Do-It-All Appliances

In recent years, the appliance market seemed to be divided into camps, and took an either/or approach to features. Gourmet cooks demanded power, control and simple elegance, while overworked families opted for speed, pre-programmed ease of use and quick cleaning.

But as the kitchen continues to redefine itself with Great Room layouts wherein modules replace triangles, today’s consumers increasingly ask designers to give them appliances that do it all.

They must be advanced and complex, but also user-friendly. They should be able to be tucked behind panels or under the counter, but still provide a lot of internal space. They should be easy to maintain, but still make a powerful design statement. And some are even expected to serve multiple functions, such as an oven with a microwave tucked inside, or a remotely programmable refrigerator-oven combo.

High Style

“Kitchens have gotten sleeker and more efficient,” declares Alex Siow, v.p./marketing for Zephyr in San Francisco, CA.

“The mass market is definitely becoming more design-conscious,” adds Paul Leuthe, corporate marketing manager for Sub-Zero/Wolf in Madison, WI. “However, they do not necessarily want something that looks flashy. It has to be simple and look beautiful. That is the success of great design.”

“Today’s consumer is extremely [design] savvy,” concurs Jennifer Uihlein Straszewski, v.p./director of marketing for U-Line Corp. in Milwaukee, WI. “Consumers are looking to attain a lifestyle when making purchasing decisions, regardless of how much or how little they have to spend. [They know that] what they have says something about who they are or who they are striving to be.”

“Consumers want meaningful innovation – they want appliances that are stylishly uncomplicated,” believes Tom Majer, director of brand marketing communications for Frigidaire, in Augusta, GA.

“Today’s consumers are looking for appliances with a balance of creative ingenuity and intuitive functions to help them do more in less time with less effort,” asserts Tracy Frye, contract marketing manager at Whirlpool Corp. in Benton Harbor, MI.

The appliance industry is doing its best to fulfill everyone’s complex and often paradoxical desires. The market has “perked up considerably in the last few years,” claims Larry Lamkins, assistant v.p./marketing for DACOR in Diamond Bar, CA. “Each year now, the appliance manufacturers attempt to outdo each other by introducing something new and exciting. This is a huge benefit to the end-user.”

Outside the Box

Once the square boxy room in the corner, the kitchen has increasingly insinuated itself throughout the house via its appliances. And, in the kitchen itself, said appliances are more likely to be tucked under the counter or into a drawer.

“Drawer units are hot,” notes Straszewski. “The ‘horizontal trend’ has taken hold. Kitchen designers and homeowners have a strong preference for drawers rather than doors [under the counter] – therefore, appliances are also [becoming more] outside the box.” She cites U-Line’s combination refrigerator/freezer/ice maker drawers and wine storage drawers as innovations as examples.

Frye believes kitchen zones have replaced the triangle. “Zones allow consumers to perform beyond the typical sink-stove-refrigerator work triangle,” she explains. “These design solutions consist of a series of separate, yet interrelated areas” that take into consideration layout, appliances, lighting, storage needs and cabinet placement. “These designs include zones for baking, entertaining, food preparation and clean-up, as well as zones based on cooking style, number of cooks in the kitchen, and whether or not children are involved in the cooking process.”

“Too many people struggle with the big box stuck in the corner [when] they actually want refrigeration where it logically belongs,” says Leuthe.