Blum, exclusively
The motion is the luxury
You touch a kitchen a hundred times a day, and almost every one of those touches is a door or a drawer. That is the part I refuse to compromise, so the hardware is specified once, at the start, and never substituted for something cheaper on the day.
The four systems
LEGRABOX
Drawer systems
Slim steel side walls, full extension under real load, and a running action that stays consistent whether the drawer holds linen or cast iron. Internal dividers are set to what you actually store.
AVENTOS
Lift systems
For doors above working head height. The front lifts clear of your face and stops wherever your hand leaves it, which removes the one movement most kitchens get wrong.
SERVO-DRIVE
Motion support
Where a front has no handle, a light touch opens it and it closes itself. It is what makes a genuinely handleless run practical rather than a compromise you live around.
BLUMOTION
Soft close
Fitted throughout, on doors and drawers alike, so nothing in the room is capable of slamming. Consistency here is what keeps a kitchen feeling new after five years.
Why it is never substituted
One system, one lifespan
Mixed hardware ages unevenly. One rattling runner makes a whole kitchen feel tired while the stone and timber still look new.
Bored to the drawing
Carcasses are machined for the exact Blum component being fitted, not adjusted to accept it afterwards.
Serviceable for decades
Parts remain available and interchangeable, so a repair in ten years is a component, not a rebuild.
Hardware questions
What homeowners ask before they specify
What is the difference between BLUMOTION and SERVO-DRIVE?
BLUMOTION is soft close: a damper that takes the last part of the travel so a door or drawer cannot slam. SERVO-DRIVE is electrical motion support: a light touch opens the front and it closes itself. Soft close is fitted throughout; motion support is specified where a front has no handle.
Which Blum hinge is used on a bespoke kitchen?
CLIP top BLUMOTION for standard doors, in the overlay, half overlay or inset configuration the elevation requires. The hinge is chosen with the door thickness and reveal at drawing stage, because the boring pattern is machined into the carcass rather than adjusted afterwards.
Do Blum drawers carry heavy loads?
Yes. LEGRABOX is specified to a stated dynamic load per runner, and the load class is chosen for what the drawer actually holds. A cast iron and crockery drawer is specified differently from a linen drawer, which is why storage is discussed before the drawing is finished.
Is Blum hardware guaranteed, and can it be serviced later?
Blum publishes a lifetime function warranty on its mechanisms under normal domestic use. Because one system is used throughout, components remain interchangeable, so a repair years from now is a part swap rather than a rebuild of the run.
Can Blum parts be obtained in South Africa?
Yes. Blum is distributed here and the systems specified on these kitchens are stock items, which is one of the practical reasons for standardising on them rather than importing something unusual for a single project.
Can I supply my own hardware to save money?
No. Blum is specified on every commission and never substituted. The carcasses are machined for those exact components, and mixed hardware is the most common reason an otherwise good kitchen feels tired after a few years.