All systems go: KETTNAKER

Anyone attempting to describe typical virtues of the Swabian – inhabitants of a region in the south of Germany – will likely present a picture of someone that deals with difficult, tricky situations with a certain degree of rigour and patience; words such as meticulous and perseverance may be hard to avoid.

That is precisely what ‘Swabian’ is, explains Wolfgang Kettnaker, managing partner of the eponymously named furniture manufacturer from Dürmentingen – to be inventive, to think in systems and to look for real unique selling points.

In terms of the design lines of the company, this quality is reflected in the overlapping, unified traits that all its products share to some extent. The designs originate from a consistent system that is based on a uniform, 12 by 32mm grid – because this is the most divisible, Kettnaker reasons. It allows the manufacturer, which specialises in storage furniture, to respond to individual customer wishes with the greatest possible flexibility.

The range includes four product lines for the living and dining space, as well as two more in its newly established bedroom segment, making it possible to plan furniture ranging from sideboards and shelving units to wardrobes. In addition, there is a table, three side tables, and two beds. ‘The uniform grid and the fact that we offer 99 per cent of all our product lines in the same surfaces and colours allow all series to be combined with each other in a harmonious way,’ says Kettnaker. The choice of materials includes lacquered fronts and fine wood veneers as well as rear-lacquered glass and aluminium.

In addition to the system-oriented concept that characterises the range, the Kettnaker manufactory also stands for tradition-conscious rootedness in the region. Last year, the company celebrated its 150th anniversary. Recently, the products have been bearing the ‘Furniture Made in Germany‘ seal of quality from the Association of the German Furniture Industry. The German Institute for Quality Assurance and Labelling (RAL) has set strict requirements for this, and accordingly, construction, assembly and quality testing must take place in Germany.

This is ensured by almost one hundred employees and their high-precision production – in series, by hand and thus highly individual. ‘The added value, from the cutting of the panels to the finishing, takes place entirely on-site’ assures Kettnaker, including the design.

The furniture is designed in-house, with two master craftsmen in charge of product development. When asked why the company does without well-known designers – which is quite unusual in the higher-end segments – the managing director answers: ‘With us, the furnishing consultant is the designer. We see ourselves as a problem solver who provides the planners with a tool.’ The basis for the interior designer or consultant, he says, is a pure, minimalist language of form. Moreover, the freedom of design is entirely in the hands of the designer.

Despite all the possibilities to combine elements, there are also decisive differences between the series’. For example, the modules from the ALEA collection can be arranged or stacked in any order. Thanks to variable widths, heights and depths, sculptural objects with projections and recesses can be arranged in the same way as elegantly unobtrusive wall units.

The SOMA series is remarkable in that, in addition to permanently installed front panels, its furniture carcass also has optional fronts with a unique magnetic exchange system. If required, these can simply be exchanged by hand, so that the aesthetics change while the function remains the same. Last but not least, this trick also testifies to a basic attitude and promise of the company: one frees oneself from the seductive tendency towards the fashionable. Furniture by Kettnaker is high-quality, durable and alterable. ‘Our path is not primarily oriented towards trends, it is about values, timelessness and the quality of a manufactory,’ says Kettnaker. ‘Because modular furniture systems often accompany the user throughout life.’ If you do get tired of the surface of a sideboard, you now have the option of simply replacing it.

‘We live traditions and break them when the time is right’ – this is how Kettnaker puts it in a publication for the anniversary year. The company spans four generations. He has been running the company since 1987, when his father passed away, and has known the workshop since childhood. In the here and now, however, continuity requires always looking ahead. The streamlined product range with its luxurious and individual claim can be traced back to the time of the financial crisis, for example. ‘Our goal was to become even more refined and minimalist as well as to allow for a wide variety of materials,’ he explains.

Sophisticated furniture solutions are Kettnaker’s speciality – because here, tricky questions have not just been solved from collection to collection, but rather again and again over generations, resulting in optimised holistic systems. All the way from Swabia.

© Architonic