In a press release Electrolux have said that they have won top international recognition for their Neue Kollektion hoods, cookers and hobs from AEG.
Six different product ranges in AEG’s Neue Kollektion have won iF Design Awards in 2011’s “Household/Living” appliance category. They are among the 2,756 entries from 43 countries in this year’s competition, which is organized by International Forum Design in Hannover, Germany.
The awards were for the following product ranges:
- AEG Competence, MaxiKlasse® built-in/under product range 60 H-design
- AEG Compact product range 38 H-design
- AEG MaxiSense Bridge hobs product range (HK654300XB, HK653320FB, HK654400XB)
- AEG CrystalLine hobs product range
Perfect in form and function
The form of the appliances was shaped with the way modern kitchens function very much in mind. “As the kitchen is becoming an open space, the design of the appliances should be aligned to integrate seamlessly into an overall living space,” comments Hans Strohmeier, Senior Design Manager, AEG. “Products should be outstanding but should not disrupt the harmony of the kitchen. I’m particularly proud of the way the Neue Kollektion connects across the product ranges.”
Strohmeier and the AEG design team in Nuremberg, Germany, also worked hard to create an interface that is information-rich and powerful in what it enables the user to do, while keeping it pure and simple so that using the appliance never feels complicated. A smooth, graceful connection between the appliance and the person using it is created through touch screens and minimalist graphics and large displays that are usually centred vertically between horizontal spans. The number of different materials is kept to a minimum.
Simplicity is not, of course, the simplest thing to achieve. It is always the result of considering a very great number of small details. “For example, our black-and-white appliances are now purely black or white, rather than a mix of black or white and stainless steel,” Strohmeier says. “But to achieve an even finish, the paint must be applied to the outside of every part, rather than to a mix of surface and under-glass. It is more demanding in the production process, but for a perfect result we must do nothing less.”
About the IF Award
The Award, given at what is regarded as a key international design competition, is judged by top international designers from various disciplines. The award statues, dubbed “Design Oscars”, were especially created for the iF Awards by leading designer Herbert Schultes in 1996.
All the awarded products will be showcased during the International Hannover Fairs 2011 (March – August) and published in the iF product design award yearbook 2011, which will be released on March 1. An online exhibition of the winners will also be available on March 1.
“With our Neue Kollektion, we recognise that the essential equipment at the heart of the kitchen deserves to be seen and enjoyed, just as much as a leading-edge hi-fi or AV system,” Strohmeier says.