A host of innovative home appliances, many that first surfaced at CES 2016, are finally wending their way to retail sales floors.
Among the bevy of sexy new majaps is the Signature Kitchen Suite from LG Electronics. The new collection and brand is being positioned as a standalone luxury badge, separate and apart from LG and the Signature premium TV and appliance line launched at CES 2016.
It made its formal debut at last month’s influential Dwell on Design Los Angeles show, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center before a crowd that included interior designers, architects, builders, consumers and celebrity tastemakers.
Signature Kitchen Suite’s new built-in collection includes a side-by-side and French door refrigerator, slide-in ranges and cooktops, a double and single wall oven, a dishwasher, a range hood, and an over-the-range microwave oven.
Each Signature product is Wi-Fi enabled (save for the range hood), and the suite is notable for its seamless, stainless-steel contours and various kitchen innovations, like placing the convection heating element on the back wall of the oven cavity for more even heat distribution, as found in commercial-grade units.
A complete kitchen package, featuring side-by-side refrigerator, cooktop, slide-in range, double oven and dishwasher, retails for about $24,000.
The suite is initially being sold at TWICE Top 50 Major Appliance Retailers Pacific Sales, Howard’s TV and Warehouse Discount Center stores in California, and in Appliance Factory & Mattress Kingdom’s locations in Denver. Distribution is expected to widen nationwide throughout the year.
Also returning to Dwell on Design was Haier America, which underscored the effectiveness of its Small Space Living solutions line by packing appliances, electronics and ductless air conditioners into the tight confines of a pre-fab container home from Cocoon9. Haier’s small-space freestanding and built-in kitchen appliances, including true European convection ranges and wall ovens, are designed specifically for kitchens in urban condos, small houses and micro-spaces.
On a larger scale, Samsung made a splash with a pair of feature-rich, large-capacity washers that were also first seen at CES. The AddWash washer (model WF50K7500) provides a small hatch atop the main door, so extra laundry items can be added on the fly without interrupting the wash cycle. It’s available in 5.0- and 4.5-cubic-foot capacities in white and black stainless, at a suggested retail range of $999 to $1,499.
Its top load counterpart (model WA50K8600) is an extension of last year’s innovative Activewash washer, which boasts a built-in sink for pre-treating heavily soiled items. The newest variant adds an intuitive touch control panel that’s built right into the center of the washer’s lid. Like the frontloader, it’s available in 5.0- and 4.5-cubic-foot capacities in white and black stainless, and is priced to hit a retail range of $849 to $1,099.
All models are offered with matching dryers.
To help get the word out, Samsung has brought back Kristen Bell and Dax Shephard for a pair of 30-second spots in which the Hollywood couple tackles tough laundry challenges like coffee stains and their kids’ mud-covered clothes. The commercials are part of a larger, integrated print and digital marketing campaign that also touts Samsung kitchen appliances.
Elsewhere, just in time for the lazy, hazy days of summer, Equator Advanced Appliances has released a slim wine refrigerator (model WR 007). The diminutive majap, perfect for apartments, small homes or RVs, is dressed in a sleek stainless, black and glass finish that combines form and function to equally please both the casual wine drinker and the oenophile.
The cooler, which began shipping last month, has a seven-bottle capacity; stands 34.5 inches tall; operates at a whisper-like 32dB; comes with floor and wall brackets; and carries a suggested $349 retail.
