All Powered Up
A thriving remodeling market, heightened consumer awareness
and a host of technological advancements have created dramatic
changes in today’s kitchen appliance market.
By Kevin Winkler
It wasn’t so very long ago that kitchen appliances were viewed
primarily as functional necessities, with restrictive, uninspired
designs that offered little in way of flexibility. But today’s
thriving remodeling market, combined with heightened consumer
awareness and technological advancements, has thrust high-end
kitchen appliances into the spotlight, both functionally and
aesthetically, according to manufacturers surveyed by Kitchen &
Bath Design News.
Merrell Grant, monogram product manager for General Electric, in
Louisville, KY, says, “The growth in the high end is a result of
economic prosperity. Additionally, consumers now see appliances as
a way to make a design statement. They replace the appliances
before failure, for styling and performance improvements.
“Consumers are looking at appliances in a new way,” Grant adds.
“More and more, appliances are seen as the best way to add
character or value to a home.” Grant notes that GE is answering
this new market trend with a wide array of customized options
within its appliance lines, including purified water in many of its
refrigeration products, and an oven with speed technology that
delivers food in “an average of one-fourth the time.”
Going high end
“In the appliance market today, we are seeing more emphasis in the
high-end market,” notes Richard Uihlein, v.p./advertising for
U-Line Corp., in Milwaukee, WI. “Customers are seeking highly
featured, higher quality, higher value products. Price is becoming
less of a driving factor. If the economy continues to be strong and
unemployment remains low, the trend toward high-end appliances will
continue to strengthen.”
One sure sign that indicates a trend toward the high end is an
increase in multiple product placement within the home, according
to Uihlein. “Several under-counter units in one home is quite
common [these days]. We are seeing placements in the kitchen,
bedroom, bathroom, workout room, outdoors, etc.”
Grant agrees. “With the increased economic prosperity, consumers
are finding creative ways to use our wine coolers and beverage
centers. Beverage centers in the bathroom for chilling beverages
and cosmetics, beverage centers in the guest bedroom for the late
night snack, the convenience and social statement of having wine
coolers in the dining room, and even paneled trash compactors for
the home office.”
But, as important as convenience is, consumers’ design needs
also weigh heavily in today’s appliance trends, manufacturers note.
“In the high-end sector, kitchen design appeal is important,”
states Dale Persons, v.p./public affairs for the Greenwood,
MS-based Viking Range Corp. “The kitchen is the center of the home,
so it must be beautiful and functional. It must incorporate all
family members and their activities. That is why we are seeing more
high-end and ultra-high-end business. We are also seeing more
full-line kitchens by the same manufacturer, and more outdoor
kitchens.”
Persons has also seen an increased interest in wine storage
units in the high-end sector. “More and more wine storage units are
being sold, and the future looks even better. People are more
educated and interested in purchasing wines. They have more
disposable income and are collecting more wine as opposed to
keeping only a few bottles on hand.”
Matthew Kueny, product manager, Built-in Appliances, at the
Somerset, NJ-based Miele, Inc. agrees. “Miele sees a huge potential
with high-end customers in this market. We are currently developing
units for North America. Again, these items are ‘showcase’ pieces
no one would want to conceal their 1966 Vintage Dom Perignon so
UV-protected glass fronts are a must.”
“There’s a definite trend toward higher-end products,” concurs
Bryce Wells, marketing manager for the Irvine, CA-based Fisher
& Paykel. “[Consumers want] not just expensive appliances, but
products that are diverse and tailor-made to meet a variety of
consumer needs. Also, we are starting to see more multiple products
fitted throughout the house. These products can be placed in more
convenient locations, rather than having to have one central area
for appliances.”
“Remodeling is fueling the growth in appliance sales,” notes
Nicole R. Meier, marketing manager for the Huntington Beach,
CA-based Dynamic Cooking Systems, Inc. (DCS). “Consumers are
looking for products with functions that aid them in today’s
fast-paced living. They are entertaining in their homes more than
ever, and want appliances that accommodate the cooking of large
meals in an efficient manner.”
Cooking revolution
Improved technological features are the defining factor in many of
today’s cooking appliances, according to most manufacturers. “Speed
cooking is appearing and its effect will be raising the average
retail of many manufacturers’ products due to the investment to
develop,” says Kaeser.
“The speed cooking revolution is just beginning, and GE is
leading the way in developing this new technology a technology that
perfectly matches consumers’ desire for a more convenient
lifestyle,” Eckert adds.
Miele is experiencing a wonderful response to two new cooking
products a coffee system and a convection steam oven, according to
Kueny. He notes that the coffee system is a built-in, fully
automatic coffee system that prepares café quality coffee at
home, keying into consumers’ desire for every kind of luxury
possible in the kitchen. “It can be built into the consumers’
cabinets to help reduce counter clutter, and it provides
architectural flexibility as it does not require either a water
feed or drain line,” Kueny adds.
The convection steam oven is another “world’s first,” according
to Kueny. “Developed to meet the obvious increase in the concern
about ‘healthy cooking,’ it uses a pressure injection system to
rapidly cook foods without the use of fats or oils providing
healthy and flavorful results in just minutes.”
