How the 'Frankfurt kitchen' triggered a domestic revolution

"If I had known that I would have to talk about this damned kitchen for the rest of my life, I would never have built it!" said 100-year-old Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky in an interview in 1998.

The kitchen she designed in the 1920s rewrote architectural history and revolutionized the lives of public housing residents by creating a newly functional, fitted culinary space.

Dubbed the "Frankfurt kitchen," Schütte-Lihotzky created a piece of pioneering social architecture that has defined kitchens to this day. 

The designer was also a women's rights activist and was celebrated as a heroine of resistance against the Nazi dictatorship.

Schütte-Lihotzky, who died in 2000 at the age of 103, aimed to improve the lives of others through her work throughout her life.

Changing working class lives with architecture

Schütte-Lihotzky came of age during peak industrialization, a time of demographic shift from the countryside to the cities as people sought work in new factories.

But living conditions in the overcrowded, working-class districts of cities in Weimar Germany and Austria, such as Berlin, Frankfurt and Vienna, were sometimes characterized by disease, poverty and lack of hygiene.

As a young Viennese architecture student, Schütte-Lihotzky had a unique perspective on the struggles of working families in overcrowded tenements.

In 1917, she was conducting research for an architectural competition and designed a housing complex based on the practical needs of the residents, including more air and light.

Adopting the idea that "form follows function," Schütte-Lihotzky moved away from the decorative architectural styles of the last century and embraced the functionality of "New Objectivity."

For her, architecture was an antidote to social problems. This attitude was largely influenced by her background.

From housing to kitchen design

Born into a middle-class, intellectual Viennese family in 1897, Schütte-Lihotzky's childhood was characterized by art and culture, as well as politics.

Her mother was involved with the Viennese art scene and pacifist and feminist circles. As a child, the young girl knew she was relatively privileged, which shaped her understanding of design and architecture and her decision to work on social housing projects.

After World War I, housing was urgently needed in a devastated Europe. New housing estates with social housing were built quickly and cheaply for the growing working class — and for those who had lost their homes in the war.

Building director Ernst May launched the "New Frankfurt” housing program in Frankfurt am Main. His goal was to eliminate the housing shortage in 10 years.

May commissioned Schütte-Lihotzky to design a suitable kitchen for the residential complexes. This kitchen was created to make optimum use of the limited space in the new buildings and to improve the everyday lives of residents.

The young architect got to work: How many steps does the kitchen user need to take to get from A to B? How do they move? Where are the cooking utensils best placed? How can one watch the children while working in the kitchen?

Dawn of the modern 'fitted' kitchen

The result was a room around 3.5 meters (11.4 feet) long and 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide, with sliding glass doors that allowed a view into the living room and a large window to let in light.

The kitchen was fitted with cabinets from floor to ceiling, a worktop, a sink with a drainer, drawers for kitchen waste and small removable aluminum drawers with handles to hold the most essential cooking ingredients.

The individual modules were to be industrially manufactured in large numbers as new apartment blocks went up across Frankfurt. 

To dispel the initial skepticism about this new type of kitchen, Ernst May promoted Schütte-Lihotzky's invention as "built by a woman for women."

The "Frankfurt kitchen" was born, and it revolutionized housework.

However, the growing feminist movement of the time was critical of the idea that women performed all domestic work in the kitchen. The accusation was that the efficiency of this kitchen only tied women even closer to the stove.

Nevertheless, Schütte-Lihotzky's intended to relieve the burden on women with this kitchen.

Resistance against the Nazis

Despite the criticism, the Frankfurt kitchen was a success.

Orders came in from all over the world: The French labor minister alone wanted 260,000 units installed.

Despite the international recognition, the young designer felt misunderstood and wanted mainly to improve working-class lives.

This almost became her undoing during the Nazi era. After the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany, she fought underground against the Nazis as a communist. She was arrested and only narrowly escaped execution.

After World War II, Schütte-Lihotzky became involved in the peace and women's rights movement. She gave lectures, guided young female architects and built apartments and kindergartens in West Germany, Russia, Cuba and East Germany.

Edited by: Sarah Hucal