainless steel. A warm and silky finish that harmonises the 3 dominant colours consisting of the white walls, the absolute black ceiling and wood floor made of thin-slatted industrial parquet.
The furniture comprises a large tavern table surrounded by biscuit coloured wood and leather chairs. And a discreet cupboard made of orbitally polished stainless steel, the same as in the kitchen, which conceals a double refrigerator column inside it.
A minimalist island kitchen in the middle of the room
The kitchen is intentionally very simple. The entrepreneur chose an Ego ‘monoblock’ composed of 6 elements welded together. An island with clean and minimal lines, no overhangs, joints or accessories in sight; only a built-in sink and a flush top cooking area.
And he wanted to place it right in the middle of the room. Like a sculpture, to be admired from every side. To make it even more prominent, he had an LED lighting system installed in the skirting board. The light, which illuminates the base and reflects the parquet, creates an incredible feeling of lightness and the kitchen appears to float in the air.
The central position of the island is based on aesthetic reasons – the kitchen is thus framed by the door and is the first element that you see coming from the garden – but also two purely functional reasons. In fact, with this configuration, during the holidays, more free space is created for guests, who can also use the kitchen as a countertop for drinks and nibbles. Secondly, the central island allows the owner to cook without being isolated, leaving him free to chat with guests even when they are already sitting at the table.
The success of this kitchen area has been so great that it is now also used for cooking classes and private dinners by customers looking for a design atmosphere and top level kitchen.
Two aspects that have always been the basis of every kitchen produced by Abimis.
