Over lunch one day recently, I enjoyed listening to Petros Papageorge share with a group of us his appreciation for the detailed features of Wolf’s new M series ovens. As he was eloquently describing the design flexibility offered by Wolf’s latest and greatest, I thought to myself, I need to share this point of view with others! Lucky for me, Petros graciously agreed to allow me to capture his thinking as a designer.
P
etros Papageorge is a principle designer of Atherton Appliance, a family-owned, luxury appliance and custom cabinet retailer serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1956. As a lead resource concerning all aspects of kitchen design, from appliance selection to cabinetry, Petros is a passionate about what drives his business on a daily basis: savvy, distinctive design paired with exceptional functionality that makes a positive impact in the lives of his clients.
I asked Petros a few questions regarding the design flexibility Wolf’s new M series ovens offer to the designer and design-savvy consumer. And here is what he had to say . . .
K: Petros, now that you have the M series on your showroom floor and have had time getting to know it in terms of look and feel and functionality, what have you found to be the most exciting new design features of Wolf’s M series ovens?
P: Immediately, the touch control screen in the M series stands out to everyone, but in terms of design features, the new level of flush refinement is what I appreciate most.
The new M series installs flush with the thickness of most cabinetry doors like the E series, but this time the M continues further with even more crisp 1.5 mm radius door corners. These crisp door corners allow the oven door to match tight corners on the cabinet doors around it.
Among the Three M series oven styles:
I like the Contemporary M series’ flush and handle-free characteristics with minimal steel and mostly black glass. These features push the envelope further towards integrating the wall oven against a surface as much as possible.
In the Professional M series I appreciate the knob and touch screen ergonomics, as it offers a unique user interface for two types of users simultaneously. Individuals who imagine themselves rushed in the kitchen appreciate a tangible knob to use to interface with the colorful screen. Similarly, it’s nice to have at least one mechanical button on a smart phone.
The M series Transitional oven is also very nice because it has a simple in between elegance and offers a more medium black to steel ratio than the Pro (mostly steel) and Contemporary (mostly black).
K: As a designer or end-consumer who cares about design, why does this matter?
P: Each of the three oven styles offers an intentionally different ratio of black glass to stainless steel. This is an important choice in the overall kitchen’s design depending on how neutral you want the ovens to be or how contrasting you want the ovens set against a given material.
In dark contemporary designs, the Contemporary M series can be the most neutral as it blends into the dark surface of the cabinetry most. Likewise, they can contrast the most in a very light elevation. More stainless steel in the Professional and Transitional series allows for the oven to appear more neutral in a more ornate & traditional design where the ovens are not intended to draw the eye towards them.
All of the ovens have the potential to be the right choice in any “categorical” kitchen style (Traditional, Transitional, or Contemporary), not just limited to the styling that the oven is called. However, the names are generally an accurate guide to help individuals make a fitting choice based on a design aesthetic.
For the end consumer, the total look of the kitchen, including the oven(s), matters because they have to love the combination visually.
Ergonomically and practically speaking, the ovens give the end consumer three layers of interface:
Contemporary: Touch Control and Handle Free
Transitional: Touch Control and Handle
Professional: Knobs, Touch Control and Handle
One design style may be preferred due to what is the best visual choice for the kitchen, but with Wolf’s new M series, optimal design, ease of use and performance are integral to each.
K: What are some design trends that you feel the M series reflects?
P: All three M series oven designs definitely reflect the trend towards “involving” the fashionable look and feel of technology in all styles of kitchens. Thin black glass flat screens, tablets, and mobile phones all seek to be in or around the kitchen.
I admire how the M series Contemporary has no handle to try and match with the kitchen. Handle free is a big design trend for sure. It also helps a black flat-screen TV or black tablet device not look out of place.
In the Transitional styling kitchen realm there is this nice balance to achieve when the goal is to not necessarily “match,” but to create a way to integrate sleek technology that people want near and around them to “go with” the kitchen.
The challenge in Traditional kitchens where the kitchen has a character and feel from a country or time in the past is how to give clients bits of that technology without destroying the classic period look. Integration helps us so much with that on most of the products. Those kitchens shouldn’t be denied access to those bits of technology, but too much modernity on a 30″ surface at eye level can throw off the time-period goal, a challenge comparable to placing a flat screen monitor in an ornate traditional kitchen. Perhaps a more discreet ergonomic location in the kitchen is the best choice here.
The important thing is that Wolf now has three M series oven available to enhance the design options of luxury kitchens that will give consumers something new to get excited about, and that they are!
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