Bigger, more digital and fully equipped with everything for those who love cooking: with the youngest generation of the „Maggi Kochstudio“, Nestle breaks on new grounds with its Maggi brand presentation. Viral campaigns obtained in their concept phase as much importance as modern gastronomic concepts. The „Maggi Kochstudio“, for over 50 years the heart of the Maggi brand, is now the first walk-in food blog Germanys at the legendary location in the city center of Frankfurt.

The design office sbp (Seel Bobsin Partner) was entrusted with the spatial concept, planning and realization of the project. In search of the first room structuring design approaches the foreground question was: how does a „walk-in blog“ look? How can you transfer digital virtuality into analog reality? How can you give a network-based communication form an appropriate room without using stereotypes? During the process of brand reorientation, sbp and the Maggi project team quickly realized: it’s all about a perceptible community, collective exchange, communal cooking and a common brand experience.

Changing activities, promotions, and content can’t function within a rigid spatial concept but rather require a flexible and to the particular usage requirements adaptable solution. A food blog has workshop character, allows different types of uses, and experiences, offers meeting opportunities, creates a special quality of stay and enhances communication. The store design is a supporting frame without pushing it’s way to the fore. The product and brand are getting perceptible without appearing intrusive.

The walk-in foodblog develops further through real experiences of user and operator. An important element of the new concept is a sophisticated media technology base. Nevertheless the technical components are not the primarly visual focus but operate inconsiciously integrated. Analog becomes digital and digital becomes analog – a continuous interaction in real space. It is not about creating an overstimulated scenario as attractant for the blogger community but rather a flexible location with feel-good factor where you can do what you like to do: cook and exchange views about it!

In the concept of sbp the space layout always stays flexible. Where you can enjoy a changing selection of small dishes and fresh salads during the day, events will take place round off the cooking and food topic or corporate events in the evening hours. Where you book all sorts of small group cooking classes, will also be produced live film and photo content for the digital media. Shop in an easy atmosphere and enjoy a cold drink or a coffee at the same time… the usage of the new „Maggi Kochstudio“ store is varied and convertible.

Design: Seel Bobsin Partner
Photography: Karsten Knocke