A peek at Ali Güngörmüş’ new design-focused culinary school

In his new culinary school, the well-known Michelin-starred and TV chef has opted for a workspace that suits him perfectly: a next125 kitchen that oozes creativity and passion.

A hint of the Middle East wafts through Munich whenever Ali Güngörmüş is working in front of the blue tile mosaic in his next125 kitchen. Here, he is completely in his element. In collaboration with next125, he has paid attention to every single detail to create a space for top-level cooking in a homely atmosphere.

It’s not just the mosaic that’s reminiscent of the East. The kitchen design in sophisticated walnut fits perfectly with the charming Anatolian style, crossed with the timeless Bauhaus-inspired German design that gives next125 its distinctive look. The culinary school kitchen is marked by an abundance of wood and warm tones.

The chef chose a next125 kitchen due to all the intricacies and customisations that could be made during the planning stage. Innovative products, for which the brand is known, also played a role: “I like having a lot of storage space. And I like being able to grab things quickly to save time during my cooking classes. That’s also why the English pull-outs, for example, were very, very important”, explains Ali Güngörmüş.

The lighting, which is integrated seamlessly into the wall shelving, plays gently with the feel of the mosaic and creates a pleasant interplay of indirect light and soft shadow on the wall. When asked about the lighting, Ali Güngörmüş keeps it short and sweet: “I’m mad about lighting!” next125’s clever lighting solution certainly embraced the assignment, offering the perfect ambience for studying haute cuisine.

A further highlight of the kitchen is the ceramic worktop from Systemo in timeless, bright quartzite grey. It creates a high-end contrast to the warm real wood fronts and perfectly rounds off the kitchen’s overall look. Thanks to its resistance to scratches, cuts and acids, countless meze and other specialities from Eastern and international cuisine can be prepared with confidence: the worktop will remain a faithful companion.

The culinary school features lots of hidden details. An adjoining room offers a second kitchen for tasks like cleaning vegetables, storing and washing up. Here, everything has been designed to be within reach. The wall motif is also echoed through white and blue tiles. The colours of the mosaic and tiles are inspired by the Eastern Nazar eye, which gives the spaces their very own charm.

Ali Güngörmüş is fascinated by the light and storage in his new kitchen. For Ali, creating the kitchen was a labour of love thanks to next125’s versatile planning options: only when everything is tailored exactly to his needs can his cuisine truly flourish. “I must be at one with the product – and then I feel at home.”

The full interview will be published on 25.08.2023 on YouTube.