Strong recall to the past but with more contemporary lines where rounded shapes dominate as well as colors, both muted and vivid. And the result is of a great aesthetic impact, with a pleasant and comfortable mix of tradition and modernity
By Simona Preda
To know something more about the reasons of the choice of these lines, the characteristics and the feedback of consumers, we spoke with some companies, that we thank for the information provided: Daniela Rana, responsible for sales & marketing of Berkel; Valentina Bertazzoni, brand manager of Bertazzoni; Enrico Vento, managing director and CEO of Bompani Elettrodomestici; Matjaz Geratic, managing director of Gorenje Italia; Imane Ghorbani, senior marketing manager EMEA of KitchenAid SDA; Giorgio Bettiol, business specialist of Morphy Richards.
Recall to memory
In furniture and fashion operators often take inspiration by the past reinterpreting it with lines and features typical of the Fifties and the following decades, updating them with more contemporary forms that combine ancient and modern in a vintage style. Also home appliances are affected by this trend, with rounded features, attention to detail and extensive use of color. «We made this choice because vintage design is very fashionable now» – says Giorgio Bettiol of Morphy Richards. «It is visible a great return to the Sixties and Seventies in all fields: from music to fashion, from cars and scooters to the furniture and home appliance sectors. The acknowledgment and appreciation of the public is very high, even because it is the trend of the moment.»
«The freestanding kitchen is an important element of our memory» – explains Enrico Vento of Bompani Elettrodomestici. « Our grandparents’ houses passed in a short time from the chimney to the wood stove and then to the gas cooker. Today the appliances with a vintage style allows us to give personality to our kitchens and revive the centrality of the hearth. We see a growing interest in the kitchens with strong personality, which contrasts with the offer of anonymous and often hidden appliances».
Daniela Rana of Berkel adds that «to respond to this trend and give the consumer the opportunity to maintain his style of furniture in the kitchen seemed immediately to us a winning idea, but the market enthusiasm has certainly surprised us, in fact the appreciation of the public was significantly higher than expected.» Matjaz Geratic of Gorenje Italia believes that «vintage lines never go out of fashion. As for us design is a priority as well as the advanced technology, Gorenje has decided to dedicate a special space to this range, in order to give the customer a wide choice of products, not only for functionality but also for aesthetic taste. A decision that rewards: the response, in fact, has been very positive since the very first ranges that were launched few years ago.»
For some companies, such as KitchenAid and Bertazzoni, vintage design is closely connected with their history. «Our company is ancient. In fact, it was born in 1882 as a specialist of the cooking area» – explains Valentina Bertazzoni of Bertazzoni. «We have an archieve of images and technical projects to draw upon and to reinterpret.
Our Prima kitchen, launched last year, revises the first gas model of 1950. It is a project in which young designers cooperate after winning an award for emerging designers. The result was very positive and favorably surprised us. The response of the audience is great, because the kitchen is subject of all memory. The lines refer to the past both in fashion, furnishings and car, but with the addition of technology.»
Imane Ghorbani of KitchenAid explains that «the first food processor was born in 1919, so for nearly a century KitchenAid products are the perfect combination of professional services, attention to detail and iconic design, always timeless, distinctive and bold, able of giving character and style to any kitchen.
Performance, design, meticulous attention to detail and color strategy are distinctive characteristics of the brand for which we find a growing appreciation by consumers.»
The choice of colors
Color is an important aspect in an appliance with vintage design because it helps to characterize it. This is why the color selection is quite extensive and also focuses on unusual shades. Examples are the KitchenAid small appliances, whose color range is very wide, as Imane Ghorbani explains, «Original and monochromatic colors embody the historicity of the brand (Imperial Red, Cream or Onyx Black …), but also the desire of being surrounded by cheerful colors (Crystal Blue, Sunflower Yellow or Pistachio…); the Elegance range (Metallic Apple Red, Pearl or Terracotta…), emphasizes shapes and lines through light games and precious materials, for those who love creativity and elegance in the kitchen; the Exclusive range has metallic finishes (Chrome, Brushed Nickel and Brushed Copper) designed for those looking for a sober but sophisticated elegance.»
«We focused on the more appealing colors, like cream, white, red, violet and silver,» says Giorgio Bettiol of Morphy Richards. «In fact, we strongly believe in the impact of design and coloring in the purchasing choices: this is why our product lines include a wide variety of shapes and colors dedicated to enhance all styles of kitchens and homes.»
