My Stove, My Self

Step into an appliance showroom these days and you’ll be dazzled by appliances that are saturated with bold new colors and full of clever ideas—some of them amazingly high-tech and some of them surprisingly simple—that can make your life easier.

Consider, for example, the Amana Jot refrigerator. It features a dry-erase surface that allows you to write notes directly on the door. Not exactly a space-age innovation but a clever idea nonetheless.

Other refrigerators offer “smart” temperature controls as well as water- and air-filtration to reduce chemical contaminants and minimize the transfer of odors. Brainy ovens take some of the pressure off novice cooks by suggesting which settings to use for cooking, say, a Thanksgiving turkey.

In addition, many of today’s dishwashers and washing machines, thankfully, have incorporated better design and improved insulation that make them quieter, which is oh-so-important in homes with open floorplans.

Manufacturers are responding to the needs of the modern consumer by offering everything from space-saving, counter-depth refrigerators to 60-inch-wide, professional-grade ranges with grill and burner combinations. Appliances also are more accommodating, energy-efficient and time-saving than ever before.

“I love the design flexibility that the latest appliances offer, like refrigerator drawers that can be installed in islands and freezer and refrigerator columns that can be installed apart from each other,” says Tampa" target=_blank>Tampa designer Jamie Goldberg of Kitchen and Bath Design. “I’m also bullish on induction cooktops that save energy and give non-gas households professional cooking capability.”
For example, electric induction cooktops use electromagnetic energy, which can provide faster heating times.

“It’s an expensive technology,” says Jason Horst, business development manager for Famous Tate. “But it’s safer and more energy-efficient than gas and conventional electric cooktops.”
The surface surrounding the burners doesn’t get hot, Horst notes, because the heat is transferred directly to the cooking pan and food.

Double duty
Consumers and industry professionals are embracing appliances that do double duty, such as the Insight and Insight Pro ranges from Sharp Electronics. They combine glass ceramic cooktops, convection ovens and microwave oven drawers in one space-saving appliance.

In larger homes, there’s a trend toward installing two or more of the same appliances. There may be a dishwasher in the butler’s pantry as well as in the kitchen or there may be a second microwave in the master bedroom’s “morning bar.”

“Also, it’s kind of a new trend to bring washers and dryers into different areas of the house, maybe in the laundry room and the master bedroom closet,” says Staci Ziccardi, marketing manager for Florida Builder Appliances, which has a showroom in Tampa" target=_blank>Tampa. “It’s mainly for convenience.”

Warming drawers, which are becoming a staple in high-end kitchens, are popular in the master bath as are towel warmers, says Cathy Bame of the Westye Group.

Not all models are suitable for bathroom use, of course, but Wolf has a warming drawer that works in either room, and the unit has hidden electronic controls so it can be integrated with surrounding cabinetry.

Appliance drawers of any kind are a big trend right now, Horst adds. That may be, in part, because manufacturers also are considering the needs of the aging Baby Boomers.

Accessible design
“Aging-in-place is something that manufacturers acknowledge and are designing toward,” Horst says.

Dishwasher drawers, for ex-ample, are more accessible than a typical dishwasher because you won’t have to bend down to load and unload dishes. Fisher & Paykel has 14 DishDrawer models that can be installed in single- or double-drawer configurations.

Microwave oven drawers also can be installed under the counter for ease of access. Dacor’s Millennia Microwave In-A-Drawer comes in 24- and 30-inch versions with drawers that glide open at the push of a button and a control lock for safety.

Refrigerator drawers, too, are more convenient for homeowners with limited mobility as well as for children.

Convenient and smart
Convenience is an important consideration when buying appliances, which is why refrigerators with external door water dispensers are so much in demand. The problem is space.

However, the Fisher and Paykel Active Smart French door refrigerator with freezer drawer boasts an integrated indoor water dispenser that takes up far less room yet still provides cold, filtered water at the touch of a button.

Refrigerators with bottom-mount freezers are still hot sellers, ?especially the French-door models, some of which now have not one but two freezer drawers. GE offers models with one freezer drawer for everyday convenience and another for oversize items or longer-term storage.

There’s definitely been a trend toward more high-end, commercial-grade kitchen appliances, experts say. They’re hard-working and attention-grabbing and serve as—dare we say it—status symbols.

But there are also practical reasons for sinking your money into SuperCool functions that sense the presence of warm food and automatically drop the interior temperature to the lowest-possible setting until the food has chilled.

Now that’s smart. Also intelligent is the Miele MasterChef oven. Just tell it what you want to cook and the program will automatically select the optimal cooking mode and temperature. Plus, you can store recipes in its computer brain.

Function is key in any kitchen design, of course, but why stop there when you can invest in pieces that also transform your cooking space into a showcase of style.

High style
“Everybody wants these eco-friendly cabinets now and they want a clean-lined contemporary look instead of all these corbels and roped molding,” says Exclusa. “It seems like they want the same things in appliances. Something with clean-lined, modern appeal. Bosch and Miele are good choices.”

For years, stainless steel was the fashionable finish—and it’s still popular—but many homeowners now prefer their appliances to be cleverly concealed behind kitchen cabinetry, Exclusa adds. Others want to add excitement with bold enamel and tinted-glass finishes.

Manufacturers are eager to please these fearless homeowners by offering major appliances in striking hues. TurboChef Technologies, for example, recently introduced more than 200 color options—including Thermal Red and Evening Blue—for its chic speed cook ovens. Viking Range Corp. recently expanded its range of finishes from 14 to 24 color choices including Sage and Golden Mist.

“Color has been coming back in more,” Horst says. “In kitchens, there’s white, black and stainless and now we see color. People want something that makes a statement. Red has been popular.”
The sassy new colors can freshen up a space, Horst adds. Buy a range or other major appliance in tangerine or eggplant and you’ve just created a focal point.

Electrolux offers a front-loading washer and dryer set in an eye-catching turquoise sky blue, which is just one of several finishes. Go classic with silver or white. Or go bold with red, green or Mediterranean blue.

“The trend is definitely front-loading washing machines, which save water,” Horst says. “And you can design a laundry room around these colors.”