Magazines Archives - 2009 April

BULTHAUP Refurbished showroom opens in Singapore
Story 11 - Visual Merchandising

German kitchen brand bulthaup has spruced up its showroom in Singapore to showcase the company’s newest lines under the b3 system.

Company officials said the renovated showroom at Winsland House 2 “reflects the perfect integration of architectural beauty and modern yet timeless design, which has come to be synonymous with the bulthaup philosophy”.

“We wanted the showroom to be visually comfortable. We needed to find the right balance of promotional exposure, the bulthaup philosophy and architecture. We didn’t want the showroom to be just another supermarket, where you fill it with as many products as possible. We wanted to stay true to bulthaup’s philosophy,” said Victor Aw, design manager for Madison & Associates (Singapore) Pte Ltd, the licensee of bulthaup in Singapore.

Aw noted that the design of the showroom reflects how the b3 system could be configured in the homes of its clients — the high-end home owners who want houses that are stylish, warm and comfortable.

Characterised by subtlety and minimalism, the b3 system allows home owners to extend the living space in their homes.

The range includes a seamless stainless steel monoblock surface; solid walnut drawers that hover over the floor and are supported by a panel; a wall panel system that extends the kitchen into the living room by doubling up as a casing for a mini fridge or a coffee maker; and a sideboard unit made from bulthaup’s proprietary dark aluminium that hovers over the kitchen floor.

Aw would not divulge investments made for the refurbishment of the Singapore showroom, saying only that it was in the “range of six figures”.

The refurbishment that took two months to complete was done to upgrade the showroom’s look as well as give customers some “fresh ideas”, Aw added.

Like other luxury brands, bulthaup is not too worried about the global downturn. “Ours is a luxury market. Even in a downturn, there will always be a market for luxury products,” Aw said.

“This is a period where we want to further differentiate ourselves from competitors. For this year, it will be quite a major downturn; we just have to be patient for the market to pick up. People who appreciate us will always come back.”

bulthaup has been expanding its presence in Asia through licensing agreements. Friedrich Kleyboldt, bulthaup director of sales for Asia, said that the company has recently launched in the Philippines and would be launching soon in India. Other Asian markets include China, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

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