I'm a sucker for home goods, and I've got a confession to make: I've struggled with a cosmetic addiction in the past. But home goods are a different story. I've come to accept that if I'm going to indulge, I might as well enjoy it. So, I do.
The one store I try to steer clear of is Kuchenland Home. Those enticing storefronts... I've just never been impressed.
But, I have to admit, I recently found myself drawn back in and ended up at one of the Kuchenland Home stores.
Kuchenland Home
Kuchenland Home is basically a luxurious home goods store.
Kuchenland Home
My first experience with Kuchenland Home was about five years ago, and I was immediately hooked. I just couldn't explain the number of purchases I made. But, it's been a while now, and I have to admit that my enthusiasm has worn off.
Kuchenland Home
I've got to say, the prices here have never been small, but since the big international brands left Russia, Kuchenland Home seems to have found its confidence and is really going for it.
Kuchenland Home
I'd give the marketing and visual merchandising team a solid 5 stars. The store layout is so enticing that you'll want to buy everything on the shelves.
Kuchenland Home
I'd also give credit to the designers. While I'm not sure how original their ideas are, they've managed to pack a lot of creativity into the store's square footage. There's not much filler – every item on display seems to have a purpose.
Kuchenland Home
Kuchenland Home is a fairytale of a beautiful life.
I couldn't say we were dirt poor by Soviet standards, but our lifestyle wasn't exactly luxurious either. Crystal in the sideboard was a status symbol, but it didn't exactly bring me joy.
Kuchenland Home
I have to say, walking into Kuchenland Home feels like stepping into a catalog come to life - it's real.
But you can't just buy one mug, bring it home, and suddenly feel like you're in the store itself.
Kuchenland Home
With hundreds of products on display, it feels like the selection is endless.
Kuchenland Home
From bedroom essentials to bathroom must-haves, and even kitchenware, it's all under one roof - including a dedicated kids' section.
Kuchenland Home
But if you take a closer look, you'll realize that Kuchenland Home is all about Kuchenland - and nothing else.
Kuchenland Home
So, where's the kids' clothing? The toys? The Lego alternative? Why bother? There are plenty of brands out there that specialize in kids' products.
It's Kuchenland Home's unique selling point that they only sell Kuchenland products.
Kuchenland Home
I've noticed they used to sell a decent amount of household appliances, but that initiative seemed to fizzle out after a couple of seasons. I'm guessing it's because of the low quality and high return rate due to defects.
Anyway, during my last visit to their household appliances section, I didn't see any, or almost any, for that matter. I mean, there are these lonely-looking tea kettles and toasters with a hint of Smeg design.
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Kuchenland Home
But Kuchenland Home is more about home decor and dishes.
There's some interesting and undeniably beautiful stuff... if you don't look too closely and don't scrutinize the details.
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Kuchenland Homexa0
Because that cute wooden bread box suddenly turns into just a bunch of firewood with a massive crack running down its entire length.
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Kuchenland Homexa0
The low quality is the biggest letdown I've experienced when getting up close and personal with Kuchenland Home's products.
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Seven years ago, I did a renovation and laid a kitchen floor with lemon tiles. I wanted sunshine, joy, and summer all year round.
I managed to get all that and even more from my favorite tiles, but oh boy, it was a challenge to find matching accessories...
Since then, I've become a treasure hunter and get excited whenever I find lemon-themed items in stores.
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I've always had a good experience with Kuchenland Home's lemon collection. In fact, that's how we first connected. I saw their lemon-themed salad bowls, oven mitts, and other essential kitchen items. And they all had lemons on them.
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Kuchenland Homexa0
This season, they're back with a new collection called 'Sicily'. The designs are stunning!
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Kuchenland Home. Collection 'Sicily'
The price point is a bit steep.xa0
Kuchenland Homexa0
I'm not surprised that this minimalist style in tableware is all the rage right now – it's only a matter of time before it's everywhere.
Kuchenland Home
I walked into Kuchenland Home and was immediately drawn to the lemons on display - I knew I had to make a purchase. The only question was, what to buy. To be honest, I haven't had a green thumb in ages, and my plastic plants from IKEA were starting to look a bit worn out.
From across the room, I spotted a beautiful potted lemon tree.
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Kuchenland Home
$1799? Are you kidding me?! For that price?!xa0
For those who are put off by the cost, there's a sale section, but even that's not exactly a bargain.
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Kuchenland Home
Let's be real - the 'outlet' in Outlet Village Pulkovo is basically a joke. There's only one tiny section of discounted items, and the rest is just the regular stuff at 10% off.xa0
Kuchenland Home
But when you're in the clearance section, you can see the real quality of the items. It's like they're trying to get rid of last season's stuff, but they're still selling it at a decent price.Most of the items in the clearance section are from the previous season. Right now, you can find a lot of winter decorations.
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Kuchenland Homexa0
But the owners of Kuchenland Home are pretty ruthless. If they see that a plate isn't exactly winter-themed, they won't give you a discount. They're counting on the fact that someone will still buy it, even if it's not seasonal.
Like, who wouldn't want a plate with pinecones on it? It's perfect for spring.
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Kuchenland Homexa0
I'm not even sure if they have fitting rooms in the stores. I never bothered to ask. But I did try to ask about trying on a top once. The sales associate just rolled her eyes and told me that they don't have fitting rooms, but you can't return the items if they don't fit. Apparently, that's just how they handle undergarments.
