ALNO wins 5 red dot awards

Design prize for Premium fittings and four cooking tables

It was virtually a clean sweep for ALNO: The Design Centre North Rhine-Westphalia handed out five of the prestigious red dot design awards for products made by ALNO and its subsidiaries Wellmann, Geba and Impuls. The prizes were given in recognition of ALNO’s new Premium fittings and four cooking tables that it had launched last year to much acclaim. The winners were longIsland (ALNO), palmIsland (Impuls), cookIsland (Wellmann) and blockIsland (Geba).

"We are delighted by this enormous achievement. It shows us that our strategy of developing innovative, cutting-edge products is highly successful. The awards will encourage us to continue forging down this path," said Dr. Frank Gebert, CEO of ALNO AG, after the winners were announced.

Especially satisfying was the fact that, of all of ALNO’s new products, the awards went to the Premium fittings and the cooking tables created together with young designers, noted Berthold Müller, a product manager at ALNO. "We specifically targeted the designers of tomorrow in the cooking tables project. We wanted to give the students a platform for personal and professional development, and a challenging opportunity to grow. Seeing their cooking tables win a red dot award is an amazing accomplishment for the young designers, and will make it easier for them to embark on a successful career," added the product manager.

Together with Professor Dieter Zimmer at the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts in Cologne these students had designed the next generation of cooking tables • tables that allow people to prepare food, eat meals, and spend time together, all at the same place. ALNO got five of the cooking table designs ready for production together with the young designers. The tables were unveiled to the press last year at a design event in Hamburg.

The Premium fittings are also a recent addition to the ALNO product range. "The new fittings have added a whole new dimension of product design to unit interiors. With an aesthetics composed of white • a hot color right now • bright chrome and glass, we are setting new standards for interior unit design," explained Thomas Siber, who developed the new design concept at ALNO.

Premium, longIsland (ALNO), palmIsland (Impuls), cookIsland (Wellmann) and blockIsland (Geba) will be presented at the red dot design museum in Essen from June 26 • July 23, 2007, as part of a special exhibition entitled "Design on stage • winners red dot award: product design 2007".

Detailed Info

Premium fittings ALNO Premium offers outstanding functionality and a striking appearance with a new interior design featuring lacquer, glass and chrome. A brilliant white lacquer adorns the metal frames and backs of drawers and pull-outs, while rotating shelves and baskets sport elegant rails in high gloss chrome. Servosoft cushioning, fully extending pull-outs and robust arena shelves are all standard features. Attached on top of the pull-out’s side panels are metal elements that provide more protection for objects stored inside. Other elements made of transparent glass let you look into the pull-out from the side • without reducing the height of the side panel. Personalization is the name of the game for the Cross-Line divider system for organizing drawers and pull-outs. Lengthwise dividers made of brilliant white-lacquered metal organize storage space optimally and individually. For added versatility, the system also features cherry wood containers. All these elements are placed on a liner mat made of red felt or grey plastic.

longIsland (ALNO line) longIsland elegantly blends professional cooking with fine dining. The movable cooking table combines a fixed counter with a sliding table top that rests on a supporting frame. Since the table top can be moved into any position to the left or right of the counter, it is easy to transform the convenient workspace into a table that seats five. A Bosch flat-top hob with four burners is installed flush with the stainless steel counter. The table top comes with real wood veneer or coating on both sides. Customers can choose between bamboo/oak, walnut/zebrano, or white/mango. Since the table top can be flipped and placed in a variety of positions, designer Andi Kern’s cooking table can adapt to new working, living and space situations • for example, the practical counter can turn into a table for five, and then revert back in an instant.

palmIsland (Impuls line) The two-level palmIsland blends ergonomic workspace design with a bar function and a comfortable dining experience. A central leg combines the two components and acts as an axle around which the dining table rotates. If you need more room to cook, the dining table can be tucked under the counter. At dinnertime, the table is simply pulled out again. If you are entertaining, the counter can be turned into a bar. A four-burner flat-top hob is integrated into the white coated counter. The table top comes with a light-colored beech-look finish. Below the counter, a white container mounted on height-adjustable steel struts offers plenty of room for kitchen utensils. In a word: Jannes Peters’ palmIsland is truly multi-talented.

cookIsland (Wellmann line) One cooking table • a world of possibilities. This cooking table lets you use space and functions flexibly and optimally. cookIsland consists of a counter with a three-burner flat-top hob and an integrated table top in cherry look. Thanks to a rotation point, the table top can be pulled out, turned or pushed in to provide room for up to five people. The cooking table can thus be placed against a wall. A removable central lamp not only adds comfort and ambience, but can also provide mood lighting during meals or bright illumination while cooking. Nikolaus Kayser’s cookIsland features an aluminum-silver or white carcase and comes in seven different high-gloss colors from the W4-314 palette.

blockIsland (Geba line) The blockIsland cooking table focuses on functionality. Its design sparkles with simplicity without compromising on craftsmanship or quality. A table top, fully encased in oak veneer, rests on a solid aluminum frame, and rises up ergonomically in the counter area. Five can be seated at the table. The most striking feature is: a white work block that glides along the aluminum profile. It serves to cover the Bosch four-burner flat-top hob and provide additional counter space for the cook. The work block in Patric Moammer’s table also sports gastronorm containers for storing kitchen utensils.

Media Contact: mediaoffice@alno.com