The Frankfurt Kitchen:
How a built-in kitchen changed the world
Exactly 100 years ago, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky invented the first built-in kitchen—the so-called “Frankfurt Kitchen”—: a compact kitchen that was precisely planned and perfectly tailored to the needs and requirements of the time, and which was installed in tens of thousands of Frankfurt housing projects starting in 1926.
In its design, the Frankfurt Kitchen reflects what drives us as well: careful planning, uncompromising quality, and the conviction that good design enriches life.
Join us on a journey of discovery: Immerse yourself in the world of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and learn how we interpret and design the Frankfurt principle today—with our Limited Edition 1926.
Quality, grounded in simplicity.
Since 1898 – Häcker Kitchens.
How It All Began
The Evolving Kitchen
Häcker Limited Edition 1926
From Rödinghausen to Frankfurt: A Story of Quality and Integrity
Häcker Founded in 1898: A legacy that continues to this day
Shortly before the turn of the century, in 1898, Hermann Häcker opened a carpentry shop in Rödinghausen—at a time when, between the workbench and the glue pot, only handmade furniture and components for the local homes and farms were being produced. A high degree of care, craftsmanship, and the commitment to improving everyday life through design have defined Häcker from the very beginning and laid the foundation for a company that is now one of the global players in the kitchen industry—and, as a family-run business, stands by its values every day: reliable, responsible, and exemplary.
1924: A blue dot becomes a symbol of quality
Twenty-six years after Häcker was founded, in 1924, another company’s story began near Berlin—a story that would later merge with that of Häcker. In 1924, as radio broadcasting was taking its first steps in Germany, a company specializing in the manufacture of headphones was founded in Berlin. Every single unit was subjected to rigorous testing by technicians and marked with a symbol of exceptional quality—a small blue dot. It wasn’t long before consumers began asking for headphones with the blue dot. The quality mark had thus become the brand and later the name of the company. Even today, Blaupunkt stands worldwide for outstanding craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology—as a multi-award-winning Häcker brand for built-in kitchen appliances that combines high-quality technology and excellent design into a harmonious whole.
Frankfurt after World War I
Like many major German cities, postwar Frankfurt was marked by a severe housing shortage due to war damage and years of neglected housing construction. The response to this was a housing and urban development program initiated in 1925 and led by City Planning Director Ernst May, designed to create affordable housing in a short period of time: functionally designed, cost-effective to build, and tailored to people’s needs.
The Invention of the Frankfurt Kitchen – A Milestone in Architectural History
In 1926, Ernst May brought a woman from Austria to Frankfurt who designed the first standardized built-in kitchen and thus made architectural history: Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Austria’s first female architect with a degree, analyzed movement patterns, hand movements, and work processes in the kitchen and used this to develop an architectural design whose ergonomic and functional layout remains exemplary to this day. The architect’s goal was to enable the most efficient and pleasant working conditions possible within a few square meters—an approach that defined an era. The Frankfurt Kitchen is considered the archetype of the modern built-in kitchen because it was the first to be planned as a unified and standardized workspace: functional, space-saving, and geared toward efficiency and industrial mass production. A kitchen that continues to inspire us today, as our Limited Edition demonstrates.
Frankfurt Kitchen Design: When Details Take Center Stage
From the length and width of the room to a wide range of details, every aspect of the Frankfurt kitchen has been carefully thought out down to the smallest detail. Here are a few examples:
- The distinctive pull-out bins provide quick access to everyday food items.
- Under-cabinet handles are not only sturdy and durable, but also easy to open, ergonomically designed, and easy to keep clean.
- The floor-to-ceiling design makes every square inch of the limited living space usable and creates ample storage.
- Pull-out shelves instantly expand the countertop space and can be slid back in at any time—whenever needed.
- An integrated aluminum drainboard provides the space needed for washing dishes and stands out for its hygienic, rust-free quality.
Paul Wolff’s black-and-white film “Labor-Saving Housekeeping Through New Construction” from 1927 offers a fascinating look back.
Choosing wood with foresight
Like every detail of the Frankfurt Kitchen, the choice of wood was not merely an aesthetic consideration for Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, as evidenced by the storage bins. Since the containers are not airtight, they are vulnerable to infestations by pests or the growth of mold. The design of the Frankfurt kitchen demonstrates foresight in its choice of materials—specifically, the use of oak and pine. The pungent scent of oak repels insects, while pine, due to its hydrophobic properties, helps prevent mold and fungal growth.
The Frankfurt Kitchen as an exhibit
Although the Frankfurt kitchen was installed in a large number of Frankfurt homes, only a few examples remain today. Over the years, it has become a sought-after exhibit. Today, only one restored example remains in its original location: it can be seen in the Ernst May House.
The images shown on this page depict a reconstructed Frankfurt kitchen from the design collection of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and the Lippisches Landesmuseum Detmold, which now has a permanent home on the Detmold campus. It was installed in 1928 in a three-bedroom single-family row house in the Frankfurt housing development “Römerstadt” and remained in use until 1995. It was subsequently removed during a home renovation and reconstructed twenty years later by the Detmold School of Design under the direction of Prof. Dr. phil. Andreas K. Vetter.
