German kitchens
German & European kitchen cabinets, made by Nolte
NOVAHAUS plans European kitchen cabinets for Los Angeles homes with Nolte Küchen, the family-owned German maker founded in 1958 — and Nolte’s only listed dealer in California (October 2026). Compare fronts, finishes and stone at our Glendale showroom before you decide.
Nolte Küchen design
01Why European
What sets European kitchen cabinets apart
Most American cabinetry is built around a face frame — a hardwood border glued to the front of every box. European kitchen cabinets are frameless: doors and drawer fronts cover the whole carcass, so the kitchen reads as calm, continuous planes and you gain usable width inside every unit. We explain the construction in detail on our frameless cabinets page.
The second difference is planning. A German kitchen is a system of widths, heights and depths that fit together on a grid. Nolte works on a 150 mm (about 6 in) grid with three carcass heights, so a tall pantry, a run of deep drawers and an island share the same lines, reveals and handle positions. Appliances, lighting and organizers are planned in from the start.
Finally, there is choice. Lacquers, veneers, wood decors, acrylic glass and stone looks — with handleless channels, bar handles or push-to-open — give one well-engineered cabinet very different characters. Browse them by kitchen style or by front and finish.
02The manufacturer
Why Nolte Küchen
Nolte Küchen was founded in 1958 in East Westphalia, the heart of Germany’s kitchen industry. It is still family-owned, headquartered in Löhne, and builds all of its kitchen furniture in two German factories, Löhne and Melle. The range carries the RAL “Goldenes M” quality mark, tested to RAL-GZ 430 for durability, stability and safety.
For a Los Angeles homeowner that means a German kitchen with a very wide choice of fronts — 36 in the current range — and a planning system and color concept that won the Kitchen Innovation Award in 2025 and 2026. Read the full story on our Nolte kitchens page.
03What you can plan
A German kitchen, planned around how you cook and host
These are the decisions we work through with you — and the ones you can already try in the 3D configurator.
Handleless or with handles
Recessed channels and push-to-open for quiet fronts, or slim bar handles and knobs when you want a detail to hold on to.
Lacquer, wood and glass fronts
Twenty coordinated matte lacquer colors, warm oak and walnut, acrylic glass and concrete looks — mixed tall-to-base for two-tone.
Islands and peninsulas
Cooking islands, prep islands with seating and peninsulas that divide open-plan rooms without closing them off.
Light built into the furniture
Under-cabinet LED, lit glass units, plinth glow and drawer lighting, in warm color temperatures that flatter wood and stone.
Storage that stays organized
Deep pan drawers, pull-out larders, swing-out corner units, cutlery inserts and waste sorting, so every item has a place.
Integrated appliances
Panel-ready dishwashers and refrigerators, oven and coffee columns, planned into the cabinet grid from day one.
04Budget
Price groups, explained simply
Nolte does not publish retail prices. Instead, every front belongs to a price group from PG1 to PG9. The carcass system underneath is the same at every price group; nolteneo adds its own neoBOX drawers and visible sides, and the price group tells you how much the front material adds.
As a rule of thumb, PG1 to PG3 cover wood decors, laminates and lacquer laminates, plus VELLUTO matte and the first frame fronts; PG4 to PG7 bring genuine lacquer, most frame fronts, PRIMO veneer, cement and acrylic glass; and PG8 to PG9 belong to nolteneo, Nolte’s design line with real-wood and real-stone veneers. Size, interior fittings, lighting, worktop and appliances usually move the total more than one step in price group.
As a typical US market range, European frameless cabinetry runs roughly $900 to $1,800 or more per linear foot installed — it varies by specification. The 3D configurator gives a ballpark band in minutes, the German kitchen cost guide explains each budget line, or book a design consultation for an exact quote.
05Materials
Fronts and worktops you can compare side by side
Photographs flatten texture. In the showroom you can hold an oak front next to Taj Mahal quartzite, under warm LED light, and decide with your hands.
- Natural oak
- Blackened oak
- Walnut
- Taj Mahal
- Graphite lacquer
- Genuine cement
- Concrete look decor
- Natural oak
- Warm, light grain for Scandinavian and Californian interiors
- Blackened oak
- nolteneo neoLODGE grooved real veneer; pairs with black and brass
- Walnut
- Rich, dark grain for tall units and islands
- Taj Mahal
- Brazilian quartzite with soft gold veining
- Graphite lacquer
- Matte genuine lacquer from Nolte’s 20-color concept
- Genuine cement
- PORTLAND fronts in hand-applied cement
- Concrete look decor
- LUCCA and STONE decors
06How NOVAHAUS works
From first visit to a finished German kitchen
- 01
Visit the showroom
Compare fronts, finishes and stone, and talk through your floor plan with a designer at 614 W. Colorado Street in Glendale.
- 02
Measure
We confirm the measurements of your space — or work from your architect’s or contractor’s drawings.
- 03
Design in 3D
Your designer plans every cabinet, appliance and light in 3D and refines it with you until it is right.
- 04
Made in Germany
Your Nolte kitchen is ordered from the factory and built to the approved plan. We confirm the lead time when you order.
- 05
Delivery & installation, coordinated
We can coordinate delivery and installation with you and your contractor so the cabinets are delivered to site as planned and fit as designed.
07Inspiration
Nolte kitchen designs to start from
More than a kitchen — a way of living.
In this section
German kitchens
Nolte KüchenNolte Küchen has built kitchens in Germany since 1958. NOVAHAUS Design in Glendale is the only Nolte dealer in California listed…
Luxury kitchensHigh-end kitchen cabinets earn the name through materials you can feel, precision you can see and planning you notice every day…
Kitchen stylesModern, handleless, transitional or warm wood — every kitchen style below is built on the same Nolte carcasses and planning grid…
Cabinet fronts & finishesFlat panel kitchen cabinets let the material speak: matte or high-gloss lacquer, warm wood, glass or stone. This is your guide to…
Kitchen islandsA kitchen island has to work from four sides: as a worktop, a storage wall, a place to sit and the piece everyone sees first. We…
Kitchen remodelingA kitchen remodel goes smoothly when the cabinetry is decided early. We design and supply your Nolte kitchen and work alongside…
Kitchen layoutsThe right kitchen layout is decided by your room, not by a trend. We compare L-shaped, U-shaped, galley, peninsula and island…
Kitchen featuresThe kitchen features you use every day — light where you work, drawers that hold everything, appliances behind matching fronts …
What is the difference between European and American kitchen cabinets?
How much do European kitchen cabinets cost?
How long does a German kitchen take to arrive?
Can I see Nolte kitchens before I order?
Do you install the kitchen?
Keep exploring
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Glendale showroomOur kitchen showroom on West Colorado Street in Glendale is where projects begin: Nolte fronts and fittings to open and…Illustrative interior
What a German kitchen costsWhat a German kitchen costs depends on its fronts, fittings and the work your room needs. Below are typical US market…
3D configurator
Design your Nolte kitchen in 3D
Pick a layout, then add or remove cabinets, swap fronts and worktops, choose handles, lighting and gadgets — and see a ballpark budget as you go.
- Natural oak
- Taj Mahal
- Cashmere lacquer
- Walnut
- Smoked oak