“Increased technology like speed cooking is a hot trend,” agrees
Wells. “Consumers are looking to fit appliances around their
lifestyles, rather than fit lifestyles around their
appliances.”
In addition to fast cooking, today’s consumers value
entertaining, and that means cooking appliances that can
“multi-task.” To that end, Meier notes that DCS now offers ranges
with such configurations as cooktops with multiple burners, a
griddle, and a grill that make cooking for a group easier.
“Anything that allows for easy function is hot right now. For
example, our dual range ovens and double wall ovens offer racks on
rollers. Home chefs can easily slide these oven racks from one
position to another, without struggle. This function enhances the
cooking experience.”
Quiet, please
Because consumers are entertaining in their homes more than ever,
they are demanding products that not only offer swift and easy
clean up, but offer quiet operation, as well. “The main trend in
dishwashers is quiet performance,” says Grant.
The trend in dishwashers is definitely “quieter, quieter,
quieter,” Persons agrees.
Still, not all manufacturers believe that supply always meets
consumer demand this way. “Silent operation [is the buzzword
today], and all claim to have it, but only a couple really do,”
insists Kaeser. “However, the overall decibel range has come down a
lot.”
“First and foremost, our customers demand cleaning ability
followed by decibel ratings and then convenience features,” says
Kueny. “This is an area where we believe that many consumers are
being misguided during the purchasing process. The purpose of a
dishwasher is to clean dishes plain and simple.
Miele’s unique three-spray arm system and cutlery tray ensure
optimal cleaning of dishes and flatware while operating at a mere
43 dB.”
Flexibility is also a hot trend with dishwashers, and Wells
notes, “Fisher & Paykel offers a unique dishwasher with drawers
like a filing cabinet. Each drawer is separate in function, with
separate motors for each drawer, allowing the different
compartments to wash on different cycles. It can be half the size
of a normal dishwasher, which offers more flexibility. We’ve even
had people install them in their bedrooms.”
Timeless stainless
Most everyone agrees that consumer interest in commercial grade,
stainless steel appliances remains strong.
“Stainless steel has been and should continue to be the major
trend,” says Kaeser. “It’s an easy one to figure out. Trends are
about style, style, style. Obviously, each category has its own
subset of feature trends; speed cooking, sensor technology [for
laundry], concealed controls [dishwashing], zone sensors
[refrigerators], but the main shift and focus is and will continue
to be on style.”
“Stainless steel and commercial looks were introduced a while
ago, but they are becoming more popular,” concurs GE’s Grant.
“Supporting this growth are things like Consumer Reports covering
professional cooking products and more brands entering the
professional market. However, the demand from the consumer is that
those commercial looks must be livable; they want stainless steel,
but they want it cleanable, with minimal cracks and
crevices.
“They now want a residential commercial range as opposed to a
commercial residential range. Or, put another way, [they want] a
residential range that takes styling and performance cues from
commercial products, rather than taking commercial products and
making regulatory modifications for the residential market. For
example, you would never put a sealed burner in a commercial
application, but the residential consumer demands it,” adds
Grant.
“Stainless steel remains very strong,” agrees Persons, adding,
“consumers are showing more interest in the designer colors,
although they remain a relatively small part of the business.
Appliances represent a major investment, so consumers tend to think
in terms of colors and finishes they will like for a long
time.”
For consumers uninterested in the commercial look of stainless
steel, manufacturers offer an array of designer colors, though
white, black and off whites like biscuit remain by far the most
popular. “Stainless steel is number one by a long shot,” says
Kaeser, “while black and white continue to teeter, with black
currently the bigger trend right now. Biscuit is catching on and
will grow, but not at an earth-shattering rate.” Kaeser adds that
there is a potential for other categories in the same vein as
stainless steel, noting that aluminum is very hot in some design
centers, as are aluminum appliances in Europe.
“We expect dark, rich colors to become a popular alternative to
the customary standard palette now offered by most manufacturers,”
says Kueny. “Again, certain items are intended to stand out in the
kitchen the semi-professional range or cooking surface or a
decorator hood and color helps them stand out.”
Barely visible
Though stainless steel reigns supreme, many manufacturers believe
the hidden, barely-visible appliance is gaining in popularity. “We
see a definite trend in Miele dishwashers toward fully integrated
units, which accept a full front door panel and are completely
concealed in the cabinets,” notes Kueny. “These types of units now
represent over 30 percent of our dishwasher volume. The trend
toward concealing the more utilitarian appliances such as
refrigerators, dishwashers and other ‘non-showcase’ items in the
kitchens seems to be growing. I believe it will continue to grow
and expand to the other utilitarian products in the kitchen the
dishwasher, trash compactors, warming drawers, etc. all the items a
customer doesn’t want to show off to family, friends and
neighbors.”
“Integrated can only grow as new home starts and renovations
continue to grow,” notes Eckert. “And, concealed controls are, for
sure, the trend.”
“Built-in and integrated refrigerators are becoming more popular
among some,” concurs Viking’s Persons.
“But, there is definitely a large group of customers who want
the more distinct appearance of high-performance, commercial-style
appliances.” KBDN