The NEFF Collection: kitchen appliances with a personal touch

When it comes to planning a kitchen, there’s the fun part of expressing your design vision through cabinet and countertop materials and colours – Do you keep cupboard doors uniform or mix it up? Do you tile behind or continue the worktop up the walls? It’s an intensively creative process combining clever spatial conjuring to devise something that is both ergonomic and unique – and then there’s the working parts of a kitchen: the bits that bake and boil, steam and clean. Here the choice is typically about efficiency and functionality; gas or electric, double or single? But who says the working parts can’t be diverting and individual too?

The German maker of high-quality built-in home appliances, NEFF, has been putting fun and functionality together in a bid to bring character to those industrious parts of our kitchens, so that the process of cooking isn’t simply a technical feat, but a joyful one too. Over the past 20 years it’s been a single innovation that has set NEFF apart – the Slide and Hide® oven door that gained fame through its use on the cult show, The Great British Bake Off. Now it is looking to bring adaptable design to our appliances.

Flex Design and Flex Control are part of the new NEFF Collection – a series of ovens, hoods, hobs and coffee makers – that invites owners to interact with the design and user experience. Flex Design is an initiative that allows you to customise the handles and trim around the appliances, aligning them with your material, textural and colour preferences. The Collection has four go-to finishes to choose from: Brushed Bronze, Anthracite Grey, Deep Black and Metallic Silver. The trims are designed in such a way that they can easily be removed and switched at will, so that your hob or oven can match the season – or even an event.

‘It’s all about attention to detail, starting with the ingredients, and progressing to the design elements on the table and the kitchen.’ says Chris Glass, the interior designer and Global director of diversity at Soho House, amateur chef and keen entertainer. The consummate creative has been invited to experiment with Flex Design in his own kitchen and has enjoyed the freedom to shape the look and feel of his appliances to match his hosting ambition. 'When I select the food, music and ambience in my role as host, I’m aiming to create something really exceptional: the astonishment on my guests’ faces, the magic of that special moment. The best parties wind up in my kitchen.'

Flex Control, meanwhile, brings playful haptics to turning up the heat or lining up a brew. The control knobs and interfaces adapt to your preference – you can swipe or tap, or pick up the control dial entirely and move it to another appliance; the interface instantly and intuitively falls into line. It doesn’t change how succulent your joint ends up, or how light your cake will be, but it makes the experience of producing them an event.

'It’s not about temperatures but about warmth,' articulates Anahita Sadighi, the young Persian-born, Germany-based art gallery owner. She has also worked with NEFF to design her cooking space. 'My kitchen is just as individual as I am and doesn’t fit into any mould. I’m an intuitive personality and don’t like rigid rules – and all that is reflected in my kitchen. Everything is different but harmonises well together.'

Rather than going after the perfection seekers, the brand has set its sights on the open, curious and creative cook who is not necessarily seeking stars to attach to their culinary efforts, but who likes to play with the process, and bring the party into the kitchen. It’s an approach that perhaps reflects the spirit of the times, where we park perfection in favour of enjoying a unique and individual journey, wherever it takes you.

© Architonic

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