The attention to the kitchen space is important also for Bertazzoni, in fact Valentina Bertazzoni explains that «for Prima kitchen we studied the colors in a perspective of kitchen environment, choosing red, the color that people like most and which denotes passion, warmth and generates emotion. But also more muted tones such as light green, or sugar paper blue and coffee and milk». Matjaz Geratic of Gorenje Italia has the same opinion asserting that: «our marketing department in the headquarters in Slovenia is very careful to the public requests. So the choice of the color range is varied, from the most classic ones as our bordeaux to the most risky tones such as lime green, so that the appliances can be inserted in either a classic or modern context.»
Enrico Vento of Bompani Elettrodomestici explains that «we have tried to give new life to the most vivid colors in our memory with ivory, wine red and matte black.» Daniela Rana of Berkel underlines: «we have selected five very soft colors, almost nuances, to enter the kitchens and homes going along with the atmosphere, making them forget the cold of the slicer blade steel with the warmth of soft and discreet colors. Among the five pastel colors proposed, the most loved by the public are surely white and light blue.»
The importance of design
When choosing an appliance, whether large or small, how important is design? Valentina Bertazzoni of Bertazzoni believes that «the aesthetic factor is extremely important, because it is a piece of furniture and adds beauty to the environment. Often the technology is given for granted, but you must fall in love of an appliance. Moreover color and design add emotion.»
Giorgio Bettiol of Morphy Richards agrees: «The aesthetic factor has a great importance in the choice of an appliance, especially at a time of weak demand as the current one. Innovative design and color are two components that can make the difference at time of purchase, of course together with the price.» Same opinion is expressed by Enrico Vento of Bompani Elettrodomestici which states: «for us, the appliance is a piece of furniture. It is an object to be put in sight to give style and personality to the environment, from kitchen to laundry.»
Besides the aesthetics and the value of furniture of a home appliance, it is also important the functionality. In fact Daniela Rana of Berkel explains that «today the aesthetic factor is very important, so much that sometimes people do the big mistake of looking more to design than to quality. This is why we are proud of the Home Line, because it guarantees professional levels of functionality and performance, concentrating them in small design jewels.» Matjaz Geratic of Gorenje explains that «for us the aesthetics plays a very important role, having worked with many of the most famous designers such as Philippe Starck and Karim Rashid. Our client is usually demanding both for functionality and aesthetics.»
«The aesthetic factor is crucial in the choice of an appliance so that for KitchenAid design is a distinctive hallmark for almost a century» says Imane Ghorbani. «But the aesthetic component is always accompanied by great study and strong attention to usability of the product: within the Design Center, the User Experience group deals with usability and interaction (User Experience Design and Interaction Design) to develop new concepts , new ways of using, new product features that make it intuitive, but also pleasant to use.»
FIVE SOFT SHADES  Electric slicers with professional features, but addressed to domestic use, with vintage lines. These are the hallmarks of the Home Line of Berkel, available in five soft shades: light blue, cream, green, lilac and pink. Made of special aluminum alloy, these slicers are compact and equipped with steel blade able to ensure a perfect cut, to reduce waste and guarantee thin and uniform slices. |
POP ART OF THE SIXTIES LIVES AGAIN  Prima kitchen by Bertazzoni La Germania adds a touch of freshness to the kitchen. It is inspired by the world of Por Art of the Sixties, reinterpreted in a modern key. Made of stainless steel, it is available in the versions with red knobs, red knobs and red front part, black knobs and green or blue front. The white version offers the red front or coffee and milk, green or blue. The kitchen is born from the new A-tec platform, which combines high profile engineering with high quality materials, building techniques and design. |
ENVIRONMENT WITH IVORY SHADES The Belle Epoque kitchen of Bompani Elettrodomestici has a glazed opaque finish, ivory, ancient red or anthracite black, with top and splashback in satin stainless steel. The model features five gas burners and a multifunction electric oven with 7 programs. To create a coordinated kitchen it is possible to match the ventilated double door Retrò fridge, with glass shelves, chrome bottles shelf, interior Led lighting, automatic defrost of refrigerator, manual for the freezer. It is also available in red, lime green, blue and orange. |
EXPLOSION OF COLORS The Nostalgie refrigerators collection by Gorenje has rounded lines and is available in many colors, bright, vivid, elegant, romantic, classic to customize any kitchen; this is the Retro Vintage Dark Chocolate version. Performance is high, in fact the double door model ensures low power consumption and preserves food in the best way with the ventilation system that creates a uniform cooling. |
BEAUTIFUL TO BE SHOWN IN THE KITCHEN  The Artisan food processor by KitchenAid has a rounded and timeless shape and is available in a very wide range of colors, including the vibrant and lively metallic apple red. The distinctive design is combined with high-end performance, including the planetary movement, that together with a wide range of accessories allows to prepare and mix many ingredients. It is equipped as standard with a bowl of 4,8L, anti-spray pourer cover, wire whip, flat beater, dough hook. |
RETRO APPEARANCE AND HIGH PERFORMANCE  |
