At the beginning of July, on the occasion of an online visit to a “virtual” home, Siemens presented StudioLine, a line of top-of-the-range home appliances that put into effect the German company’s vision for the future. The new kitchen appliances - like the inductionAir Plus hobs with integrated ventilation, the fullSteam combi-steam ovens, and the varioLift cooker hoods that can be lowered or raised to the desired height - were all designed based on a vision for the future that sees design as its cornerstone.

Siemens’ Brand Manager Rossana Sartori explained to Domus that “the research and development department as well as the designers at Siemens are constantly looking for innovations that can make household chores easier without however neglecting the attention to design. The house of tomorrow will be increasingly ‘seamless’, and as a pioneer, Siemens has always embraced this approach”.

The household appliances thus become discrete protagonists that are deeply appreciated when needed but that also naturally integrate in an ever-increasingly integrated environment which also reflects the cultural and social changes in the way we interpret the fruition of the domestic environment.

“Today, living, cooking, and tasting food are merging more and more into a new way of being together that is lively and communicative. Modern kitchens open up to living areas and blend in perfectly with the environment. The distinctive design and innovative features of Siemens’ studioLine appliances not only have an unmistakable style, but also offer a new way of conceiving spaces,” said Sartori. This is the direction taken by products such as the inductionAir Plus cooktop or the concealed and height-adjustable varioLift cooker hood. By integrating and respecting the value of the spaces in which they are installed, they “create an extraordinary feeling of freedom”.

The design and interpretation of the cultural transformation of domestic life must also and above all go hand in hand with a technological advancement and innovation, making these appliances not only beautiful to look at and integrated with the design of the environment, but also advanced and integrated with the other devices that accompany us in our daily lives.

“According to Siemens Home Appliances, innovation is another fundamental value, and today this means above all connectivity”, explained Sartori. “All our products go in this direction - the refrigerator, the oven, the washing machine, the dryer and also to the new inductionAir Plus hob (the first hob to have integrated ventilation)., we are studying solutions on an international level that allow not only to “talk” with the appliances through the Home Connect App, but also to interact with solutions such as “Google Assistant, Alexa and Fit Bit” or even other apps in order to easily manage all the systems in the house (lights, heating, shutters)”.

This is a vision that involves ‘home automation’ solutions, as it was often called until a while ago, but today it’s more appropriate to talk about ‘smart home’, an expression that more explicitly refers to the connection with the integrated and always connected platforms offered by the big tech companies.

“In addition to the Home Connect app, our appliances can also be managed via Fit Bit and Google Assistant. This is a consumer need that we recognize and to which our products will increasingly respond. Let me give you an example: when it comes to refrigerators, every food requires special storage conditions and will stay fresh only if stored correctly,” Sartori explained. “Thanks to the Smart Storage Guide function of the Home Connect app, you can receive storage tips with a photo of the food in your refrigerator (this feature also applies to the recently launched A-Cool refrigerators) taken with the integrated cameras. The system also allows you to get tips on how to prepare various meals with the food you already have in your fridge”.

The need for connectivity responds to the evolution of the technological society, but we have to ask ourselves, especially in the case of kitchen appliances, whether the evolution of the market will go towards a greater fruition of this space, or whether we will have to deal with another trend, that of fast food, which obviously includes food delivery and the simplification of the domestic culinary dimension. “As Italians, we love to cook and to eat. Cooking is a trend that will not go away. Not only in Italy,” reassured Sartori. “I also believe that the situation we have been living in the last few months has made us rediscover many traditions of the past, such as the pleasure of cooking together in the kitchen.”

On the other hand, it is also true that traditions and habits change, and Siemens will follow these trends, anticipating them when possible, offering appliances that allow consumers to “feel free”. We will continue to invest in the kitchen, creating appliances that, regardless of trends, make every moment you live in this very important place in your home extraordinary.”