next125 Kitchen: NX510 + NX870 Island Design
There is a particular challenge with material-led kitchen design: the combination that works beautifully in a showroom photograph often falls apart when you look at each element in isolation. This next125 planning example, pairing the nx510 matt velvet lacquer in ultramarine blue with the nx870 SensiQ onyx black solid core front, avoids that problem. The two materials are genuinely different in character, and they work together because next125 designed them to sit at opposite ends of the same visual conversation: warm against cool, matte against matte, wood at the top and concrete below.
The Island Anchors Everything
The island is the defining decision in this kitchen. Finished in ultramarine blue with extended fronts that reach close to the floor and a near-invisible plinth underneath, it reads more like a piece of furniture than a built-in unit. This floating effect is intentional and fairly hard to pull off, because it requires careful coordination between front depth, plinth height, and the proportions of the space around it.
The round adjoining table on the island was designed to go with it from the start. It is available in different heights, foot designs, and tabletop materials, so it can flex to suit a kitchen that needs to serve both as a cooking space and a social gathering point. For an apartment or villa in Dubai where the kitchen is often one of the most visible rooms from the entrance, this kind of dual function matters more than most people account for in their initial planning.
The Worktop That Holds the Contrast Together
The Systemo C2830 worktop in a marble nox effect ceramic does the most demanding job in this kitchen: it has to connect the warm wood of the upper section to the dark onyx black below without pulling too hard in either direction. The marble veining is restrained rather than dramatic. The surface reads as dark and dense, which keeps the overall palette grounded and prevents the ultramarine blue island from competing with too many other visual focal points.
Built into the island surface, a two-tier worktop storage rack holds power sockets, spice jars, kitchen inserts, and utensils that would otherwise disappear into drawers. The point is not the individual items but what the rack does to the worktop: it keeps the surface clear without hiding everything away. For a kitchen island used heavily day-to-day, this kind of surface organisation is exactly what separates a well-planned kitchen from one that photographs well but becomes frustrating to use.
Glass Display Units and a Considered Lighting Strategy
The back wall of this kitchen uses two types of glass display unit. The wall glass display unit is made from the same front materials as the rest of the kitchen, which matters more than it might initially seem. When display cases are sourced or specified separately, they tend to break the visual continuity of the space. Here they are part of the original design specification, so the reference to the overall design language stays consistent from floor to ceiling.
The carcase sides of the display unit have built-in ambient lighting, and a second light source in the base provides focused task lighting for the worktop below. Both are calibrated to avoid glare. Above the back units, glass display cases with reeded glass fronts handle the upper level. The textured glass diffuses the interior lighting rather than transmitting it directly, so objects inside glow rather than sit under a spotlight. This is a detail that reads very differently in person than in photographs, and it is one of the better reasons to see the next125 collection at the Dubai showroom before deciding.
Support Panel Shelves: A Finishing Detail That Earns Its Place
Running above the row of back wall units, support panel top shelves bring the kitchen to eye level in the most unobtrusive way. They sit at the same plane as the upper cabinetry, creating a surface for objects without adding visual weight. It is one of those finishing elements that only makes sense once the kitchen is complete and you can see what the room would look like without it.
The Wine Cooler
The configuration includes an integrated wine cooler within the kitchen body. In Dubai, where entertaining at home is common and good wine storage is both practical and something guests notice, this kind of integration works better than a standalone unit. It sits flush with the surrounding cabinetry and remains invisible until it is needed.
Configuration at a Glance
| Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Front, island | nx510 Matt velvet lacquer, L527M Ultramarine matt velvet AFP |
| Front, back units | nx870 SensiQ onyx black fine matt AFP, V187F |
| Worktop | Systemo C2830 Marble nox effect (ceramic) |
| Key features | Two-tier worktop storage rack, round adjoining table, glass display wall unit, wine cooler, support panel shelf, extended fronts |
| Brand | next125, available at Goettling Interiors Dubai |
How These Materials Read in Dubai Light
The nx510 ultramarine matt velvet lacquer does something specific in strong natural light: it absorbs more than it reflects. In Dubai apartments where floor-to-ceiling glazing is standard, this matters considerably. A high-gloss blue would look dramatically different by midday than it does at dusk. The matt velvet lacquer stays consistent across changing light conditions, which is one of the reasons it works in spaces with significant glazing and shifting daylight throughout the day.
The nx870 SensiQ onyx black on the back units reads as near-black in most conditions, but the fine matt AFP finish gives it a slight depth that flat matte surfaces do not have. Together with the marble nox worktop, the lower section of this kitchen holds a visual weight that the upper wood elements balance from above. The result is a kitchen that uses contrast as a structural principle rather than a styling decision.
If you are working through a kitchen design project in Dubai and are considering something along these lines, the nx510 and nx870 front systems are worth looking at together rather than separately. The combination reads very differently when the two are placed side by side than when you see them in isolation on a swatch card. The same applies to the worktop: the Systemo ceramic collection has a texture and weight that does not photograph the way it looks in person. These are the cases where seeing the German kitchen cabinets and material samples before committing to a specification makes a real difference.
To arrange a visit to the showroom or to discuss a specific layout, the best starting point is the design team contact page. Front and worktop samples can be requested in advance so you arrive with a clearer picture of the materials already in mind.
