High-caliber kitchen designs: The winners of the 2024 Global Kitchen Design Awards have been chosen, impressing with creative concepts that elevate the kitchen to the center of the living space, adding a timeless, modern, and representative touch. The international competition, which we launched in 2015, once again attracted more than 200 high-quality submissions from 17 countries this year. The variety and quality of the submitted designs for kitchen and living space planning demonstrate the extensive design possibilities that the LEICHT portfolio offers, extending beyond the kitchen area. The Global Kitchen Design Award culminated on October 26, 2024, with the award ceremony held at LEICHT | WELT at the company headquarters in Waldstetten. A special feature this year: for the first time, guests at the event evaluated the projects live and on-site.

First place for Küchen Atelier Schaffhausen for a thoughtful integration of kitchen and historic architecture

In a private house in Siebenbäumen, Schleswig-Holstein, Küchen Atelier Schaffhausen designed an open kitchen that harmoniously blends into the historic brick architecture of a former dairy. The design, which won first place at the 2024 Global Kitchen Design Award, showcases the kitchen as the focal point of the living space, creating a central area where cooking, dining, and living converge.

Large window fronts allow ample daylight to flood the space and offer views of the surrounding nature. The choice of natural materials such as wood, stone, and concrete lends the living area a warm ambiance, emphasized by the exposed brick walls and open niches. The design draws inspiration from the original elements of the building and focuses on a functional yet homey character that creates an inviting atmosphere. At the heart of the kitchen is a dark cooking island with a CLASSIC-FS surface in slate black. It combines essential functions such as a sink and cooktop and includes ample storage space. A solid wood counter complements the island and provides a seamless transition between the kitchen and the adjacent dining and living areas. On an opposite brick wall, there are cabinet units in alpine gray and slate black that also incorporate appliances and additional storage while accentuating the open space layout.

Second place goes to Küchenwerkstatt Kemptner for a timelessly elegant kitchen design

In a single-family home in Schnaittenbach, Oberpfalz, the Küchenwerkstatt Kemptner redesigned the floor plan, placing the kitchen at the heart of family life, earning them second place in the Global Kitchen Design Awards. By integrating the kitchen into the former dining room and extending the ground floor with a conservatory, the living area merges seamlessly with the adjoining garden. This transformation turns the kitchen into a central gathering space where the family comes together daily. The designers created a bright and modern space that blends into the cozy environment and incorporates the natural surroundings through its open design.

For the kitchen, the team at Küchenwerkstatt Kemptner chose the LEICHT BONDI program in the PRIMO and AVANCE design lines with the CLASSIC-FS surface in the color mohair. This soft beige tone contrasts with the oak flooring on the ground floor, emphasizing the room's warm, elegant atmosphere. The slatted design, framing the cooking island and tall cabinet unit like a passe-partout, continues into the living area, lending a cohesive architectural language throughout the home. A floor-to-ceiling element cleverly conceals the adjacent staircase and discreetly accommodates technical appliances such as the dishwasher, refrigerator, and oven. This arrangement creates clean lines while providing additional storage space. Light sources were integrated into the ceramic countertops, and the spacious 2.5-meter-wide kitchen island invites shared cooking with work surfaces on both sides of the centrally positioned cooktop. A splash guard made of black glass complements the island and reflects the surroundings, while a decorative metal shelf with a lighted base offers an additional functional storage space above the cooktop.

3rd place for LEICHT Cocinas de Nopper in Mallorca for design that combines Mediterranean elegance with functionality

The LEICHT kitchen studio Cocinas de Nopper in Santa Ponsa, Mallorca, won third place at the Global Kitchen Design Award 2024 for its project in a luxurious private villa in Palma. The approximately 1,400-square-meter property is perched in a hilly landscape above the coast of Mallorca. Floor-to-ceiling glass fronts connect the kitchen, as the central element of the ground floor, with the surrounding nature. The kitchen is located directly near the entrance and flows seamlessly into the living and dining areas, creating an inviting space for daily life and social evenings with family and friends.

For the design, the planning team focused on noble materials such as glass, wood, and natural stone, which reflect the natural character of the environment. Two imposing cabinet towers in ash madeira finish from the BAHIA program define the kitchen space and give it a warm elegance. The vertical grooved structure of BAHIA emphasizes the room’s height and creates a lively, dynamic surface design. At the same time, the cabinet elements subtly integrate all kitchen appliances and offer additional storage space for wardrobe and wine cooling – a thoughtful solution for multifunctional use. The nearly eight-meter-long kitchen island made of Taj Mahal sanded natural stone makes a striking statement. The light quartz, known for its hardness and scratch resistance, brings a Mediterranean flair to the room and invites communal cooking with its spacious work surface. The precise mitered joinery, especially at the sink with a sliding cutting board, highlights the high craftsmanship. The base cabinets of the island are finished in the velvety CLASSIC-FS surface and are designed in the ombre naturelle claire color of Les Couleurs® Le Corbusier to reflect the sunny ambiance of the villa.