hmm. I have a hard time getting on board with anything that highlights the supposed differences between the sexes. And the last time I checked, the protocol for making rolls was the same whether you're male or female. (However, I totally advocated designing a kitchen around your height, handedness, cooking habits, color preferences, etc.)

And what the "male aesthetic"? If it's "male" to like dark colors, sleek lines, and jamming to some tunes while cooking dinner, then maybe I need to renounce my femininity.

Anyway, I'm just being a bit skeptical...a cool kitchen is a cool kitchen, and if it's an idea that sells, great.

I have no qualms about marketing to men. I noticed this trend a few years back when magazines like Maxim or the now defunct Cargo Mag started to do layouts about home decorating geared towards men. It's just strange how they're being out in the open about it.

I believe men make decorating decisions that are already skewed towards this masculine vibe. I often wondered why I've always gravited towards the black leather barcelona chair.

I think it's going to be funny when they start marketing this stuff--we might get the new equivalent of the macho males that populated smoking and clothing ads in the seventies.

Oh...I went with a pair of white barcelona chairs (knock-offs). Does that make me girly?

I see your point, meltendo. It's great for men care more about home decor...more power to them. I like anything that builds male interest in "feminine" things and vice versa.

However, you do realize that "the masculine vibe" is just a function of marketing too, right? Black is not inherently masculine, nor white inherently feminine.

Barcelona chairs are lovely in any color, IMO. I prefer white, simply because black leather furniture seems unoriginal at this point.

mmadden: There are definite distinctions in aesthetics for a greater part of almost every category of products, an issue I have to face almost every day working in product and packaging design. I think the mistake is assuming because I myself like and appreciate feminine forms, colours and motifs that the majority of other of my more traditional brothers would feel the same. And in the same way, if a woman can be wonderfully balanced in appreciating traditionally masculine forms/design, all the better, but it does not discount that there is a feminine and masculine aesthetic that appeals to the majority of either sex.

For example, I am not shy about wearing a pink dress shirt. But every time I do it, women at the office remark positively, while men call it brave (at least to my face and inferring a possibly less admirable opinion). There is nothing inherently masculine or feminine in a pink dress shirt. But a certain level of perception and general acceptability exists, whether I believe in it personally or not. And just like yourself, I just don't buy into it for myself. Yet, I am aware it is not the same for everyone else.

A cool kitchen is a cool kitchen. Except when it is not a cool kitchen. There have been plenty of times I've noted men or women appreciating something of excellent in design, only to have it to be discounted as being to "girly" or "manly" (many times during AT related contests). Sad but true. Fortunately there are products and designs that can bridge across (i.e. Razr, iPod, Mini Cooper, etc) demographics, and thus become huge hits. It's those wonderful moments of great design that we all wait for :)

gregory, good points all. I was speaking from an idealist perspective, rather than a realistic one.

Given that most kitchens come to be used by people of mixed sexes/tastes, though, it's probably best to design one that transcends gender-based tastes as much as possible, right? Thus the appeal of somewhat generic IKEA kitchens, I suppose.

I find virtually all of kitchen designs of the contemporary european firms (Varenna, Boffi, Bulthaup) to be very masculine already so this seems like a bit more of the same. The interesting thing here is the co-branding with a name associated with sexy cars.

Ever wonder why your neighbor sprang for that pricey car but lives on rickety old Ikea? Car companies advertise every hour of every day. Over and over the message is the same: your status, your identity, your very pleasure in life is the car you drive. When was the last time you saw a television ad for Pottery Barn or West Elm, let alone B&B Italia or Poggenpohl?

Automotive companies are very adept at siphoning off way more than their share of an individuals "lifestyle" budget. Whats left over (which for the average middle class consumer isn't much...) gets spent on the sofa (or kitchen).

I guess if you can't beat'em, join'em.

I believe it is safe to assume that the above kitchen is well over $100,000.00

If they think men will bite on it more than women, then they must have done their research.

I wonder how many men buy their own kitchens? Do most men who can afford something like this go to the store and buy one? Or is the man's designer selling them on a "Porsche for the kitchen?" Or is the designer for a hypothetical market district loft conversion geared towards single upwardly mobile financial type men being sold on a "Porsche for the kitchen" by Poggenpohl?

Personally, I think Bulthaup is the real "Porsche" of the kitchen. The one above is more of a Mercedes sedan.

All excellent points so far here and yes, the kichen looks nice, but where is the warmth?

I do think that there is something to the decor being too "manly" or too "feminine" in that when you put in the frilly fringe, French Country or what have you, it's not going to fly with many men and vice versa with dark colors, cold surfaces etc will turn off many women so there is some truth to that, however, I don't generally buy into it as a marketing gimmick and in this case, using Porche to sell a kitchen design for the man. Heck, most guys who are serious enough and enjoy cooking will know what they want, both in style, color and layout etc in their kitchens, I do and I like to cook and i'm a guy.

But I like a little warmth with my modern kitchen too (true, it's a semi remodeled early 60's era kitchen in a rented apartment, but still) and the main color accent is red to go with the existing blue diamonds in the floor and my cobalt blue drain basket and board that I've had a few years.

Now I have a blue theme going on in the bathroom, based on the same flooring in there and the original dusty blue sink and tub along with a small accent lamp with a blue shade, blue linen handtowels, framed art with blue in it and there is some yellow in the the couple bath towel sets that I have as well.

But the point is, if there is a femine element somewhere in there, so be it, but I don't go out of my way to add frilly fringe or the like as that's not my style and yes, you can make a place to "girly" or "manly" if you go too far one way or the other but I do also think there is some element of truth to what they are trying to do as many women will prefer to certain design elements more than men and vice versa but it's not a hard and fast thing I don't think.