Thanks for the votes so far!

I installed a Poggenpohl kitchen in November 2017 and I could not be happier. Every aspect of the renovation was perfect and the quality of the workmanship in the cabinetry is exceptional. It is an excellent product. In addition the designer that I worked with - Poggenpohl NYC was great and took care of every detail. The design is amazing. I was also impressed with the vendors they use for countertop fabrication and install of cabinetsand the project manager that oversees the completion.

@Margo Margolis Thank you for your comment and its great to hear that your loving your Poggenpohl kitchen! We agree that the quality and design in Poggenpohl kitchen is terrific. Do you have any pictures that you would be happy to share?

Every aspect of this project with Poggenpohl was extraordinary. I can't recommend enough

So, I visited my local Poggenpohl dealer a couple of days ago, and while I love the cabinetry, they told me everything is manufactured in Germany and shipped for out-of-country customers like us in the USA. Having once ordered a German product that cost triple once "landed," due to shipping and import fees, I'm afraid this cabinetry wouldn't seem a good value for the cost.

It can be done here for around half the price if you are educated on what they do and use Europen components. I do it all the time.

Same qality and components.

@jdesign_gw Thanks! You're the cabinet builder, right?

I've found a few other threads saying Poggenpohl is on the upper end of pricing. People have listed estimates from $18K to $60K to $125K. Hard to say, but based on others' comments, I would hazard a guess of $2K per linear foot, not installed, minimal accessories. [Edit: jdesign_gw says below that this is unrealistic, that starting price would be closer to $80K. See this thread where a poster claims they were quoted $18K for 20 linear feet and the shocked responses of others that this would be an exceptional quote for Poggenpohl: [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/lowering-cost-of-frameless-european-cabinets-dsvw-vd~2677874?n=13[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/lowering-cost-of-frameless-european-cabinets-dsvw-vd~2677874?n=13).] By the way, Poggenpohl generally gets terrible reviews for customer service here at Houzz with a notable exception of the happy NYC customer Margo Margolis who has posted above and in several other threads about Poggenpohl.

Yes I built the kitchen pictured above. Your pricing is a bit off. First your're not getting anything from the top German and Italian lines for 18k Or anywhere near that. 60k would be on the very low side. 80 to 100 plus is more like it. There are better lines I like than Poggenphol out there. I study them all obsessively.

When you are dealing with an extended lead time due to custom overseas manufacturing, and US designers who may not be the most familiar with frameless designing and the language barrier between designer and factory too, contractors with the same unfamiliarity (and contempt for it) and you are dealing with the import fees that ramp up a mid priced option to an upper priced option, it's no wonder that Euro brands get a reputation for "poor customer service".

@jdesign_gw You do masterful work. I was surprised to watch a video from US-based Bellmont cabinetry showing a new line that features the gap between countertop and top of drawer similar to the styles you pictured above that creates a hand pull. Bellmont has severe quality control issues however, and cannot be recommended. Thanks for the explanation of Legrabox. I'd seen the drawer mentioned with Bellmont and would like to investigate further. I visited the Dallas showroom last week, and it was staffed by at least 4 people in the expensive Design District and was one of the largest showrooms of any brand in the district, so yes, high overhead. By the way, I edited my comment above, based on your advice, to include that any Poggenpohl quote under $80K would be considered low. There is a thread where one poster claims a quote of $18K for 20 linear feet of cabinetry from Poggenpohl, and you can see the shocked responses of other posters to that here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/lowering-cost-of-frameless-european-cabinets-dsvw-vd~2677874?n=13

@live_wire_oak Your explanation would completely fit with the types of stories I've read elsewhere about lack of follow-through in a Poggenpohl installation. More than one poster recommends to refuse signing the standard payment schedule which requires 100% paid once the cabinetry arrives at the warehouse, before the customer can inspect anything and before installation. People recommend waiting until the project is complete before making the final payment to have leverage with the designer as situations of wrong sizing, damage and even wrong components have occurred with months in waiting for resolution.

A handless channel is not all that uncommon here in the US but that's not that all that sets apart the top Euro lines from what any production manufacturer is doing here. We also have "legrabox" drawers here. I use them everyday the difference is colors are limited and you provide your own back and bottom so you can adjust size to fit.

