AS THE real estate market in Dubai recovers following the global credit crunch in 2008, property developers and landlords are investing in high-quality kitchens by SieMatic to gain a competitive edge in securing sales for high-end properties, according to Rainer Ebert, managing director of SieMatic Kitchens Middle East.

“We know from experience in Europe, the US and even Asia that having a SieMatic kitchen in an apartment or villa is an important factor in the decision on whether to buy it or not,” Ebert says.

The kitchen is among the most interesting parts of a villa, and seeing brands such as SieMatic there immediately raises its ranking in the quality property market, particularly in the UAE, he adds.

“If you have a SieMatic kitchen people trust it,” he emphasises.

This implicit trust in SieMatic’s reputation for high-quality, precision-built kitchens extends to the second-hand property market as well as individual landlords and buyers are increasingly investing in quality kitchens for both commercial and aesthetic reasons.

“In areas like Dubai Marina, they had a lot of locally-made kitchens built in 2004-2006 and now many landlords are looking for a replacement kitchen. But they are still rented apartments and so they are looking for good quality, cost-effective solutions,” Ebert explains.

As a result, SieMatic’s local partner, Mac Al Gurg has opened a new retail showroom in the Mall of the Emirates to cater for this demand. The new showroom features SieMatic’s SmartDesign range of kitchens for buyers who have a limited budget but still want the cachet – and quality – of the SieMatic brand.

Ebert likens SieMatic’s approach to the market to that of another great German brand, Mercedes which has a range to cover all budgets and requirements but nevertheless maintains a superb reputation for quality.

“We have the SmartDesign range on show at the Mall of the Emirates for people who have a limited budget. However, for something special you can come to our flagship showroom in Karama and choose from the premium and luxury ranges from SieMatic. You have unlimited possibilities.”

SieMatic is constantly innovating and introducing new designs across the board and last year launched three new ranges including the BeauxArts.02 line, which has proven to be popular among high-end developers and individuals in the region looking for a modern take on the traditional kitchen.

Designed in collaboration with Mick de Giulio, who is celebrated in the US as a ‘rock star of kitchen design’, BeauxArts.02 expands the scope of design to include many new, unconventional ideas of the highest individuality. Distinctive features like matt metal fronts with bevelled frames contrast with the delicate appearance of the furniture elements and volume-rich stone countertops.

BeauxArts.02 has been specified for half of the 150 luxury villas in the Lime Tree Valley development in Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates, which is being built by Irish developer CHI.

SieMatic kitchens have also been specified for the Al Barari development, which is considered to be the most prestigious multi-property development in Dubai.

Exposure through prestigious developments such as Al Barari has generated enquiries for villa projects from VIPs, government projects and even the ruling families around the region – a market that is particularly interesting for Ebert both professionally and personally.

Ebert was recently in Saudi Arabia, where he gained valuable feedback from architects, designers and owners. “It is useful input that we can adopt for our product development especially for these kinds of clients. We try to bring this feedback into our research and development work so that we can fulfil even the most unexpected requirements and inspiration,” he says.

This flexibility and innovation is a key advantage for SieMatic which, in spite of its huge brand presence and worldwide sales, remains an owner-managed family business producing as few as 200 to 250 kitchens a day from its production facility in Loehne, near Hannover in Germany and so is able to easily deal with bespoke requests easily.

As Ebert explains: “We do not have a warehouse and so whenever we get an order it is tailor-made, even kitchens for projects. Even if it is high number of kitchens it really doesn’t make a difference.”

More impressively, these exceptional requests are accommodated for prices that surprise even the most hard-bargaining developers.

A commitment to the highest quality is at the core of everything that SieMatic does. The company only sources from trusted suppliers located around its factory and each product and component is tested rigorously – to failure if necessary.

“The slogan for SieMatic is ‘preferring the best’ and that is why we test everything that comes in,” he says. “For example, our pull outs are designed for a load of 40 kg for sizes up to 60 cm wide and 80 kg for sizes between 60 cm and 120 cm and we test everything for a specified lifetime of 15 years. I have seen tests where we have reached 200,000 cycles of opening and closing. We test until it breaks just so that we can know when it breaks.”

The panels are similarly test to ensure that water does not penetrate the coating or the edging.

This level of customer service, attention to detail and commitment to quality comes at a price and Ebert is the first to admit that SieMatic kitchens are not cheap. Indeed some of the kitchens specified for a luxury high-rise development in Beirut, Lebanon, come in at an entry level of €100,000 ($129,895). However, a kitchen bought from the SmartDesign showroom in Mall of the Emirates can be had for as little as Dh60,000 to Dh90,000 ($16,335 to $21,780) including appliances.