The appliance brands KitchenAid, Whirlpool, and Bauknecht received five awards at this year’s Red Dot Awards for Product Design – one of the world’s most prestigious design awards.
The jury awarded three individual products and two coordinated suites of appliances: Two awards were received for Whirlpool’s W Collection W11 cooking suites, with both the integrated handle and protruding handle variants of the premium range honored. Both built-in suites comprise of an oven, microwave, steam oven, speed oven, induction hob, and hood – with elegant shared aesthetics that seamlessly coordinate. Whirlpool achieved a further win with its Grand Side by Side fridge freezer, offering a product design with a semi-integrated handle that complements the contemporary preference for flush, handle-less cabinets. Furthermore, the Iconic Fridge from KitchenAid was honored with a Red Dot Award for invoking a sense of heritage with a beauty that is timeless, while Bauknecht’s Built-In Touch UI dishwasher convinced the jury by the combination of authentic design, performance and ease of use.
Under the motto “In search of good design and innovation”, the Red Dot Awards are selected by the 40-member international jury of designers, leading academics and respected journalists from among tens of thousands of products. The submissions that receive a coveted Red Dot Seal are the products that stand out for their high design quality.
“It is an incredible honor to have no fewer than 15 products across three of our brands carrying a Red Dot Award label,” commented Norbert Schmidt, Vice President, Market Operations, Products & Brands Marketing of Whirlpool EMEA. “Whether it’s everyday housework or cooking with passion, receiving such highly-contested accolades for design on a global stage reflects our commitment to place exceptional, authentic design at the heart of every product we create. Great design does more than just delight the senses, but is the key to making consumers’ lives simpler and happier – bringing brilliant results, every day.”
The five Red Dot Awards further contribute to a glittering season of success in major design competitions: In February, the two W Collection W11 ranges, KitchenAid Iconic Fridge and a Whirlpool washing machine were honored with four iF awards at the iF DESIGN AWARD 2018.
W Collection Cooking Suite – W11 Protruding Handle
Inspired by modern kitchen cabinetry, this built-in suite from Whirlpool’s premium W Collection range includes: a vertical hood, 77cm induction hob, oven, steam oven, speed oven and microwave combi with a protruding handle.
The cooking suite features crafted metal handles with a dished surface treatment that cradles the thumb and draws focus to the subtle reflective surface. The use of black glass ensures a striking presence and creates a monolithic appearance, as the cavity and screen remain hidden when turned off. Even so, usability remains effortless: The same 4.5″ MySmartDisplay is used on all built-in products, increasing familiarity and helping to guide users through the programs, memorizing their routines and suggesting perfect settings according to desired results. All appliances feature 6TH SENSE Live technology with internet connectivity to extend their flexibility and ease of use, allowing for pleasurable remote control and monitoring via a smart device and adding exciting new possibilities such as letting users download recipes and settings to their appliance.
W Collection Cooking Suite – W11 Integrated Handle
This built-in suite from Whirlpool’s premium W Collection features a water-jet cut integrated handle to enable flush installation in the kitchen, for a cleaner contemporary appearance. The suite of built-in appliances, which has now won both Red Dot and iF Label awards for exceptional design, includes a T-Shape slim hood, 90cm induction hob, oven, steam oven, speed oven and microwave combi with a pocket handle.
Black glass elegantly conceals cavities and the seamlessly integrated screens, which become invisible when powered off. Here again, a dished surface treatment and a reflective surface present a clean, linear aesthetic that focuses attention on the elegantly simple interface. The appearance of the appliances conveys a sense of exclusivity, while also highlighting the subtlety of the crafted details and to the smart functions and intuitive interfaces. Beneath the ultra-modern looks, the suite delivers truly futuristic features and interaction: The 6TH SENSE Live technology offers internet connectivity and enables remote control via a smart device or browser, and lets users discover and download recipes, and control their appliance and cooking results with unprecedented simplicity.
Whirlpool Grand Side by Side
Whirlpool’s new Grand Side by Side fridge freezer offers a product design with a semi-integrated handle that complements the contemporary preference for flush, handle-less cabinets. Whirlpool also created a new hinge design that ensures minimal gaps when the doors are open, making possible a fully aligned built-in installation.
The Grand Side by Side immediately impresses with the cool, tactile grip of the brushed aluminum integrated handles, which subtly conveys a sense of high quality. Inside, the Grand Side by Side also offers exceptional quality. The ideal levels of temperature and humidity for food preservation are maintained throughout the entire fridge cavity by sensor-based technology that constantly monitors humidity and temperature variations inside the fridge cavity, allowing for independent adaptation and control of temperature and humidity: 6TH SENSE Fresh Control can separately drive the fan (humidity control) and compressor (temperature control). In order to optimally preserve food quality in the freezer, the intelligent FreezeControl technology prevents variations caused by the NoFrost system – it stops moisture migration, thus reducing freezer food burns by up to 50%.
Bauknecht Built-In Touch UI Dishwasher
The Bauknecht Built-In Dishwasher has been created to offer a market-leading combination of authentic design, performance and ease of use. It features an intuitive new top mounted touch interface in a sleek black ceramic glass panel. This full touch digital display offers direct access to the most frequently used cycles, with a long inner display used to communicate the machine status. Everyday use is made easier thanks to a new LED light in the tub that eases loading and maintenance, while a new Glass Care accessory for the lower rack helps keep a wide range of glasses stable. This works with a dedicated Glass cycle to guarantee sparkling glassware. Washing and drying performance are guaranteed by PowerClean and PowerDry technologies that make it possible to clean and fully dry a full load of dishes in just 1 hour. Main programs include: Glass, Rapid, 1 hour wash & dry, Auto Sensor, Eco, Intensive, +Hygene, +Daily, + Silent, + Prewash. Even initial installation and alignment to kitchen cabinets is enhanced thanks to a flexible sliding system that can fit door panels of up to 80 cm high, with a minimum plinth size of up to 2 cm.
The KitchenAid Iconic Fridge – Creating a new design icon
Inspired by the timeless, instantly recognizable style of the world-famous KitchenAid Artisan stand-mixer, the new Iconic Fridge from KitchenAid was conceived from the outset as a new design classic: This uncompromised ambition is now rewarded by multiple award wins at world-renown international design competitions. Iconic by name, an icon in the kitchen – its design excites through its finely crafted details and harmonic proportions, and by invoking a sense of heritage with a beauty that is timeless. Through its elegance and durability, the Iconic fridge embodies KitchenAid’s guarantee of artisan craftsmanship, attention to detail and precious materials. Its exceptional nature is seen in every detail – from its full metal door and top surface to its chrome handle and plinth.
KitchenAid’s brand DNA is boldly expressed in the highly polished cast-metal handle that is prominently placed horizontally on the door, recalling the ‘trim band’ of the stand-mixer. The handle is mounted with KitchenAid’s colored medallions on both sides. The chromed ventilation gaps that elegantly elevate the door balance the presence of the handle and add a further subtle resonance with the ‘streamline’ style that first inspired KitchenAid’s stand-mixer.
