EUROPEAN SENSIBILITY
Consumers want smaller, more stylish home appliances as Euro sensibility infiltrates North American taste, Rebecca Keillor writes.
North Americans are becoming more European in their taste when it comes to home appliances, says Christian Boscherini, marketing and events coordinator for Smeg USA.
“They’re living in smaller apartments, more compact spaces,” he says. “Plus the fact that the kitchen has supplanted the living room as sort of the central location to entertain people and serve food, it’s become much more important to have smaller, space and energyefficient and stylistic items.”
Smeg’s ’50s retro-style fridges, in fun prints and colours ranging from candy stripes to the Union Jack, have been gobbled up by U.S. and Canadian consumers, says Boscherini, which he says reflects this shift toward urban living (smaller spaces), and an appreciation for good design.
The Smeg 32 retro-style fridge, released this year, was the Italian company’s response to the North American market.
“There was immense demand for it because everyone liked the Fab 28 retro-style refrigerators but the 28 only had a tiny freezer compartment and by American and Canadian standards they were way too small,” he says. “So this one has a separate frost free freezer and considerably more capacity, which was more appropriate for the markets.”
Consumers on both sides of the border tend to favour the more subtle colours in this retro range.
The kitchen has supplanted the living room … to entertain people and serve food.
“Pastel blue, pastel green, cream and also red tends to be very popular in general,” says Boscherini. “Usually the more garish the colour the less popular it is.”
That said, Boscherini says they’re anticipating the approval of a refrigerator later this year that people always “lose their minds over” when they see it.
“It’s called the Smeg 500,” he says. “It’s the front end of a 1965 Fiat 500 car turned into a refrigerator, complete with functional headlights and a hood that opens and closes.”
Ultra clean and streamlined surfaces (to the point of invisibility), seem to be the dominant thought behind Miele’s latest (cooking), range series, laundry systems, vacuums and dishwashers.
Miele’s new Knock2Open dishwasher, for example, as its name suggests, has no handles and opens when someone knocks twice on the front panel. The German company prides itself on being a leader in product technology and this is evident in the Miele Culinary Centre 48 inch Range, which features six gas burners (with the choice of a grill or griddle), and three ovens: a speed oven that incorporates an oven for dry cooking and a microwave; a steam oven, with “moisture plus capabilities” for roasting the perfect chicken or baking; and a warming drawer that also acts as a slow roaster.
The demand for appliances that blend in with their surrounds is growing, says Cindy Kienleitner, senior sales and product adviser at Trail Appliances in Vancouver.
“For refrigeration we have noticed an enormous increase of interest in built-in columns,” she says. “Triple-fold benefit with these. One being the ability to choose the correct fridge-tofreezer ratio for your needs and the second benefit being that you can choose traditional stainless steel panels or go with matching wood fronts to have it blend seamlessly into surrounding cabinetry. The older side-by-side styles, with visible trims and compressor panels are being put on the back shelf by these fully integrated, completely flush, sleek new styles.”
There have been great improvements in wall ovens, says Kienleitner, seen in brands such as Bosch’s Benchmark series, with side swing doors, which allow easy access into ovens, without having to lean over hot doors.
And mirroring Miele’s innovation in steam-oven technology, she says “combi steam ovens are by far the most popular item on consumers’ wish lists.”
Cooking with steam allows you to “preserve up to 22 per cent more vitamins than traditional methods,” says Kienleitner, and the combi steam setting is perfect for baking.
“Your crusts are perfectly golden and crispy (no more spritzing the crust while baking), no need for Baine Maries while baking cheesecakes. Proteins benefit from this even, moist environment as well — perfect succulent juicy chicken with a nice crispy brown exterior in 25 minutes.”