Colours have become an increasingly important feature of both small and large appliances over the past 24 months. Whether it is a function of technology becoming homogeneous, meaning appearance becomes an influential differentiator, or consumers becoming more adventurous, bright bold colours are standing out on the benchtop and major appliances are gradually shifting away from black and stainless steel.
In small appliances, Kenwood has been a trailblazer with its phenomenal kMix range. This set of award-winning small appliances came not just in a range of colours but in a range of personalities. The clever marketers at De'Longhi, owner of the brand, mined colourful themes for all their worth —?'Sun Kissed Yellow', 'Bold Blue' and 'Mystic Purple' —?with an online quiz to guide customers to their spirit colour and a social media element with thousands of interactions.
Kenwood's success has been very influential. Since the broad success of the kMix range, we've seen Breville organise its colour gamut around several key tones: Cranberry Red, Sesame Black and Elderberry (blue). Cuisinart's much loved ice cream maker range focuses on subtle pastel colours that recall the iOS 7 scheme, while Russell Hobbs, Morphy Richards and Sunbeam have all dabbled in colours.
Trend watchers in the premium built-in cooking space will be focusing squarely on Miele in the new year to see what impact its bold move into the colour spectrum has on cooking appliances. Change in the majors happens at a glacial pace —?it is a much more conservative industry —?so the effort Miele is going to in promoting its new three new colours will either be gamechanging or, conversely, a waste of time and money.
During a recent interview with Miele's co-owning managing director, Dr Markus Miele, we did a call-and-response on the colours chosen for the Generation 6000 range:
Brilliant White — "Great colour: 50 per cent of new kitchens in Germany are white or white-ish."
Mink (marketed as 'Havana Brown' in some markets) — "Good for older kitchens."
Obsidian Black — "It fits into designer and modern kitchens."
Stainless steel — "Classic; will account for 70-to-75 per cent of all sales."
As Dr Miele reveals in that last response, the traditional stainless steel aesthetic will continue to be the most popular for the short-to-medium term. A leading manufacturer such as Miele, however, would not invest so much in new colours if it didn't there was a growing and viable market for black, white and brown ovens, steamers and microwaves.
We know colours are enormously popular in smalls and a growing force in majors, but what is popular today can seem very unfashionable very quickly. So what colours should suppliers, manufacturers and retailers be focusing on?