Additional exhibits from the Frankfurt Kitchen can be found at the following locations:
The Evolving Kitchen
Over the course of the following decades, the built-in kitchen continued to evolve. If architecture is a reflection of its time and society, then kitchen trends also reveal how both have evolved together.
- In Frankfurt in 1926, cost-effective architecture was a must. For example, the kitchen was designed without cabinet backs, because they weren’t strictly necessary—hard to imagine today!
- Built-in appliances made their debut: While the original Frankfurt kitchen featured a freestanding oven, it did not yet have an electric refrigerator. Since then, kitchen technology has continued to evolve: from early appliances like refrigerators, built-in stoves, and mixers, to freezers and microwaves, all the way to the latest innovations of today, such as food processors, induction cooktops, integrated range hoods, and air fryers.
- From a separate utility room to the heart of the home: Over the years, the kitchen opened up and became an important, even central part of the home. Open-concept layouts with islands, counters, and breakfast nooks show just how much the kitchen has changed. It has become a place where people gather, linger, and feel at ease—a space for everyday life and enjoyment, for socializing and retreating at the same time.
- Evolving aesthetics: The color scheme of the Frankfurt kitchen was not merely pragmatic. Starting in 1928, efforts were made to create a more pleasant atmosphere in the workspace using brighter, fresher colors such as yellow, turquoise, or tomato red. Since then, the color spectrum (with over 2,000 NCS colors in the Häcker system) has expanded enormously. Today, mass-produced and custom-made are no longer opposites. Because in our factories, we produce kitchens that are simply unique—thanks to a wide range of design options that make our customers’ individual wishes come true.
More on the history of the built-in kitchen
Häcker Limited Edition: 1926 – Reimagined
To mark the 100th anniversary of the built-in kitchen, we want not only to look back on the Frankfurt kitchen but also to pay tribute to it—with our “Limited Edition 1926,” a modern interpretation of the Frankfurt kitchen that will be available for order exclusively during the anniversary year of 2026. Its hallmark? A contemporary yet tradition-conscious design in which aesthetics, ergonomics, and functionality come together as one.
Quality, grounded in simplicity
Frankfurt charm in authentic colors
As a tribute to Frankfurt’s built-in kitchens, the Häcker Limited Edition 1926 offers a curated selection of six original Frankfurt colors: Forum yellow, Heidenfeld gray, Burgfeld green, Camillo blue, Hadrian blue, and Römerstadt blue.
The color names reflect their origins in various streets throughout Frankfurt. This color palette is complemented by Panorama blue—an exclusive Häcker color that pays homage to the historic blue tones of the 1920s while adding a modern twist.
Discover colors that tell a story—charming, authentic, and diverse.
Special features at no extra cost that make everyday life easier
The kitchens in our Limited Edition feature a pull-out table that instantly expands the countertop—a movable element that already provided flexibility in the original Frankfurt kitchen. The “Stepfix” stepladder also follows this tradition, as even back in the 1920s, it was important to be able to utilize the storage space in the floor-to-ceiling cabinets. The folding ladder can be easily stowed in the pull-out drawer—ensuring that everything has its place, even in small kitchens.
A respect for tradition, with a modern design
Our Limited Edition incorporates numerous features of the Frankfurt kitchen and integrates them into a design that combines historical charm with a contemporary aesthetic.
- Glass wall cabinets echo a central motif of the Frankfurt kitchen. Grooved glass replaces the clear glass originally used, lending the concept of transparency greater depth, soft light, and a contemporary balance of openness and coziness.
- As with the original, lacquer remains a symbol of hygiene and functionality. Our Limited Edition features durable matte lacquer that exudes timeless elegance.
- The backsplash incorporates a key detail of the Frankfurt kitchen and combines functional clarity with a modern, minimalist aesthetic.
- Like the Frankfurt kitchen, our edition is designed for everyday use. A warm wood finish in elegant oak—as a countertop, orinside the cabinets—combines robust durability with easy maintenance.
Modern Blaupunkt wine cooling combined with maximum ease of use
Space-saving design is a hot topic not only in post-war Frankfurt but also today. For those who enjoy wine with their meals or use it in cooking, the Blaupunkt wine drawer offers a very compact wine cooler that holds up to five bottles. The Red Dot Award-winning wine cooler combines minimalist design with functional elegance and, thanks to its electronic opening mechanism, ensures maximum convenience in everyday life—a contemporary interpretation of the Frankfurt principle of ergonomics.
The Frankfurt kitchen lives on: in our Limited Edition 1926. Discover this anniversary edition while supplies last—our kitchen experts will be happy to assist you.
A heartfelt thank you
We would like to extend our special thanks to the Technical University of Ostwestfalen-Lippe and the Lippisches Landesmuseum in Detmold for kindly granting permission to use the photographs and video footage. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Vetter for his expert guidance, valuable advice, and tremendous support throughout the project. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the heirs of Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky for granting permission to use her portrait, as well as the photographs and film footage of the Frankfurt Kitchen, for promotional purposes.
