Tag: kitchen designers

Exciting Monogram News!

 in Monogram

Thanks to an impressive team effort, a refreshed and rebuilt Monogram website launched yesterday! The updates include a full responsive redesign of over 5,000 pages across the site, supported by extensive usability testing and dozens of interviews conducted in an effort to better understand the target audience. Recognizing the growing trend of browsing on mobile devices, the fully responsive site will allow designers to easily access specs and other key information from anywhere. We have also added a new trade professional page with easy links to critical resources.

Please take a look at the new site and let us know what you think!

Monogram Designer Summit: Excitement in the Air!

 in Event, Monogram

What happens when 55 Designers are put in a room with 25 GE Industrial Designers, Marketers and Product Managers? What could have been a clash of creative right brains with corporate left brains ended up being a collaboration of excitement, energy and imagination!

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The first ever Monogram Designer Summit was an action packed adventure to look towards the near future of high end appliances. What will the homes look like? Who will be the consumers? What functionality should the appliances have?

The answers were as varied as the personalities in the room, but all agreed that the next ten years will see a morphing of multi-generational people wanting multi-functionality from their appliances. There was one camp that suggested that there needs to be a new word to replace “Kitchen” since that room is truly the “Living Room” of the house.

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And what about using one’s smartphone to operate and manage all the household appliances? This was a hot topic that seemed very polarizing on Yes or No … and don’t stereotype that the older generations are the ones not wanting to adapt to this.

The overall message: One size will certainly NOT fit all; customization, in various forms and functions, is going to be needed.

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Universal Design – A New Approach to Kitchen Design

 in Trends

Have you heard of Universal Design? If not, you will! It’s quickly gaining ground as a major design initiative. Universal Design refers to designing products and spaces that are simple and accessible for everyone regardless of their age, abilities or limitations. In the words of Steve Jobs – one of the early adopters of the discipline – “Design is not just what it looks like. Design is how it works.” And kitchen designers today should look at a number of human factors when specifying everything from countertops, flooring and paint color to storage, lighting and plumbing.

Appliance manufacturers are also supporting the goals of Universal Design by developing products like ovens that have built-in temperature probes with large visual displays and audible alerts to insure safer food preparation; dishwashers with customizable height adjustments and full extension racks to eliminate the need to bend down; and microwave drawer ovens for ease in food loading and unloading. Additionally, details such as large handles, easy-to-turn knobs, and bright interior lighting are being designed into products.

The new Monogram French door wall oven combines design and functionality, and features one-hand opening and closing of both doors at the same time for ease of use. New induction cooktops use magnetic energy to transfer heat making them safer to use and easier to clean. Surfaces cool rapidly and surrounding areas do not get hot. And although these features are particularly helpful to those with limited abilities, they are “universal” in their appeal and usefulness.

InductionCooktop

Induction technology allows instantaneous heat adjustment, assuring exceptional cooking results. In seconds, you can bring a delicate sauce to a boil and then quickly reduce heat to ensure a smooth and rich consistency.

FrenchDoorWallOven

Inspired by the finest restaurant kitchens, Monogram’s French-door wall oven offers professional styling and distinctive touches inside and out. Each oven is built with premium-grade stainless steel and meticulously crafted by hand to make a delicious statement in any kitchen.