New products from KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Bauknecht and Indesit have been honored at one of the world’s most prestigious design competitions, the iF DESIGN AWARD 2019. Against fierce international competition, eleven products from Whirlpool Corporation’s EMEA brand portfolio won six iF Labels for outstanding achievement in design. These included two awards for product suites: the new Whirlpool W Collection Black Fiber Range, including a Built-in Oven, Built-in Microwave Oven, Vertical Hood and Induction Cooktop, and the new Bauknecht Built-in Collection with a Built-in Oven, Built-in Microwave Oven and Warming Drawer. Both suites strikingly employ dark black color palettes to bring a bold new aesthetic to modern kitchens. The Whirlpool brand also won two additional iF Labels for appliances in its premium W Collection range: the Supreme Clean Slim Size dishwasher and the 4 Doors fridge freezer. The Indesit brand, bringing quality design to a range focused on everyday families, impressed with its new Push&Go dryer, which debuted the brand’s all new user-friendly design language. Finally, an iF Label was awarded to KitchenAid’s Glassholder dishwasher accessory, demonstrating the importance of meticulous design on every level.
Over its 66-year history, the iF DESIGN AWARD has become one of the world’s most prestigious design competitions and is recognized as an arbiter of quality for exceptional design. Judged by an international panel of design experts and awarded annually, the prized iF Labels are presented to products that are considered outstanding in their field. This year Whirlpool brands were evaluated within a highly competitive field that included over 6,400 entries from 50 countries.
“We are truly thrilled to have received as many as six iF DESIGN AWARDS, recognizing the latest of our product innovation at Whirlpool,” said Neil Tunstall, Vice President Products of Whirlpool EMEA. “We continuously strive to provide our consumers with products of exceptional design, performance and innovation. Having our appliances stand out from thousands of entries in such a prestigious competition speaks to our commitment to designing the highest-quality solutions on the market.”
Whirlpool W Collection Black Fiber Range
Part of Whirlpool’s W Collection, this new premium suite of cooking appliances – including a built-in oven, built-in microwave oven, vertical hood and induction cooktop – also explores black tones to striking effect. On the built-in oven and microwaves, large aluminum and anodized handles combine with the flush interface to create the monolithic appeal of the suite. Black glass surfaces reflect the environment – a glossy look that is appealingly contrasted by matte black fiber cladding. The subtle design blends seamlessly with modern kitchen styles for a premium experience, enriched by innovation. This is exemplified by the induction cooktops, which integrate Whirlpool’s advanced 6TH SENSE technology, which senses pans and allows for effortless control, while monitoring coil activity is effortless via high-quality dual displays.
Bauknecht Built-in Collection
Bauknecht’s new Built-in Collection – a stylish suite of premium kitchen appliances, including a built-in oven, built-in microwave oven and warming drawer – offers an outstanding combination of distinctive design, flexible features and proven performance. Its crisp design combines a strong character of authenticity with geometric architecture that matches the Germanic roots of the brand. Designed to offer more sophisticated user experiences through advanced interfaces and functionality, appliances in the new Bauknecht suite are accentuated by a polished, dark color palette, balanced with the solidity of its minimalistic and monolithic styling. Products of the collection feature a thick, brushed aluminum band on their glass facades with coordinating, fully-integrated handle grips, which enable a completely flush installation to offer a smooth, continuous appearance alongside high-end kitchen cabinetry.
Beneath its refined aesthetic, the Bauknecht Built-in Collection appliances take the user experience to the next level. The oven and microwave’s TFT multi-colour displays deliver users an empowering, assisted cooking journey that makes it enjoyable to achieve extraordinary results. Thanks to their highly-intuitive assisted cooking modes, the appliances allow you to experiment and interact with new dishes and customize and store recipes to ‘favorites’, ensuring a pleasant cooking experience and desired results every time.
Whirlpool W Collection 4 Doors Fridge Freezer
Whirlpool’s new 4 Doors fridge freezer is part of the brand’s premium W-Collection. Mirroring contemporary home design trends, its polished aluminum blade and elegant full-width black interface ensures that this 591-litre appliance seamlessly complements any home, while offering a more intuitive user experience. Alongside these elements is an integrated pocket handle that follows the modern trend for handleless cabinetry. Opening the doors reveals the fridge’s panoramic interior, offering an expansive view that enhances accessibility in daily use. Beneath the surface, the new 4 Doors fridge freezer uses Whirlpool’s 6TH SENSE technology, which features smart sensors that constantly monitor conditions to optimize food preservation. Within the freezer compartments, extractable shelves ensure easy access to items. The fridge cavity is illuminated by a large LED panel placed in the ceiling, which casts a homogeneous light throughout the interior.
W Collection Supreme Clean Slim Size Dishwasher
The W Collection Supreme Clean Slim Size dishwasher from Whirlpool offers all the extra performance and power of a full-size premium appliance in a compact form factor. This is a distinctive proposition for consumers seeking a solution for smaller living spaces – for example, in urban environments – but who don’t wish to compromise on features.
Just 45cm wide, this range of slim, built-in dishwashers impresses with its combination of functional design, user-friendliness and high performance, thanks to Whirlpool’s unique 6TH SENSE technology and “Power Clean” function. The Power Clean system uses powerful rear water jets that achieve maximum coverage of the dishwasher tub to deliver outstanding cleaning results. Furthermore, the dishwasher has an intuitive touch interface, surrounded by an ele gant, black glass panel. This full-touch display provides direct access to the most frequently used programmes, while ease of use is further enhanced by a projected LED light on the floor that advises when a cycle is finished.
New Indesit Push&Go Dryer
Part of a new generation of appliances featuring Indesit’s design language, Indesit’s new Push&Go dryer seamlessly blends form and functionality. Aesthetically-appealing gentle curved surfaces, rounded corners, clearer interfaces and easy-to-understand icons make day-to-day interaction a breeze. The Push&Go button on the dryer makes it possible to quickly and easily dry laundry; at just the push of a button, a specific algorithm combines the right temperature with the studied drum movements and humidity sensors precision, in order to provide the perfect drying results for your daily load of cotton and synthetics clothes.
In addition to featuring Indesit’s signature textured motif around the porthole, the wider door offers a more simple, user-friendly experience and makes loading and unloading easier. The new design is particularly convenient, as it makes it possible to clean the filter without having to remove a heavy condenser filter device.
KitchenAid Glassholder
KitchenAid’s new foldable wine rack gives consumers a wide range of flexibility in usage – both inside and outside of the dishwasher. Four varieties of stem glasses of varying heights and shapes can be accommodated; for example, Riesling, Champagne and Burgundy glasses. Emblazoned with the iconic KitchenAid medallion, the rack has been designed to be aesthetically pleasing in its own right and can be used as a standalone kitchen accessory object; with its simple and meticulously-crafted appearance, the rack can be used as a wine glass display, placed on kitchen countertops or tabletops as a ‘pride piece’. This attention to design offers an additional reward to the user as part of the unique nature of the KitchenAid brand experience. When folded, the rack is flattened to a 55mm depth and can be easily stored.
“Each of our brands seek to place a clear and compelling proposition to our customers that is built around their lifestyles and evolving needs,” said Sander Brouwer, Global Design Manager Brands, Global Consumer Design, Whirlpool EMEA. “Design is more than just aesthetics; it is about communicating how we understand and address people’s unspoken desires and needs.”