German company Häcker is known for kitchen design that is as functional as it is sleek. Their fundamental belief drives their global success: “A kitchen is always a place of creativity.” While this statement seems an obvious one, it actually highlights Häcker’s philosophy. They make great kitchens because the kitchen provides great inspiration—culinary and otherwise. Given the open plans of many contemporary living spaces, the kitchen ends up being showcased—long gone are the days of the hidden galley, where dinner guests in another room could only smell your steak au poivre.

1090. Designed by Häcker-Küchen.

With the Häcker 1090 Collection, part of their Design line, you can be proud to let your guests into your food laboratory—even if your results don’t turn out as planned. The 1090 kitchen works in part because of its heterogeneous materials: “A lively, expressive combination of black pine and white pine gives this kitchen ensemble a contrasting, pleasant look.” Although either finish gives the pine a modern spin, the black pine 1090 looks fantastic in concert with some of Häcker’s other collections, such as the shiny 3065—it’s a luscious pop of color in coral.

The high gloss of 3065 positively sparkles in steel blue (like a frost-covered aquamarine); it would work well against the softer texture of 1090’s white pine. The 1090 collection offers a wide variety of cabinet and storage options, open and closed. Of course, the subtle 1090 works beautifully on its own. Imagine the white against an acid green wall or the black against a smoky gray.