The birth of the modern kitchen

Celebrating 94 years since the birth of the modern kitchen
(and our favourite recipes for spring)

Kitchens didn't always look like they do now. In fact, it was less than 100 years ago that a female designer transformed the way kitchens were designed and used, creating a cultural and social revolution that was the forerunner of today's kitchens.

After World War I, Germany faced an acute housing shortage. The solution in the city of Frankfurt was to come up with a whole new way of designing affordable homes that embraced the fresh thinking and more egalitarian philosophy of the 1920s. For the first time, a female architect was employed as part of the rebuilding team. Margarete (Grete) Schütte-Lihotzky brought new ideas and a feminine perspective. The result was the Frankfurt Kitchen – rational, unpretentious, and socially oriented but a revolution nonetheless because this was the first kitchen to be designed around the needs of the user.

The photos above show the original Frankfurt Kitchen from 1926 and a modern recreation of the kitchen displayed in the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. More than 10,000 Frankfurt Kitchens were built during the late 1920s.

Spring is the perfect time for barbecues

Despite being imprisoned by the Nazis for four years during World War II, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (1897 - 2000) lived to be 103. Her kitchen and home designs influenced many other countries' rebuilding efforts and many of the features of her original Frankfurt Kitchen are now taken for granted in modern kitchens.

Our favourite recipes for spring

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky's Frankfurt Kitchen revolutionised not only home design, but also home cooking. For the first time, preparing meals became a simple task that took less time and enabled greater thought and care to be put into creating better recipes.

In honour of Grete's achievements and to celebrate spring, we have selected some of our favourite recipes for you from several of our favourite magazines.

Need a new kitchen?

At Pzazz Building, we not only enjoy delightful recipes, but also creating kitchens for people who enjoy delightful recipes! We take care of everything from design (you'll love our new 3D design concept service) to full project management to complete your sparkling new kitchen.

Christmas is coming so don't delay - contact us now for a free In Home Consultation.