The Perfectionists

Texto por Atrium Magazin für Wohnkultur, Design und Architektur
Schlieren, Suiza
11.04.17

LEHNI is bringing the high standards it is known for to a new line of business: the production of aluminium kitchens.

Made to measure: accurate to within a millimetre, Lehni’s aluminium kitchens are produced with meticulous precision and fitted on site

For Lehni AG in Dübendorf, aluminium is more than just a material: it’s the company’s DNA. At the production facility, the metal is stamped, folded and spot-soldered with unparalleled perfection – another word people associate with Lehni. Especially if they happen to have visited its production plant in Dübendorf. The well-lit rooms in the production hall, which was designed and built by Swiss architect Ernst Gisel, provide perfect surroundings for forming the aluminium plates, most of which have a thickness of 1.5 millimetres. The setting is as minimalist and understated as the furniture that leaves the factory, such as the shelving and bed by Andreas Christen or the shoe storage system by Hanspeter Weidmann.

Reduced to the max: the bed design by Andreas Christen is the essence of perfect understatement

Lightweight: the Fel!x coat stand, a design by Patrick Zulauf

For a good two years now, Lehni has been making kitchens in Dübendorf as well. Each kitchen is a one-off, individually planned and produced to suit the customer’s needs. “Obviously kitchens are a whole new area for us – right down to the stage at which we’re involved in the construction process. With furniture, we don’t normally go to the apartment or house until the keys have been handed to the owner, whereas we often fit kitchens as soon as the interior is finished,” says Heinz Menet. “That’s why fitting a kitchen calls for even more precision and care than usual.” The fitting process begins with taking measurements on site, because a Lehni kitchen isn’t simply finished off with a flexible trim to compensate for any irregularities: it is delivered and installed to be a perfect fit. “Our customers expect that degree of perfection from us,” says Ursula Menet, who has been running the company with her brother since 1998. “The sandwich construction guarantees that the fronts and shelves remain dimensionally stable despite being so light.” Neither moisture nor temperature fluctuations can cause the panels to warp or bend – thus ensuring that, like all Lehni’s furniture, its kitchens too will have a long and sustainable service life.

Classic: the Lehni table by Georg Gisel is available in different sizes and with various tabletops and finishes

Variable: the aluminium fronts of the kitchen cabinets are available with a colourless or coloured anodised finish or can be powder-coated to customer specifications

LEHNI AG: Since 1922, the furniture producer has built a reputation for innovative solutions and understated design. Drawing on its many years of experience in processing aluminium and its intense collaboration with architects and leading kitchen appliance manufacturers, the company now also plans bespoke kitchens – in aluminium too, of course, because the material is ideally suited to the kitchen environment: besides being easy to clean, it is also extremely hygienic and odourless.

Heinz and Ursula Menet