All our kitchen furniture is manufactured in Germany, by Hacker Kitchens in Rödinghausen. Their factory produces some of the finest kitchen furniture in the world.
Our German Kitchens
Having spent many years in the kitchen industry we were never in any doubt about the factory we would use to build our kitchens. World renowned for both their product design and manufacturing excellence, the Hacker factory in Germany is at the cutting edge in high quality cabinet construction.
The German approach to kitchens is a little different to ours in the UK and as a result they build their furniture differently too. It is not uncommon for Germans to take their kitchen with them when they move house. The reasons why are varied, often to do with the rental agreement, but the result is that they design and build their kitchen furniture to such a high standard that it can be installed, removed and then installed again without compromising the structural integrity of the furniture.
Our cabinets are made from high quality Eurdekor furniture board which is a highly stable, rigid substrate made from recycled wood particles and glue, giving exceptionally high levels of tensile and flexural strength. Compared to the low grade chipboard we are used to seeing on English kitchens this board is a huge step up. It is so much denser, so much tougher and so much heavier. And it is edged all around with a PUR bonding technique that gives a solid 1.5mm colour matched finish to the edge of the board. There are no exposed, raw edges anywhere, even the back edge of the shelves is edged.
Unlike English kitchens that are often built with “cam and dowel” techniques (think Ikea bookcase and those metal dowels and round connectors.) Our Hacker German cabinets are perfectly square and rigid, built around a jig and then glued and doweled together. They are then finished with real wood bracing along the top. In fact, the cabinets are so strong you can pick up an 80Kg drawer unit just by using these bracing battens. (Don’t try doing this with a cam and dowel unit!)
When we talk about a ‘factory built kitchen’ that’s exactly what we mean. Our kitchens are fully assembled by Hacker in Germany, doors are hung, drawers are fitted and integrated lighting is built-in. The difference this makes to the overall quality of the kitchen cannot be overstated. The combined effect of every single component being correctly installed is that the kitchen has a rigidity and luxurious feel that sets it apart from cheaper alternatives, it’s there from the day it’s installed and it stays there for years to come.
The extract below shows some technical information relating to Hacker drawer units. Of particular interest is the load strengths, ie. How much weight they can handle. The key numbers are quite remarkable.
Drawers and Pull-outs up to 60cm wide: 40kg
Drawers 80cm – 120cm : 70kg
Aside from the quality of the cabinetry from Hacker the other thing we love is the size and scope of their range. Most English kitchens are built with a 72cm cabinet and a 15cm plinth. And whilst this is an option from Hacker, the standard is a 78cm cabinet and a 10cm plinth. This gives you more storage as well as looking more elegant. But it does not end there, they also build an 84cm cabinet to work on an 8cm plinth. Again more storage and for taller people this gives improved comfort as the worktops can be higher.
The extract below shows the standard heights available for our cabinetry. But beyond this standard range Hacker can make pretty much any height you want, so long as it is practicable from a manufacturing and logistics standpoint.
And finally, when it comes to choice, lets briefly look at the door finishes available. The headline figures are again, pretty remarkable. Over 70 door styles in over 2,000 colours and finishes. From simple lacquered doors available in any RAL or NCS colour, through to luxury veneers in exotic wood and stone and everything in-between. The choice is amazing!
From a cost POV the choice is significant too. The lowest cost doors start at Price Group 1 and the most expensive doors are in Price Group 9. This gives customers a vast choice of styles and also a great opportunity, should it be necessary, to save money on their kitchen by moving to a lower price door. The extract below shows just a tiny selection of the doors available…
It’s the details that make the difference
One of the ‘unseen’ differences with German cabinets is the feet upon which they rest. The most important detail, apart from the size, is that they are factory installed in a way as to ensure the carcass side is bearing down upon the foot.
All too often kitchen fitters misunderstand the way feet of these type work and fit them in such a way that they are only supporting the base of the unit, not the carcass side. The feet are like the foundations, if they are not rock solid then what hope does the kitchen have of lasting.
With solid feet and high strength, rigid carcasses, the next detail to consider is the hinges and drawer runners. The hardware and components in our kitchens are made by Hettich, another German company with over 125 years experience in manufacturing these types of high-quality components. They are quite simply the best on the market, soft close oil-filled dampers come as standard but where these components really excel is in the way they are fixed to the carcass substrate. All too often this is the part of the kitchen that fails first, the hinge mechanism maybe fine but over time it has pulled out of the cabinet and renders the door useless. To prevent this from happening the Hettich system uses high strength Nylon inserts that are fitted into the hinge drilling before it is screwed to the carcass. This creates an exceptionally strong and enduring fixing as the nylon expands in much the same way as a traditional masonry wall fixing.
Lighting up the kitchen
With rock solid cabinetry underpinning all our kitchens the next thing to consider is lighting. Without doubt this area of kitchen design has moved forward considerably in recent years, with developments in low energy LEDs leading the way. We love using lighting in our kitchen designs for two reasons, firstly the functionality of task-based lighting makes for a far more usable kitchen. Secondly, the visual effect is stunning. On average we spend more time in our kitchens at night time than we do in the day time, with this in mind we try to incorporate lighting schemes that will work to create a space that is both visually striking and extremely user friendly.
Kitchen appliances
Our appliances are supplied by Siemens, Neff and Bosch, the ultimate in functionality and reliability. Household names synonymous with German engineering excellence, you will find that whatever the appliances you need they will be integrated beautifully into your Black Rok kitchen. They offer industry-leading after sales service and comprehensive 5-year warranties on many of their appliances.
