“If I’d known I’d have to talk about this damn kitchen my whole life, I never would have built it!” said 100-year-old Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky in a 1998 interview.

The kitchen she designed in the 1920s rewrote architectural history and revolutionized the lives of public housing residents by creating a newly functional and equipped culinary space.

Dubbed the “Frankfurt kitchen,” Schütte-Lihotzky created a pioneering piece of social architecture that has defined kitchens to this day.

The designer was also a women’s rights activist and was celebrated as a heroine of the resistance against the Nazi dictatorship.

Margarete, who died in 2000 at the age of 103, aimed to improve the lives of others through her work throughout her life.

Changing the lives of the working class through architecture

Schütte-Lihotzky came of age at the height of industrialization, a time of demographic shift from the countryside to the cities as people sought work in new factories.

But living conditions in the crowded working-class neighborhoods of Weimar cities in Germany and Austria, such as Berlin, Frankfurt, and Vienna, were sometimes characterized by disease, poverty, and poor hygiene.

As a young Viennese architecture student, Schütte-Lihotzky had a unique perspective on the struggles of working families in crowded tenements.

In 1917, she was conducting research for an architectural competition and designed a housing complex based on the practical needs of residents, including more air and light.

Embracing the idea that “form follows function,” Schütte-Lihotzky moved away from the decorative architectural styles of the last century and embraced the functionality of the “New Objectivity.”

For her, architecture was an antidote to social problems. This attitude was largely influenced by his career.

From housing to kitchen design

Born in 1897 into an intellectual, middle-class Viennese family, Schütte-Lihotzky’s childhood was characterized by art and culture, as well as politics.

Her mother was involved in the Viennese art scene and in peace and feminist circles. As a child, Margarethe knew she was relatively privileged, which shaped her understanding of design and architecture and her decision to work on social housing projects.

After the First World War, there was an urgent need for housing in devastated Europe. New housing estates with social housing were built quickly and cheaply for the growing working class – and for those who had lost their homes in the war.

Building director Ernst May launched the “New Frankfurt” housing program in Frankfurt am Main. Its goal was to eliminate the housing shortage within 10 years.

May commissioned Schütte-Lihotzky to design a kitchen suitable for residential complexes. This kitchen was created to optimally use the limited space of the new buildings and to improve the daily lives of residents.

The young architect got to work: how many steps must the kitchen user take to get from point A to point B? How do they move? Where are kitchen utensils best placed? How can you supervise children while working in the kitchen?

The dawn of the modern “equipped” kitchen

The result was a room approximately 3.5 meters (11.4 feet) long and 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide, with sliding glass doors that allowed views into the living room and a large window to let enter the light.

The kitchen has been fitted with floor to ceiling cabinets, a worktop, sink with drainer, drawers for kitchen waste and aluminum chutes for the most essential cooking ingredients.

The individual modules were to be manufactured industrially in large numbers as new buildings were constructed in Frankfurt.

To dispel initial skepticism about this new type of cuisine, Ernst May presented Margarete’s invention as “built by a woman for women.”

“Frankfurt cuisine” was born and revolutionized housework.

However, the growing feminist movement of the time criticized the idea that women did all domestic work in the kitchen. The accusation was that the efficiency of this kitchen only brought women even closer to the stove.

However, Schütte-Lihotzky wanted to lighten the burden on women with this cuisine.

Resistance against the Nazis

Despite the criticism, the Frankfurt Kitchen was a success.

Orders came from all over the world: the French Ministry of Labor alone wanted to install 260,000 units.

Despite international recognition, the young designer feels misunderstood and above all wants to improve working life.

This almost caused his downfall during the Nazi era. After Austria’s annexation to Nazi Germany, she fought clandestinely against the Nazis as a communist. She was arrested and narrowly escaped execution.

After the Second World War, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky became involved in the movement for peace and women’s rights. She lectured, mentored young women architects, and built apartments and kindergartens in West Germany, Russia, Cuba, and East Germany.

Editing: Sarah Hucal