Remember the old TV show "Home Improvement?" Tim from Tool Time may not agree, but a European furniture manufacturer believes that the best place for a man is in the kitchen, so it decided to design a kitchen with the male of the species in mind.

Capitalizing on the idea that kitchens have turned into "event" rooms, frequently equipped with audio systems, Poggenpohl, the oldest furniture brand in Germany, partnered with Porsche Designs to create sleek and functional cabinets loaded with all kinds of bells and whistles men love.

Aluminum profiles of different sizes constitute the basic framework of the new kitchen, where cabinets can be positioned in a variety of ways -- kind of like setting up a high tech workshop. The result is a modular, spacious and extremely versatile system of frames for what Poggenpohl believes men will feel is a stunning design concept.

Porsche's metal or metal-and-glass frames have lighting integrated into them to offer light where it's needed most -- on countertops. And if guys prefer wood, there are three unique wood varieties to choose from.

The design eliminates the need for handles with cabinet doors, pullouts and drawers magically opening with the touch of a finger tip. The kitchen boasts a hi-tech audio-video system in a built-in LCD module installed behind glass to protect the delicate components from dirt or splashing water but requires no ventilation system. And a plug-and-play solution offers options for analogue and digital connections.

The kitchens will be rolled out internationally at kitchen design studios by this spring and available in American markets by summer of 2008.

Published: January 14, 2008

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