In choosing to work with Siemens, Neff and Bosch we have deliberately aligned ourselves with appliance manufacturers who design their products specifically to integrate seamlessly with our German kitchens. Not only are they made to the same exacting standards as our kitchens but they lead the way in product innovation and design. Neff, Bosch and Siemens are owned by the same company and in many ways their products are very similar, perhaps the key difference is that Siemens have a more design lead approach to their higher range offering. With Neff, famous for the slide n’ hide oven, aimed at the serious cooks. And Bosch, sitting very comfortably as the go-to, no nonsense brand.
For some this is not so important but for many of our customers details like matching control panels and soft close doors are important. The Siemens range gives us as designers the chance to meet the most exacting demands in terms of functionality whilst their attention to detail in terms of design raises them above the competition.
Sinks and Taps
Our sinks and taps are supplied by Blanco, manufactured in Germany to the highest standards from a variety of hard-wearing and beautiful materials. As well as 1810, a UK supplier offers a very well made range at a very attractive price point.
Sinks can be high grade stainless steel, coloured ceramic or Silgranit — Blanco’s latest innovation in granite composite. Taps are available in dozens of styles and finishes, many of which can be viewed at our showroom. It’s worth remembering that many taps are now designed for high-pressure water systems. These will not necessarily work well with many of the low-pressure or tank-fed water systems in the UK.
Quooker Taps
Black Rok can supply the innovative Quooker Fusion tap. Quooker taps dispense boiling water.
Aside from the obvious convenience of making tea without boiling a kettle, the Quooker tap has numerous other uses: sterilising dummies, cleaning pans, cooking vegetables, pasta, rice, etc, skinning tomatoes.
Is it safe to have boiling water literally ‘on tap’? A kettle containing boiling water is arguably a more dangerous item to have on the worktop. The patented mechanism of the Quooker tap ensures that dexterity of an adult’s hand is required to draw boiling water; the tap is also typically installed at the back of the sink, well out of reach to tiny hands. Indeed, unlike the numerous boiling water kettle accidents, there have been no accidents reported to Quooker in over 25 years and 350,000 Quooker tap installations.
What about cost, is it expensive to keep water permanently on the boil? Quooker quote 3p per day, and of course you only heat what you need, unlike a kettle. The Quooker tap can also be fitted with a COMBI tank which supplies all hot water to the kitchen — instantly, thus removing the costly waste of drawing hot water from a remote boiler or hot tank (only to have much of it cooling down in the pipework).
Worktops
One of the most important elements of your new kitchen, our worktops are available in a wide range of materials and finishes. We often tell people that the single thing that will impact on the cost of their new kitchen is the worktops. The cost of high quality laminate worktops for a typical sized kitchen could be £1000, the same kitchen finished with Quartz could be £4000. The reasons for this are durability, appearance and feel. Without doubt the best surface for a kitchen is ultra tough, super hygienic and stunningly beautiful Quartz but as we’ve seen it comes at a price.
High Pressure Laminate worktops
The most cost effective worktop solution, HPL worktops provide a durable and stylish finish to your kitchen. We hold a wide range of finishes, edge profiles and thicknesses, all manufactured in Germany to the same high standards as our furniture. HPL worktops are an excellent kitchen work surface, they are cheaper to manufacture than other substrates but should not be considered inferior.
Engineered Quartz / Stone worktops
Engineered stone is actually man-made, but contains 91%-97% natural constituents (quartz crystals, ground to a powder). Engineered stone then has dyes, binders, resins and other ingredients added for colour and consistency. Because it is made of quartz (granite) it has the same sort of feel and finish as a granite worktop but the colours are more consistent and the surface is totally non porous. We work with both Caesarstone and Silestone to ensure that you have the widest choice of colours and designs and of course the highest quality engineered stone from the two biggest names in the market.
Natural Granite/Quartzite worktops
Natural Granite and Quartzite are mined from the Earth in huge blocks and cut into slabs. Each slab in the block is fairly similar to the ones before and after it but not identical, much like a loaf of bread. This gives the finished worktop a much wilder, organic feel as no two slabs or slices are the same and can provide a stunning contrast to the furniture. Granite does need to be looked after however, it is a completely natural material and as such the surface is slightly porous and can be stained by strong colours or acids, red wine, lemon juice, etc. Another important consideration with natural stone is that whilst most things are possible regarding the cutting and fabrication of the surface, there are some limitations. For example, some of the more granular surfaces like the Taj Mahal slab shown below, are not best suited to certain edge details.
Real Wood
There’s a beauty and warmth to real wood that makes it a lovely tactile surface to have within the kitchen. Hugely versatile it can also be a surprisingly affordable option. When considering wooden worktops it is important to remember that wood will require regular oiling, this is not a particularly difficult or time consuming process but it is necessary to preserve the appearance and maintain the functionality of the worktops.
Pulling it all together
We appreciate that there’s a lot to understand when it comes to kitchens these days, the endless choice can have people spinning around unsure which way to turn. As a business we have always specialised in German kitchens and as such we have become incredibly knowledgeable about these types of kitchen. Working with just one manufacturer, Hacker, also means we know their products inside out. Over the years we have learnt, first hand, what works well and what doesn’t. It’s a simple idea, focus on one thing and then given sufficient time and experience you can become real experts at it.
To see our kitchens in the flesh, nothing beats a visit to our showroom. We can’t wait to meet you!
Read more about our design and planning process, and our professional installation service.
The video below provides some insight into the manufacturing of our kitchen cabinets.
You can also see a montage video describing the installation of a Black Rok kitchen.
