To move forward we need to remember and understand the past, and as life these days is fast-paced, sometimes we need to just slow down and consider those things that really matter. This includes the fundamentals of how we live and what is important to us.

While The Living Space at the 2023 INDE.Awards showcases wonderful houses, architecture, interiors and everything that contributes to a fine design, it’s good to take stock and think about those products that we include in a design that are future-focused, stand the test of time and add richness to our lives. For example, the contribution of Gaggenau and the products this iconic company has designed, developed and manufactured have helped shape the way that we use and enjoy our kitchens today.

The story of Gaggenau and how it evolved is both fascinating and unique. There are milestone moments filled with world firsts and always the desire to be the best. Where would our kitchens be today without Gaggenau ovens and cooktops, wine fridges, dishwashers, coffee machines and ventilation equipment? The products this company creates become the soul of a kitchen and have paved the way forward through innovation and craftsmanship that is without parallel.

It all began in Germany in 1683 at the edge of the Black Forest. Life was hard for farmers at the time and to provide more opportunity for his people, the aristocratic ruler of the region, Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden established a smelting plant in Rotenfels and a hammer mill and nail forge in Gaggenau.

By 1873 the metalworks at Gaggenau had achieved success and the factory had progressed from making nails to creating farm machinery for the new industrial class. This was the beginning of mass-production and the foundation of the Gaggenau German Engineering legend. The factory also specialised in enamel and established the lineage of the enamel seen today in Gaggenau’s iconic blue oven interiors.

With the arrival of the 20^th century, Gaggenau was a pioneering force with a range of original products including coal and gas-fired stoves, as well as bicycles. However, in 1931, Dr. Otto von Blanquet acquired the company and shifted its focus solely towards stoves. By the late 1940s Gaggenau began to produce economical gas and coal ovens and for the first time, electric ovens, creating the Favorit and Futura models.

In 1956 change was in the air as Georg von Blanquet, following in his father’s footsteps, began a revolution, paving the way for the fitted kitchen with the very first built-in, eye-level oven, separate cooktop and ventilation appliances. From this point onwards ‘the professional kitchen principle’ was the foundation of the Gaggenau ethos, bringing the functionality previously only seen in restaurants into the private home.

The 1960s saw the creation of the classic Gaggenau logo that we recognise today in kitchens all around the globe, known to architects, developers, designers and chefs alike. The 1970s produced the first of the 28-centimetre Vario cooktops with top-mounted control knobs, a forerunner of the now classic, advanced Vario cooktop series. In the mid-1980s, Gaggenau designed and manufactured the first 90-centimetre oven with a net volume of 87 litres and the EB 300, as it was known, achieved cult status across the globe.

Needless to say, through the 90s Gaggenau just kept designing, producing the IK 300 side-by-side, separate fridge and freezer and in 1999 manufacturing the ED 220 steam oven, again the first of its kind for the private home. With a plethora of world first designs, Gaggenau is continually refining and developing with such innovations as self-cleaning at the push of a button for combi-steam ovens and the re-birth of the iconic EB 300 oven as the EB 333.

Gaggenau also supports affiliated industries through the biennial Gaggenau Sommelier Awards and the Gaggenau Kitchen of the Year Awards which is now open for entries. However, as its pedigree shows, Gaggenau is focused on ensuring that originality, quality and design are the cornerstones of all of its products that celebrate the heart of the home, the kitchen. The synergy between this ethos and The Living Space category at the 2023 INDE.Awards resonates, where the best residences are showcased as leaders in the sphere of architecture and design.

While Gaggenau is, and has always been a design leader, with its avant-garde yet timeless design aesthetic, its products are at the cutting edge of technology, with exemplary craftsmanship that has been honed throughout its 300-plus years of business. Now that’s a pedigree that few companies can boast. As Gaggenau continues to lead and influence, this powerhouse of innovation and design has indelibly changed the way we cook and use our kitchens on every level. From small ideas comes greatness and certainly Gaggenau is proof of this. What began with a spark in 1683 has evolved into the world’s luxury brand of home appliances.

Entries are now open for the 2023 INDE.Awards and we invite you to submit your outstanding residential projects to The Living Space category. This category recognises exceptional architecture and design of a home and sets the agenda for best practice and living well. So now is the opportunity to make your own history and join Gaggenau in celebration of the 2023 INDE.Awards.

Photography – Courtesy of Gaggenau 

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