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I have to say, the kitchen towel was the most pressing thing I needed from the whole lemon ordeal. It's not like it's a stunning piece of art or anything, but I just couldn't leave without buying it. I mean, it's lemons!
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My purchasexa0
The towel cost 399 rubles. It came in a single package, without a pair.
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Towel made in Indiaxa0
The cotton is dense. Despite the fact that most products in Kuchenland Home are made in China, this towel is actually from India.
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Uneven seamsxa0
I know it's a minor thing, but the towel has uneven seams right out of the box. What's going to happen to it after it's been washed...
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My new kitchen towelxa0
However, I've already forgiven it for all its flaws. It looks amazing with my lemon tile.
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Before writing this review, I went around the house and gathered all the Kuchenland Home products that have managed to survive these years.
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Dishes. That's where our love-hate story began. When I saw them in the store, I didn't care that they were apples, not lemons.xa0
Dishes from Kuchenland Homexa0
Still, they fit perfectly into my idea of great kitchen design. I bought exactly six of each type.
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Dishes from Kuchenland Homexa0
Disappointment hit me fast. It wasn't even a month before I started noticing chips around the edges of the dishes.
As of today, I'm left with two deep plates and three flat ones. 2+3=5. Out of 12.
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Dishes from Kuchenland Homexa0
While writing this review, I noticed a chip on another dish.
The biggest mystery is where these chips come from. They're not being thrown, nothing's being dropped on them, and they're not being walked on.
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Dishes from Kuchenland Homexa0
And to be honest, the dishes look worn out. Time to find a replacement. But it won't be from Kuchenland Home.
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I bought these plates along with some salad bowls, and I have to say, the bowls are the real stars of the show. I've only managed to keep one of the three I bought intact until today.
Salad Bowl from Kuchenland HomeGiven how much I adore these bowls for their quirky design, I don't even bother washing them by hand - it's just not worth the hassle. But still, it's weird that I've managed to keep only one of them intact for so long.
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Salad Bowl from Kuchenland Homexa0
The most memorable part of buying these bowls was trying to find the straightest ones amidst all the wonky and uneven ones. I swear, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
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Salad Bowl from Kuchenland Homexa0
When I got to the checkout with these bowls, the cashier immediately warned me that they were all uneven, and we ended up rummaging through the stockroom to find the least offending ones. One of the ones I picked even had an oval shape - yeah, it was a real beauty.
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I bought this wooden cutting board after I'd already soured on Kuchenland Home. I thought I'd give them another chance, but the board just collects dust as a decorative piece now.Kitchen utensils are meant to be used, not just admired, right?
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Wooden Cutting Board from Kuchenland Homexa0
I got home with this board and the attachment just fell off right away.
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Kuchenland Home boardxa0
My husband even came up with a way to keep this metal disc from falling off, but I'm not risking hanging this board again.
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Nice serving platter. What could have gone wrong?xa0
Serving platter from Kuchenland HomeIf you look at it from a different angle, you can see that it's been "quartered".
And yeah, the photos don't do it justice.
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Serving platter from Kuchenland Homexa0
It looks like a cheap Chinese product.
Hold on.
This is indeed a Chinese product. But I wouldn't call it cheap.
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Serving platter from Kuchenland Homexa0
Great device for crushing cherry pits.I bought it literally last August.
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Pit Remover from Kuchenland Home After six months, the product has darkened and developed some kind of weird patina.
I'm not just talking about the quality of the pot, but also the quality of the metal - it's just not up to par.
Pit Remover from Kuchenland Home The cherry on top is that after some time, this pit remover got warped and stopped fitting into the hole.
To be honest, it was never super easy to use in the first place.
Either the diameter of the 'cup' for the cherry is too big, or the spike is pointing in the wrong direction, but in most cases the cherry just rolls away and the pit doesn't fall into the hole.
More often than not, I had to fish the pit out by hand after each press.
And to make matters worse, despite the large diameter of the cup, I'd say the cherry is actually too small, but the pits from it just wouldn't fit into the hole. What's the deal with that?
Pit Remover from Kuchenland Home
I'd say the best part of this purchase was the set of three sash.
Sash from Kuchenland Home
I bought these about three years ago, put them in my closet, and completely forgot about them.
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Sachets from Kuchenland Homexa0
I have to say, the scent is pretty polarizing. If you prefer more refined fragrances, you might want to opt for a luxury soap bar instead.
On the other hand, each block takes up a lot of space, and these sachets were almost flat.
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Sachets from Kuchenland Home. What's insidexa0
Inside, they're filled with this stuff. After three years, the scent has almost completely faded, and it's time to say goodbye.
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Sachets from Kuchenland Home. What's insideWhen I last visited Kuchenland Home, I asked if they had any similar sachets in stock. It turned out they were all sold out, but the sales associate assured me that they'd be getting a new shipment soon, so I should just come back.
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I was trying to figure out what Kuchenland Home reminded me of. IKEA? Kind of, but not quite. Then it hit me - Zara Home! They had a similar aesthetic, but it was a bit more polished. The price point was the same, though. Where Kuchenland Home fell short was in the materials - it felt like a cheap polyester, whereas Zara Home had a more natural feel to it.
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I'd give Kuchenland Home three stars, although my partner suggested two and a half.
Would I recommend it? Not for a purchase. Visiting for inspiration? Maybe. The key is to hold back from buying, so you don't end up disappointed with the actual experience.
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PS. And don't even get me started on their paid shipping packages, with the cheapest one costing 9 rubles. Game over.