In just over a month, the popular design conference, Dwell on Design, will be held in New York City, where some of our favorite food brands will be exhibiting and showcasing new products. While we won’t be able to attend, we were able to snag some face time with one company who creates some of our favorite must-have kitchen products.
More specifically, we got the opportunity to speak with Jason Tippetts – the lead designer for KitchenAid – to talk about their new line of Black Stainless Steel appliances and the creative process that helps steer KitchenAid’s new product creation.
TCE: How did you get into the field of design and what is the coolest thing you have ever designed?
I was always creative and a problem solver. I never took classes, but when i got into college, I started to explore architecture. Then, a friend who I’d grown up with introduced me to the field of industrial design. He inspired me and influenced me to try it and see if it was right fit for me. I went through that program and it just clicked. It gave me a creative outlet, but it also had a functional focus at the end. That’s really where it all started.
While I was in school, I had a few internships, was exposed to outdoor hunting equipment, lighting, consumer electronics – even toys. My first job was working for a company that made golf bags and [products]. But I wanted to find a job where i could be exposed to more things and be exposed to the manufacturing processes. And [I’ve been at] KitchenAid since 2008.
TCE: What sources of inspiration do you use in your job aside from the consumer and have these sources of inspiration changed over the years?
[I’m inspired by] architecture, furniture design, etc. As a designer, I think our sensibilities change over the years as we get more experience.
One place we are now getting inspiration from is Pinterest. With Pinterest, one image can mean a hundred different things. As people document and create a chronology of their experience, all of these things are going to be documented and blogged about. People want that outlet, and I think we can pull from that and see what people are interested in, what techniques they use, what don’t they like and drop like a bad habit.
TCE: What do you currently love about today’s kitchen? And what do you dislike about it?
I love the “gathering” aspect of the kitchen. The kitchen brings loved ones together at any and all times of the day, and the room has so much presence in a house compared to other rooms. The kitchen and its appliances impact daily life.
What I dislike about the kitchen is the disconnect between the materials and systems that live in the space: wall construction, electrical wiring, plumbing systems, appliance manufacturers, etc. There are converging problems between these systems, and we need better synergies and product integrations to make the kitchen an even better space. Design is just as important to the kitchen as the objects and appliances within it.”
TCE: Putting aesthetics aside for a moment, what are the 2 biggest functionality issues that you are trying to tackle with design in KitchenAid products?
How do you create a balance of machine versus furniture? And how can this be done globally? That was the biggest challenge, and part of that was that we were tasked with taking this design global. It was about mainly Europe, and knowing we were going to be branching into different regions. [We needed] to partner European design with North American design sensibility, and we wanted Europeans to want American design. We needed a balance between the two.
The big point is that it’s still a professional piece of equipment that needs to be integrated into a home. So what we have is a minimalist and modern design with an American aesthetic.
There’s also this desire in the market to turn to simplicity and compartmentalization because it helps us de-clutter, and it’s one of the reasons why design is finding its way further down into the mass markets. People are busier and busier and find products that de-clutter certain elements of their life through design. A return to simplicity.
TCE: We just did a series about the Kitchen of the Future where we talked about the Internet of Things, touched on food engineering/hacking. What do you think will be the biggest trends that will shape the design of kitchen appliances in the future?
Coming from Intel, I’m really familiar with IoT. The first big trend will be the integration of appliances with the kitchen. Think about the front of the fridge being flush to the cabinetry. And creating and integrating with a digital environment. There’s going to be a lot of products that tie the home together, and KitchenAid wants to make sure we’re prepared and partnered with the right companies who are connecting them.
From our standpoint, we’ll be able to provide customer service in a much better way. We can be proactive in identifying problems and efficiencies to improve products, the same way websites monitor traffic for big data analysis. We can monitor how products are being used, what should be built into our products and what should not, and look for other opportunities.
I also think the IoT will inspire new products in and of itself. Advances in colors, finishes, and materials – ie “what is the new stainless steel?” It will help us create products that have the level of integration we want with our home.
TCE: How do you see Kitchen Aid’s design aesthetic evolving over the next 5 years?
KitchenAid appliances are uniquely designed and manufactured. Our major appliance proportions and lines are clean and elegant, but are still reminiscent of commercial-style, or restaurant-style, appliances. More specifically, they are capped off with polished inlay and color (the red medallion) to add key KitchenAid personality to each appliance, which is reminiscent of our iconic stand mixer design.
In the next 5 years, I envision a continuation of color, finish and material advances for appliances. I think kitchen appliances will become part of the overall furniture story in the kitchen space, instead of separate machinery, and their design will continuously be refined to fit the needs of consumers and designers.
TCE: Two words I think of when I look at the design of KitchenAid appliances are Strong and Elegant. What are the design challenges and opportunities that arise when a product has to be two things that are seemingly on opposite ends of the spectrum?
You don’t want to end up in the cliche “strong appliance” box. Part of that was for global appeal, and we felt like it was overkill – too much like a cartoon of itself. From that standpoint, we knew what would be over-the-top and what to avoid. But, how could we hint at some of those things through proportion and scale – ie “This feels like a commercial appliance, but it also feels elegant and thoughtful because someone paid attention to the details – like the towel bar handle or the microedge satin finish with just enough tactility.
TCE: What is your favorite kitchen appliance to use and what do you hope it will be able to do for you in the future?
I do quite a bit of cooking – I have four kids and my wife cooks as a means to an end, [while] I cook because I like the end. So, I spend a lot of time cooking and grilling. I like messing around with marinades, grilling the meat, and finishing it off in the oven.
I don’t personally do a lot of baking – I tend to mess things up because I’m too exploratory. Baking is chemistry. You can’t explore and have something edible at the end. [With cooking], I get to mess around on the cooktop with flavors and processes.
KitchenAid’s new line line of Black Stainless Steel appliances is available now, and you can check out the full line here.
In other cool news, KitchenAid just launched a contest with The Food Network and Food Network Magazine that’s all about innovation in the kitchen. The contest requires burgeoning chefs to create a dish with an apple – any type will do – and upload an image of it to their Challenge page here and share on social with the hashtag #KitchenAidContest by September 14th. The winner gets a private cooking lesson with Chef Zakarian and the new suite of black stainless appliances for KitchenAid – pretty sweet.
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