THE RIGHT FIT
Kitchen appliances are smarter, slicker and advancing in so many directions
Kitchen appliances are becoming smarter and slicker by the second, says interior designer Ami McKay of Pure Design in Vancouver. They’re advancing in so many different directions, that no matter your style (classic, retro or ultra-modern) or tech tendencies (all about it or completely old school), there’s a factory-fresh product that fits.
This is a good thing, says McKay, because regardless of whether she’s designing a home for a client who lives alone, with another person or a large family, the kitchen is still the main act.
“No matter what, you still have to eat,” she says.
“And over time, I can’t imagine that everybody isn’t going to come together in a kitchen. It’s always going to be the hub of the home. I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”
One of the big changes in kitchen appliance design, she says, is the rethinking of traditional fridge, freezer and dishwasher configurations, with people embracing the drawer options of each, either using them in addition to the full-sized versions or in place of them, allowing for nothing to appear above counter level and creating an open, airy environment.
“I try to hide as many appliances as I can,” McKay says. “And I don’t use a lot of upper cabinets, if possible, so we can open up and give the illusion of space.”
“We also have microwave drawers now, so you don’t have to have your ugly microwave showing,” she adds.
The benefits of these drawers aren’t limited to style, either, McKay says, with fridge drawers placed just below the counter, being the perfect size for kids to easily access their snacks — fruit, yogurt and the like — and providing households with more foodstorage options.
Appliances that are easy to use are something Kentuckybased luxury appliance company Monogram feels it has achieved in the range of products it launched.
“Empathy sessions” saw members of the company’s industrial design team tape their knuckles (to simulate arthritis), place kernels of popcorn in their shoes (to cause foot pain) stuff cotton balls in their ears (to affect their hearing) and put on glasses that worsened their vision. They then attempted to put a 15-pound turkey in an oven and clean up afterwards — all so they could gain empathy for the elderly, given that baby boomers make up a large part of Monogram’s market.
“We know there’s a huge group of people, a huge cohort, that are aging, and aging in place becomes a much more viable, more desirable option for a lot of people, so the question is, as we design our projects, ‘How do we make them easier to use for everyone?’” says Marc Hottenroth, director of industrial design for Monogram.
Products that resulted from these sessions, says Hottenroth, include Monogram’s French Door Wall Oven, which has two large doors that open wide, and racks that extend fully, so people don’t have to bend over or into the oven when cooking. There are also induction cooktops with “Glide Touch” interfacing that are “as smooth and silky as using your iPhone” when setting the temperature, refrigerator drawers with ice trays and wine drawers at counter level, and innovative dishwasher design.
“Something fairly simple, but was a little bit of an ‘aha’ moment, was in dishwashers,” he says. “You open up the dishwasher, and it’s kind of a little bit dark and a bit of
The question is, as we design our projects, ‘How do we make them easier to use for everyone?’
a cavern inside, so what we did is we made really bright LED lights that shine from the side and illuminate the dishwasher. I think it’s just one of the things that helps a lot of people see.”
When it comes to style, McKay says colourful, retro kitchen appliances by the likes of Wolf and SubZero, Smeg and Big Chill have definitely made a comeback. These are proving to be popular, alongside the sleek, stainless steel, and black, with chrome detailing, popular in North America, as well as white appliances trending in Europe. But regardless of style, “everything is so incredibly high-tech.”
“Now, more than ever, design and digitally-savvy consumers are seeking out smarter technology in every aspect of their lives, and it’s no different in appliances,” says Warner Doell, senior vicepresident of sales and marketing for digital appliance business at Samsung Canada.
Offering a glimpse of where technology is going in kitchen appliance design, Doell says they are most excited about their Family Hub Refrigerator, released earlier this year, which features a “WiFi-enabled touchscreen” on the exterior door and “three built-in cameras that take a photo every time the doors close,” so consumers can see inside their fridge from their smartphone, while at the grocery store.