Why German kitchens?
Before opening our shop, we explored the industry extensively, seeking out the best suppliers for our kitchens. Our aim has always been to offer high-quality, attractive, creative kitchens, built to last and employing the very best engineering principles. Aside from the worktops, which are shaped in England, the cabinetry and most of the appliances and ancillary components are sourced from German companies.
The brands of German kitchens have secured their prestigious positions by manufacturing and designing to the very highest standards. Names synonymous with high-quality such as Alno, Siematic, Poggenpohl, Hacker, and Bulthaup dominate the luxury kitchen market.
Not surprisingly, German engineering helps to create very special German kitchens. The construction methods and material specifications combine to produce an outstanding product.
At Black Rok, we combine that exceptional product with creative and innovative design. The result is a kitchen that looks fantastic, works beautifully and creates a living space that is a joy to be in. Best of all of course, Black Rok clients love their kitchens; you can see how some of their kitchens were created in recent projects.
The German Kitchen factory
To say the Hacker factory is impressive is an understatement. It really is a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
The kitchen production area is 223,500 square metres, that’s about 55 acres or 37 football pitches. The materials that comprise the kitchen cabinets are selected perfectly for their purpose and engineered with utmost precision on a grand scale. Although the kitchens we design and supply are unique and tailored to our clients’ needs, the manufacturing process works so well because it is finely honed and perfected on such a scale. The end user is not expected to be product tester or a member of the research and development team, as is the case with many smaller manufacturing operations.
The kitchen furniture arrives in the UK as factory-assembled cabinets, carefully packed for the journey; no flat-packs here. This ensures the structural integrity of the cabinets; they are rigid and they remain that way.
Rigid Construction
Black Rok German kitchens are manufactured ‘rigidly’. This means that the cabinets are glued and screwed at the factory, creating a much more robust and enduring construction. Unlike flat-packed cabinets, rigid cabinets benefit from a consistent assembly procedure that is tried and tested and faultlessly repeated. The furniture is made with the aid of computers, templates and very sophisticated machinery. This ensures that elements fit together exactly as they have been designed to do; corners are square, edges are straight, and joints are strong. Precision is assured; doors fit properly, draws run smoothly. This is a defining feature that has helped to make German kitchens so successful. 
The components that form an integral part of the cabinets: hinges, draw runners, pull-out, swing-out and swivel shelf mechanisms, are all manufactured to the same high standards, to provide long-lasting and smooth operation.
To read more about the construction quality of our kitchens see the page about our kitchens.
German Style
Throughout the 20th Century, Germany was setting trends in design styles. Of course, the Bauhaus art school of the early 20th Century has been hugely influential in bringing together art and construction. However, the great leap in functional kitchen design is attributed to Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky and her Frankfurt Kitchen. So-called because the designs were first used in a large housing project in Frankfurt.
The design of the Frankfurt Kitchen incorporated the results of studies on workflow within the kitchen. Whereas Bauhaus married art and design; the Frankfurt kitchen brought scientific study to kitchen design. The kitchen became a separate room, specifically created as a space for preparing and cooking food — as efficiently as possible.
Another great trend-setter in kitchen design was the German cabinet maker Friedemir Poggenpohl. His company, Poggenpohl, started making kitchen cabinets in the late 1890s. Poggenpohl became a true innovator in cabinet design and in 1950 developed the unit kitchen; what we know today as the ‘fitted kitchen’.
Moving into the 21st Century, another German kitchen company, Hacker, launched the Handleless Kitchen. Handleless kitchen cabinets led to designs that embody a very sleek and clean look; perfect for the modern kitchen. The handleless kitchen design has become extremely popular because the good looks combine with real practical advantages such as ease of cleaning and fewer low-level protrusions; especially worth considering if you have small people in the house.
German Innovation
It’s not just in the kitchen industry that Germany leads the field with innovation. German industry is built on the constant drive not just to invent but also to innovate. Together with the German cars, the kitchens that Germany produces provide a perfect platform to showcase this innovation.
Of course, the best way to get a real taste of how good a Black Rok kitchen can be is to visit our showroom in Uckfield, you will discover the real qualities of German kitchen design. Here you can see and feel just how well the materials and design can be brought together to create something very special indeed.
It’s best to call ahead, just to make sure we are in the shop and able to see you in person.
Call for an Appointment
Black Rok showroom is conveniently located in Uckfield High Street opposite Pizza Express and has good road links from:
- Brighton: 18 miles
- Lewes: 9 miles
- Tunbridge Wells: 15 miles
- Eastbourne: 18 miles
There is free, easy parking nearby.
German Kitchens Supply Only
We can also offer German kitchens on a supply-only basis.
Built in our German factory… Delivered with cabinets fully assembled
Get your factory built German Kitchen for less…
If you already have a kitchen design and have no need for the Black Rok design and installation service you can still buy your German kitchen direct from us. If it is simple and straightforward and you know what you want we will usually be able to supply a quote within twenty four hours.
Come and check out our showroom
If you can, we recommend you come to our Uckfield showroom to see and explore the quality of our German kitchens. Not only is it great for you to see what you are buying but it is also nice for you to meet us and likewise, for us to meet you. Our showroom is very easy to find on Uckfield High Street, right opposite Pizza Express.
How it works
Please give us a call or send us a message and we will get the ball rolling. Ideally you will have plans, and by all means send them over. How quickly we are able to specify and quote for your kitchen will depend largely on how clear you are on your requirements. If you know exactly what you want it can often be done in an hour or two. It’s a case of getting in touch and having a chat…
For an additional fee we are happy to come to site and ensure your intended design will fit in the space and work as you expect. This service is £125 inc VAT within a 30 mile radius, outside will be dependent on location.
Order and payment
Once you are happy with our quote and we have agreed a delivery time you will be ready to order your kitchen. From order to delivery is usually between 4-6 weeks. At this stage we require 40% non-refundable deposit. The remaining 60% balance will be due as cleared funds with us 24 hours before delivery.
Once we have delivered your kitchen you will then have 48 hours to inspect it for any damage, unlikely though that it is, and if necessary we will order any remedial parts. Any claims outside this period will be discussed and dealt with on an individual basis. It’s worth remembering we are not an online business selling kitchens with no physical base. We are a high-end kitchen showroom, open 6 days a week, it just so happens that we also offer a supply-only service alongside our bespoke design and installation service.
Free Kitchen Delivery
Once your kitchen arrives from our factory in Germany our own, in house, delivery team will ensure your kitchen arrives with you in the same perfect condition it was in when it left our factory. We offer this service for free within a 30 mile radius of Uckfield in East Sussex (see map below). Outside of our free delivery zone we charge according to distance and logistical ease. As an example, a central London delivery, with two men, is usually £450.00 inc VAT.
Why not give us a call….
01825 766976
Free Delivery Area Map
