i+D - November/December 2019 - 35

The Connected Kitchen - By Jessica Goldbogen Harlan

The Designer's Role

Embracing Change

Whether ready to embrace the technology or not, a designer is on the front
lines of educating and informing clients about the new technologies available
to them for their kitchens.

The "simple-to-use" directive is an important factor in determining
whether consumers will buy into the technology or not.

"It's something we have to get ahead of," cautions Fordham Blanco.
Her tactic is to become an expert at certain brands that she partners with.
Through these relationships, she gets training about those products and
learns about new features. In this way, she's able to speak knowledgeably
about the brands, their products, and how their technologies can fit into
her clients' lifestyles.
Many manufacturers have established programs of interior design partners
who they can educate and train on their new equipment, as well as to
whom they can turn for feedback and design guidance. Case in point:
Thermador's Design Council. "It's through this relationship with our Design
Council members that we at Thermador are better able to deliver to our
customers what it is they truly want out of their kitchen and home designs,"
says Prentice.
Elkin agrees: "Designers play a pivotal role in that purchase decision."
LG's Experience & Design Center in Napa, California, is a showroom and
demonstration kitchen designed to win over the design community, builders,
and other industry insiders with the opportunity to try out products and
technologies firsthand.

While Signature Kitchen Suite products are among the most cuttingedge in the industry, Elkin explains they have been purposefully
designed to be approachable. "When you look at our range, you don't
see electronics across the front of it. You see knobs. But, there is
also an LED screen in the middle. We don't want our products to
look or feel unapproachable."
Fordham Blanco says that homeowners will often balk if there is a
learning curve or lengthy set-up process to get appliance technology
operational. "Some of those features are a lot of work upfront,"
she notes. "The easier it is, that's the way they're going to go."
Obsolescence is another barrier to consumers' acceptance of new
technology. "We replace our smartphones every two years...but those
things aren't built into our home, and in the kitchen, they are," notes
Fordham Blanco. It's likely that the companies and technologies that
persevere will be those that plan for the future with easily installable
software upgrades and simple-to-replace and -repair parts and
components. To wit: Any recent Delta kitchen faucet that includes
Touch2O Technology can be upgraded to incorporate the company's
newer VoiceIQ Technology, "therefore extending and enhancing the life
of the faucet with new innovations," explains Adriana Miller, product
marketing manager-trade kitchen at Delta Faucet Company.
Adds Elkin, "Everything we have is built on a connectivity platform,
so you won't have obsolescence-it'll be a software upgrade."
What will it take for us to get to the point where artificial intelligence,
app-controlled appliances, and other high-tech kitchen innovations are
as commonplace as, say, a programmable coffee maker? "I think you
will see more and more of the smart technology [in homes] as the
pricing of it comes down," says Knapp. "The other thing is, as younger
generations that have grown up with this sort of technology become
homeowners, they'll be more apt to use it. If you've grown up on
smartphones, it'll just be the norm."
But, whether designers and their clients are ready or not, there's no
doubt about it: Technology isn't going anywhere. "In the coming years,"
predicts Delta Faucet's Miller, "we can expect a total smart home
that is controlled entirely from your fingertips via a smartphone and
voice control."
So, Alexa...set another place (or three) at the table.

Sleek and easily
accessible appliances
from Thermador keep
wine, coffee, and clean
dishes right at hand.

JESSICA GOLDBOGEN HARLAN
has written about the home furnishings industry for more
than 20 years, and her work has appeared in HFN, Town
& Country, Stylus, TastingTable.com, ALLRECIPES.COM,
AmericasMart magazine, and Yahoo! A culinary-school
graduate, she also is the author of nine cookbooks,
including Ramen to the Rescue, Mason Jar Lunches, and
The Little Book of Takoyaki.

(Image: Thermador/BSH
Home Appliances Corporation)

http://www.TastingTable.com http://www.ALLRECIPES.COM

i+D - November/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i+D - November/December 2019