Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/177525
Fhiaba refrigeration and freezer units from Amiel. E Elegance and ef iciency are two words that describe the wide selec- tion of appliances available for 2012. Clean lines and modern colours are the sought-after styles, which range from the moderately priced to top-end items suitable for luxury homes. Even laundry has made a new mark on options available for the changing demographics. "Premium 24-inch wide European brands such as Asko and Miele are the preferred choices for remote laundry applications," says Glenn Anderson, general manager with Edmonds. "High-tech features, extremely low energy consumption and fully integrated undercounter or stacked installations bring laundry technology and design fashion to non-traditional locations." Accessories such as full-height drying cabinets and integrated slide-out ironing boards complete the convenience. "This trend is most notable in premium multi-residential towers," he says. "Incorporating washing and drying appliances into kitchens or bathrooms eliminates the typical laundry room or hallway laundry closet space requirements. This signi icantly reduces mechanical costs required to supply power, drains, venting and water supply to the traditional locations. Moisture build-up, particularly in laundry closets, is no longer a consideration when the laundry is located in a more naturally ventilated area of the home." High-ef iciency condensing dryers offer the lexibility to locate the laundry anywhere without the consideration of venting to the outside. The condensing option in the premium-brand dryers increases the drying time by eight to 10 per cent, but performs identically to the vented models, says Anderson. Because no mechanical vent ducting is required, condensing dryers maintain the integrity of the overall building envelope. A typical 24-inch-wide front-load Asko or Miele washer will hold the equivalent to a traditional large-capacity top-load washer, but will wash and care for clothes in a manner that has set the bar for quality and performance. Midnorthern Appliance has answered the call to today's consumers who like kitchen toys. "The kitchen is the focal point of the home. When people invite guests over they no longer go to the living room to entertain, they want to show off their newest appliances," says Michael Gnat, regional manager. "Wine refrigeration products continue to be very popular, as well as the speed oven, which combines traditional heat with microwaves to speed up cooking. They are smaller, they heat up faster, and they are easy to keep clean." Manufacturers of the speed oven include Miele and GE Monogram. Appliances p.42-45Appliances.indd 43 Appliance Science A REVIEW OF WHAT'S NEW AND IMPROVED IN THE WORLD OF APPLIANCES by Laurie Jones Gnat says another item that addresses rapid cooking and health is the steam oven. "It's a very healthy way of cooking because there are no oils or fats, except what you put on the food. It's also incredibly easy to keep clean." Electrolux Appliances continues to bring state-of-the art products to the market, addressing consumer requests for energy ef iciency without sacri icing design. "We have a number of products that meet the new world of downsizing, with consumers choosing the luxury condo market over large homes," says Stephanie Clark, corporate marketing manager, Electrolux Major Appliances. "Our fridges, ranges and dishwashers are now available in 18- to 24-inch models, including a freestanding range." She says that stainless steel continues to be the top choice in inishes, with the exception of laundry pairs that come in a variety of bold colours. One of the more unique aspects of the Electrolux ranges is the Wave-Touch® Controls. The panel, located on the front of the unit, appears to be lat but a simple touch of the screen and the control panel activates, showing a wide selection of cooking options. Once the user has made his or her choice, all the options fade away, except the one chosen. Induction cooking is a feature that is also gaining popularity with savvy consumers. "Induction gives you exceptional temperature control where you can adjust heat with greater accuracy than gas or electric," says Clarke. "Cooking with induction is 70 per cent more ef icient than gas and 20 per cent more ef icient than electric." Paci ic Specialty Brands has seen a growth in popularity with hidden, or built-in appliances that are designed to match the cabinetry in kitchen. "We're doing a lot of installations with built-in appliances in the city, particularly with the condo market," says Mike Kipp, president. "This is an exciting direction for us. The irst big project we did with this format was the renovated Woodward's building in Vancouver. From that point on, our sales just took off the condominium market. The movement towards hidden appliances in the single family home market is also happening, but it's at a much slower pace than condos." The majority of products Paci ic Specialty Brands carries are European. Unlike the North American market, stainless steel is not the most popular inish in Europe, with the exception of wall ovens and cooktops. "We have a great deal of hidden products being installed including fridges, dishwashers and hood fans," says Kipp. "Our clients choose the inish they are going to use on the cabinetry then they pick their appliances. With brands like Blomberg, the cabinet inishers can take measurements for the fridge and dishwasher and cut the wood product accordingly. These appliances are available with un inished fronts, so the cabinets are installed on the unit's front to create a custom design look." Capital Cooking, known for power and performance in cooking products, is enhancing design inspiration by expanding colour inishes to new product lines. Since its launch this year, the Culinarian range has been available in a variety of colours, but colour is now available through other product lines. The standard palette includes 10 colours: black, cobalt blue, signal blue, lame red, wine red, ruby red, white, oyster white, pale green and yellow. "Stainless steel is a timeless inish on any appliance, but we wanted to give our customers choice for their own unique environment," says Surjit Kalsi, president and chairman of Capital Cooking. "Colour choices are proving popular on the Culinarian Series, and now our customers have the same options for Precision ranges and Maestro wall ovens. The standard colours are a starting place, but by no means a limitation. Customers can choose any colour outside of our standard palette to ful ill their vision. To prove that point, we recently shipped a lilac range." With the ability to personalize Capital ranges and wall ovens, design opportunities increase. "The range and/or oven can be used as a colour anchor or extension of a colour theme," says Kalsi. "Customers are assured the same exacting for colour matching as Capital insists on for performance features." Since 1974, Trail Appliances has been offering consumers and designers the latest in appliance trends and technology. The company opened in Calgary, then expanded to the B.C. market in 1980. Over time, Mike Broderick, president of Trail FEBRUARY 2012 /43 1/23/12 10:35:13 AM