With home prices rising two-fold compared to the average income rate in Malaysia, young urban homeowners are looking increasingly at smaller, more cost-efficient homes. Recognising that these space constraints have created a need for smarter storage and versatile living spaces, homegrown furnishing specialists Kuchemate is powering a re-imagining of a key area in the home: the kitchen.
As the property landscape continues to be rewritten by rising land costs and its resulting limitations in space, home designers are now turning to open-concept layouts, where each area in the home is expected to accommodate multiple functions. Kitchen cabinetry sets — which combine vertical space management with the flexibility of multi-purpose surfaces like counters and islands — are emerging as an unlikely yet highly adept solution to meet this demand.
“The kitchen is one of the largest yet most indispensable spaces in any home, and thus has the greatest potential to become a space management hub with the right furniture. We’ll no longer need separate spaces for separate occasions,” says Mervyn Tan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kuchemate. “Many modern cabinetry sets include wide, standalone surfaces like kitchen islands — transforming the open kitchen into an all-in-one social and productivity area where people can just as comfortably work, study, read a book, or even play tabletop games in the same space as where they eat or host gatherings.”
To empower more Malaysian homeowners in implementing this in their own homes, Kuchemate provides built-in cabinetry sets that can be tailored to match existing interiors. Beyond being able to accommodate a variety of storage volumes and needs, the brand’s bespoke cabinet systems also include customisable panelling, door, and laminated surface options such as wood and melamine.
True to its namesake (kuche means ‘kitchen’ in German), Kuchemate’s cabinetry solutions are primarily made for kitchens, but can also be designed to extend and blend seamlessly into adjacent spaces for a cohesive look. This includes living and vanity areas, as well as bedrooms or leisure rooms in larger units.
Additionally, its cabinets are exclusively made with E1-grade wood, an industry certification denoting materials low in formaldeyde content. This eco-conscious material preserves air quality in the home by minimising the long-term emission of toxins into the environment.
“The conscious use of E1 wood in cabinets is especially relevant today, when Malaysians are spending more and more time at home due to flexible working arrangements that have stayed on even after the pandemic. As homes — and kitchens — transform into spaces that blend both work and play, it’s important that the materials used to make them contribute to creating a productive, healthy environment to be in,” adds Tan.
