Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Kitchen Appliances
Top Ideabooks
2012 Appliance Trends: Kitchens
Seriously sleek and smart kitchen designs are on their way
When you think about appliances, you probably think of stainless and integrated kitchens. That perception is about to shift. Take a look at these 2012 trends and you'll see inspirations far beyond the bulky, pro-style ranges of the last dozen years.
Ferguson, a major high-end appliance, lighting and fixtures retailer, was an helpful resource in creating this Ideabook, sharing their national predictions for 2012. The IMM LivingKitchen show in Cologne, Germany in 2011 also was very helpful. Many of the trends and products I saw there (as a guest of Blanco, a German sink and faucet manufacturer) will make their way to American shores this year.
Browse modern kitchen photos | Find a kitchen designer
Ferguson, a major high-end appliance, lighting and fixtures retailer, was an helpful resource in creating this Ideabook, sharing their national predictions for 2012. The IMM LivingKitchen show in Cologne, Germany in 2011 also was very helpful. Many of the trends and products I saw there (as a guest of Blanco, a German sink and faucet manufacturer) will make their way to American shores this year.
Browse modern kitchen photos | Find a kitchen designer
|
by Paul Anater
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Increased integration will be coming to a kitchen near you. No longer are paneled dishwashers and refrigerators enough for the modern open kitchen. Ovens, microwaves and other wall-mounted appliances are becoming sleeker, more modular and hug their cabinetry more closely than ever before. This is abundantly evident in this kitchen that Paul Anater, my friend and fellow traveler to IMM's LivingKitchen show, shared in his coverage of the event. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| High-tech design is another hot appliance trend for the new year. Not only are manufacturers bringing the functionality of high-tech gadgets to appliances, they also are borrowing their streamlined designs. This Horizon vent hood by Zephyr exemplifies this trend. In fact, it was designed by former Apple Computer designer Robert Brunner. |
| Intuitive touchscreen interfaces will be a major trend in 2012, according to Ferguson. They've been available in basic form for awhile, but the smartphone and tablet craze has spread like wildfire to the appliance category. New models will provide far more functionality than just presets, cooking time and mode. Ferguson points to the new Jenn-Air Pro Style Range with recipe memory and recall as one example of the "smart stove" offerings. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Induction cooking has been popular in Europe for quite awhile, but its reintroduction into the U.S. several years back has been slow to catch on. This is likely to be the year it really takes off. There are several reasons why:
• It can lower your electric bill and cash-strapped homeowners are taking notice
• Improvements are delivering pro-chef level temperature control
• Their speed is increasingly appealing to time-stressed homeowners
• There is an ever-broadening selection of offerings, including 30" and 36" cooktops, slide-in and free-standing ranges that are easier than ever to operate
Later this year, Gaggenau and Thermador will be releasing smarter cooktops with full surface cooking and setting memory as you move your pot and pan from one location to another.
• It can lower your electric bill and cash-strapped homeowners are taking notice
• Improvements are delivering pro-chef level temperature control
• Their speed is increasingly appealing to time-stressed homeowners
• There is an ever-broadening selection of offerings, including 30" and 36" cooktops, slide-in and free-standing ranges that are easier than ever to operate
Later this year, Gaggenau and Thermador will be releasing smarter cooktops with full surface cooking and setting memory as you move your pot and pan from one location to another.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Steam cooking, something I fell in love with a few years ago, will be another major trend in 2012. Steam ovens have long been popular in large upscale kitchens whose owners value its healthy cooking benefits. New offerings bring steam to microwaves, double ovens and even ranges. This dramatically improves the opportunity to design steam cooking into the typical American kitchen. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
More multi-tasking appliance offerings, like this refrigerator/freezer/wine captain combo, will continue to surge in 2012.
Recent multi-taskers released in 2011 have included a built-in fridge with a convertible fridge/freezer drawer, a countertop microwave/steam oven/grill and pro-style range with steam oven. Expect to see more unique and useful combos in 2012.
This is due in part to a value consciousness by homeowners. Interestingly, it's also due to two conflicting trends: One, the average home is shrinking in size compared to the boom-time McMansions and two, the larger, more affluent homes tend to have large, open "show" kitchens and smaller back "prep" or "caterer's" kitchens. Multi-taskers come in handy for both.
Recent multi-taskers released in 2011 have included a built-in fridge with a convertible fridge/freezer drawer, a countertop microwave/steam oven/grill and pro-style range with steam oven. Expect to see more unique and useful combos in 2012.
This is due in part to a value consciousness by homeowners. Interestingly, it's also due to two conflicting trends: One, the average home is shrinking in size compared to the boom-time McMansions and two, the larger, more affluent homes tend to have large, open "show" kitchens and smaller back "prep" or "caterer's" kitchens. Multi-taskers come in handy for both.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| New ventilation pretenders will likely cross the Atlantic to American shores this year. Elica, an Italian manufacturer famous for whimsical range hoods, is one of the leaders in making these appliances look like chandeliers or sculpture. Neff is a German manufacturer that also creates stylish, non-traditionally-styled hoods. The reason hoods like theirs, and like Zephyr's Horizon, are likely to trend next year is they are ideal for minimalist, open plan kitchens. Many are narrow enough to hide behind the same panels as the cooktop below. Others simply look like something other than a hood, thus reinforcing the living room feel to the kitchen. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| White will be returning in sleek modular glass-front appliances later in the new year. This photo from last year's IMM LivingKitchen show in Cologne was part of Miele's European line. Many of the appliance brands there were showing similar glossy, glass-fronted whites. Expect to see these styles cross the pond later this year. American manufacturers are taking note; according to Ferguson, Whirlpool already has an iPhone-inspired White Ice series planned for the US market. More: Special Report: Kitchen News from Cologne Home Tech: Make a Place for the Web in the Kitchen Reader's Choice: The Top Kitchens of 2011 |
Ideabook updated on Jan. 11, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
I know a few places to get appliances like this, but I'd hoped 2012 would be the year it would go mainstream. Maybe 2013 will be :)
Like engineerchic, I'm longing for simple, human touch.