@jdesign_gw Now you have me curious as to what Europe is doing that we can't get from US-based manufacturers. I'm new to cabinetry, having been researching 4 months since my December water leak discovery forced a renovation. So far, things that have impressed me in Euro cabinetry aside from the handleless channel mentioned above are:

• All metal, modular construction such as Vipp Kitchen.
• Large panels with interior rollouts for a virtually seamless look like Eggersmann.
• Integrated lighting, translucent wall cabinet paneling, and large sections of floating countertop such as with Poggenpohl.
• Organizational features to pack essentials into a small kitchen space with the assumption that Europeans don't collect a lot of kitchen stuff like Americans tend to do, seen with the Bulthaup kitchen workshop series.
• Curved, stand-alone island units with occasional bright color choices such as with Pedini.

Are there other notable Euro-specific features? I assume you are talking more about construction techniques or material fusing methods perhaps than the design elements I've listed above.

No not really just construction techinques but they do build a bit differently than we do. It's everything really. A bit too much for me to list here. Each company has its own unique features. Interior fittings is one of them. Finish materials such as select veneers etc. Design is a big part of it. Theres just too much to list. All the materials I use are from Europe. That's the only way I can get so close to them. Also I educated myself on what goes into them. From showrooms, being in houses with actual high end European kitchens, trade shows and a bunch of other research. Lots of it.

Thanks @jdesign_gw. I'll keep an eye out for those things you've mentioned as I continue the final phase of research.

I
As a designer for Poggenpohl for many years I would like to clarify a few comments I’ve read here.
#1 when you get a quote / contract from Poggenpohl US it already includes all duties, custom fees, shipping, local sales tax and delivery. Install is separated out due to sales tax not being paid in labor. (there are no hidden fees at the end for you to absorb)
#2 we have excellent reviews on Houzz for our Houston studio designs AND exceptional customer service.
For reviews and Images of many of our completed kitchens see link, https://www.houzz.com/pro/ccarp/poggenpohl-houston,

3 having someone build a kitchen on their shop or “on site” cannot be compared to the Custom Designed for you & German engineered products we make one kitchen at a time. Our 12 step lacquer is an industry standard. These cannot be reproduced in someone’s garage. We have precise tolerances and proprietary products. Our designers are well trained and experts at what they do. Providing lots of as needed consulting.

#4 there is no language barrier because the factory is in Germany. The order processing staff at our factory are all fluent in English as are most of the staff.
#5 Poggenpohl has been in business for over 128 years. That would not be possible without providing the highest level of customer service, most innovative products and highest level of craftsmanship available worldwide.

Hi Silverlined have you made a selection for your kitchen? If you need any info about my experience with Poggenpohl let me know. It was the best decision I made. I am so happy with the function and beauty of
My kitchen. I too did several years research into cabinets and appliances.

@Margo Margolis Thanks for checking back in. My cabinetry decision has been made, but I do appreciate your asking. I am so glad that you were able to go the Poggenpohl route and are enjoying your renovation. For some renovators who have the capacity to budget for it, I believe Poggenpohl is a superb option.
For shoppers still looking around, I'd like to update by saying I stand by my earlier statements based on my own research that the average non-European customer who has a kitchen larger than a small "kitchenette" or who isn't among the few with an unlimited cabinetry budget will probably find better value-per-dollar pricing on premium Euro-style cabinetry from brands like Plato's Innovae or Bentwood's Harmoni, among a few others. That shouldn't stop any interested person from getting as many quotes as desired from both USA and European brands, but my experience is that the quote process is very time-consuming, and sales reps may provide an up-front, ballpark estimate that is so far off the mark--either higher or lower than your actual cost were you to get a hard quote--that navigating the cabinetry market can be frustrating. My local Poggenpohl dealer told me that I could expect my cost to exceed double or more the cost of the supplier I ended up choosing. Poggenpohl also told me they discouraged orders of partial pieces and wanted customers to place their entire cabinetry order with them for kitchen renovations. I might have been open to doing a couple of upper wall cabinets with Poggenpohl but crossed them off when they said their designer needed a total-kitchen order. Anyway, the Houston location that commented above and obviously your New York provider may have been different in that respect. For people like me on a modest renovation budget with an average sized kitchen, the Euro-made brands are amazing but seriously not worth the money comparable to alternate domestic options.

