Furniture retailer Garrett O'Hagan has some advice for anyone thinking of buying a new kitchen. "It's important that people don't get a fixed idea of what a kitchen is. Before investing in one, they should think about how they live, whether they cook at home or eat out and how much time they spend time in the kitchen, they can then go about creating the kitchen they actually need."
O'Hagan opens his new Bulthaup kitchen studio in Temple Bar today. The Bulthaup look is sleek, functional and minimalist. The combination of glass, wood and aluminium lends an ultra-modern feel but you don't have to have a chic loft apartment to set them off to best effect.
"The pieces are understated, never excessively styled. Our customers don't tend to want something that makes a real statement, they want something calm and in the background. The simplicity of architecture means they can work wonderfully anywhere, they look just as good in an old house where the contrast of old and new can be stunning." O'Hagan looks on the kitchen as another livingroom. In fact, he is not at all sure about the word "kitchen", which conjures up images of an inflexible, immovable space. "It's one of the places in the home that people spend most of their time if they are working hard. It's a place where often a group of people sit together, cook together and basically commune. The emphasis is on being able to make it a collective thing."
O`Hagan sold Bulthaup products in his Haus store in Temple Bar but felt it wasn't big enough to showcase the range to full effect. The new shop on Cows Lane, in the west end of Temple Bar, has 1,500 sq ft - enough room to display several kitchens. The range has proved popular - and not just with young, hip professionals. "The people that buy Bulthaup aren't in any particular age group but they tend to be people interested in good design and architecture. I suppose you could say they would generally be quite international in perspective."
While fitted kitchens make up the bulk of Bulthaup's business, they do a free-standing range where you can buy a few pieces, bring them with you if you move house, add to them and mix them with pieces from other companies or with an heirloom."
When they get their head around the idea, he says many people often want to go for a freestanding kitchen but caution is advised. "People come in to us and love the idea of a freestanding kitchen because they appear much lighter and less oppressive and open. But when you sit down with them and find out their actual needs then they might need something in between." So, what does it all cost? The basic Bulthaup kitchen starts at about £5,000, but it's very basic. For that you will get a sink, small preparation area and a small amount of storage. The average spend is nearer to £20,000-£28,000 .
Bulthaup, a German company, has been in business for 60 years but had a change of direction in the mid-1960s when it became influenced by the Bauhaus tradition. "A genius called Otl Aicher worked with the company to define a strong, design-led philosophy. He helped create the German design and engineering culture which is behind companies like Mercedes and Braun."
Bulthaup was the innovator of the kitchen island which was inspired by Aicher, and was influential in popularising suspended shelving and the much-copied long thin handles synonymous with modern kitchens. Garrett O'Hagan's father Gerry O'Hagan, who owns O'Hagan Design, has been in the business since the 1970s but father and son differ in their approach. "O'Hagan Design's emphasis has been on providing good modern furniture at affordable prices. Our basis is a bit different, it's about bringing the best products in the world to Dublin."