Glad to hear that you found a good solution- I know how difficult the process is - so many decisions. Best of luck with your renovation- it is so e citing to get a new kitchen

I came across this thread while looking for something else, and thought I'd share my (brief) experience. I'm completely redoing my kitchen and really loved the high-end German brands when I was shopping. My architects pulled a variety of quotes, and there was definitely some range. Bear in mind, it's a pretty small kitchen (about 15 linear feet of cabinets).

Bulthaup quoted about $55k. That did include plumbing fixtures and countertops, however. I wound up not getting a quote from Poggenpohl, who said they charge a minimum of $50k for any project, even one as small as mine, which was outside my budget. SieMatic and Leicht (definitely peer companies) were more reasonable at around $25k-$40k depending on options. The lower end was laminate finishes and I think the $40k was lacquer with laminate edge banding (full-on lacquer would be even more) with several intermediate steps along the way.

I wound up going with Reform, closer to $10k. Definitely not as nice or flexible as a system, but I didn't feel like spending quite so much.

@Joseph K Thanks for the tip! I hadn't heard of Reform before but just looked it up and am impressed with the look they offer. UltraCraft and Bellmont cabinetry also offer European-type cabinetry features at a budget price compared to imports. Bellmont probably offers the more aggressive of design styles while UltraCraft is known as the better quality manufacturer of the two, though both not without quality complaints in customer reviews. My kitchen was also small with just 9 cabinets, and I was shocked at some of the quotes I had coming back. Even for standard cabinetry with a quality brand, most companies wanted to charge in the upper $20K USD range for my project, not including installation for traditional framed or frameless cabinetry with 5-piece, side-hinged doors and standard drawers. In the end, I went with a local builder which turned into a nightmare. I wish I had spent more and just gone with another larger manufacturer to avoid the delays, quality issues, and finishing challenges encountered with the local shop. Jay Rambo would have been my next choice, as they do beautiful finishes at a little lower pricing than some of the other luxury brands. I'm glad your kitchen turned out like you wanted.

I renovated the kitchen in the first condo I ever purchased with Pogenpohl cabinetry. The only regreget I have is that I sold the place and the new owner certainly didn't apprecicate the quality and brilliance of design that the kitchen has. I since bought a new construction with Leicht cabinetry and let me tell you, this stuff is crap. Obviously the builder bought the cheapest european cabinetry they could mated with the lowest end Miele appliances, but even the design of these cabs doesn't make sense. A huge drawer covering smaller drawers and they all bang against eachother. And oh yeah, the plastic like finish is pealing off this garbage particle board after a year. Suffice to say, the pogenpohl looked good and was extremely durable for the six years i owned it.

Curious if anyone has experience with Bulthaup? Poggenpohl was discussed a lot on this thread but id absolutely live to hear more about Bulthaup, please

Bulthaup is a cabinetry manufacturer that I cannot get out of my mind after visiting the brand's Dallas, Texas, showroom one time in 2018 at the beginning of my own kitchen renovation. At the time, being unfamiliar with the emerging concept of concealed kitchens, Bulthaup's solid wall of laminate which hid storage and appliances next to a simple island seemed revolutionary. My small, u-shaped kitchen wouldn't have accommodated a remodel in this style, but if I ever have another opportunity to move forward with this type of design in the future, I would as I believe this is the future of modern kitchens in open spaces.

Since my visit to Bulthaup, I have noticed many iterations of its "kitchen in disguise" concept in high-end real estate publications. As with many kitchen trends, this style likely originated in Europe and has slowly made its way to North America. Bulthaup will be on the extreme high end of pricing in North America partly due to import costs, but other manufacturers like Harmoni by Bentwood which is located in Texas or Inovae and Revolae by Plato which is located in Minnesota would offer similar quality in the USA. Bellmont Cabinet Company in Washington state has been one of the earliest low-end manufacturers to offer the European wall of cabinets look, but the quality of Bellmont is not always dependable, so if you can afford better, look elsewhere.

Multiple other European manufacturers offer a similar look to Bulthaup, and while it is more difficult to find USA-based manufactures who specialize in the disguised kitchen, this trend is growing, so keep looking if any of the alternate brands I mentioned above don't fit your needs or budget.

You are correct that it's not common to find reviews on Bulthaup, but I'm sure the quality is on par with any high-end cabinet company. The problem that you may run into importing cabinets is damage during the shipping process and then time delays getting replacements if necessary. It is usually worth your while to shop locally if at all possible.