Guided by a minimalist aesthetic principle known as “Flat Design”, Samsung has crafted a range of innovative and elegant appliances that embody the latest trends in kitchen design. Let’s examine a few of these trends and discover how Samsung’s latest kitchen innovations bring harmony to the heart of the home.

Creating a Harmonious Dining Space

The kitchen is no longer just a place where meals are prepared and dishes are washed. With the rise of open-concept homes, the contemporary kitchen is now often the centerpiece of the interior.

Samsung’s built-in appliances, such as its premium flat design refrigerators, are engineered to blend seamlessly with the visual style of all living areas, just like furniture. In the past, household appliances were designed in isolation from their intended surroundings, but today’s built-in appliances harmonize with the decor all around them. Featuring precision-engineered flat surfaces, the premium appliances can slot effortlessly between cabinets without disrupting the flow and balance of the interior.

Embracing Simplicity

Our homes offer us respite from the busyness of daily life. It’s no surprise then that many have embraced simplistic interior designs.

But curating a balanced, minimalist home is no easy task. With so few visual elements on display, any one feature that strays from the overall theme can turn into a major distraction.

With sleek, monochromatic exteriors, Samsung’s flat design refrigerators are fine-tuned to deliver simple yet striking elegance. Composed of pristine geometric lines, they exude a sense of serenity and calm – essential elements of any minimalist home.

By combining exquisite details with perfect finishing, Samsung’s built-in appliances seamlessly integrate into the kitchen while proudly expressing their unique presence. When multiple flat design built-in appliances are installed in a kitchen, they harmonize with one another to produce a unified minimalistic interior.

Adopting Industrial Materials

Gone are the days when kitchens were filled with simply dark wooden cabinets. Today, contrasting tones and textures are often juxtaposed against one another to fashion unique cooking and dining areas.

As part of this growing trend, interior designers are looking toward materials traditionally seen in industrial spaces to expand their palette.

Featuring matt stainless-steel finishing, Samsung’s premium flat design refrigerators weave industrial design into the fabric of contemporary kitchens, bringing the atmosphere of a professional cooking space to consumers’ homes.

Eliminating Clutter

The modernist mantra “less is more” has taken hold of modern kitchen design. This is why, for example, contemporary cabinets and kitchen units are geared toward hiding utensils to minimize clutter.

Adhering to this approach, only essential controls and mechanisms appear on the exteriors of Samsung’s appliances, while less important controls are placed inside. Not only does this design approach enhance the harmonious aesthetic, it also increases the usability of the appliances, as users can navigate cooking areas effortlessly, giving them extra time and energy to accomplish more.

Minimalistic hidden displays (left) deliver information efficiently while embedded dispenser (right) removes clutter from the surface.

Samsung also adopts a three-dimensional approach to create flat design refrigerators. Showcased at EuroCucina 2018, Samsung’s RS8000 refrigerator is the latest iteration of this unique design framework.

The RS8000’s recessed door handles obscure the cavity between the refrigerator doors, removing unnecessary visual distractions from the flat-front aesthetic. This design feature allows the two doors to appear as if they were crafted from a single sheet of metal, giving the refrigerator a sense of luxury as well as robustness. Minimal dispensers integrated into the doors further emphasize the balance of form and function, making the RS8000 an unobtrusive addition to the modern kitchen.

Building a Multifunctional Living Space

Despite different stylistic changes, contemporary kitchen designs are, in essence, inspired by the simple value of creating comfortable, multifunctional living spaces.

By offering consumers contemporary elegance and best-in-class functionality, Samsung’s latest kitchen appliances transform the usual dining and cooking area into a truly diverse living space. The sleek designs of the refrigerators create an atmosphere of relaxation, yet also fit the mood of any dinner party. Meanwhile, the seamless designs of Samsung’s built-in appliances free up valuable space to make the contemporary kitchen an engaging area for everyday living.

Last year Samsung’s European home appliances business grew five times faster than the market. As a result of this momentum, Samsung participated in EuroCucina 2018, a showcase for new trends, designs and technologies for European kitchens.

The European built-in market is worth $18.5 billion annually, accounting for 40% of the global built-in market. Samsung’s premium built-in appliances, equipped with and IoT technology, are positioned at the center of the market. The opportunity to experience the kitchen of the future at the Samsung booth attracted the attention of many visitors at the exhibition.

Consumer-Led Innovations

Samsung displayed its full built-in product lineup at EuroCucina. The range included its Twin Cooling Plus technology refrigerator, Virtual Flame cooktop and Waterwall dishwasher. The company also unveiled the new Dual Cook Flex oven at the event.

The Dual Cook Flex zone highlighted how the oven can adapt to the needs of its users. Its innovative Dual Cook technology, for example, allows independent access to the upper oven compartment without compromising on cooking performance in the lower compartment. With research indicating that European oven users are cooking multiple dishes simultaneously three times a week on average, the oven’s Dual Cook system allows users to set different temperatures and time settings for each compartment, giving them greater control over simultaneous cooking.

Dual Cook Flex offers a range of IoT features. Consumers can remotely preheat, monitor and control the oven from anywhere with the SmartThings app. What’s more, the Cooking Guide makes setting recommendations based on ingredients and type of food being prepared.

The booth also demonstrated how Samsung’s industry-first innovations in the home appliance market provide a seamless experience and make a real difference in the kitchen. Samsung’s Twin Cooling Plus technology, which independently controls the refrigerator and freezer, was showcased in a transparent display to best illustrate how the system works. There were also zones exhibiting the Virtual Flame cooktop, an induction stove that mimics the appearance of flames to provide more intuitive visual control over the heat, and the WaterWall dishwasher that delivers remarkable cleaning results with a streaming wall of water.

Seamless Kitchen Connectivity

As people spend more of their time at home in the kitchen, and the space fulfills more roles than ever before, smart technology has become increasingly more important. Yet digitization of the kitchen has been slower than other key spaces of the home.

In addition to exhibiting the IoT capabilities of the Dual Cook Flex oven, Samsung demonstrated the seamless connectivity of key home IoT products at EuroCucina 2018.

On display was the latest generation of Family Hub integrated with SmartThings, Samsung’s IoT platform, which offers seamless connectivity between any IoT device using one app and a single cloud that manages all your devices. The smart refrigerator provides a center point for connecting all devices in the home, and is equipped with features such as Bixby, Meal Planner, Shopping List and Recipes to enhance your smart cooking experience.

Recent strides towards connectivity and innovation have resulted in 90 percent of Samsung products, including smartphones and TVs, being IoT-applicable. Thanks to the company’s collaborative efforts based on the Open Connectivity Foundation, the SmartThings ecosystem is operable and compatible with even more devices and brands.

“We are fully committed to ensuring that all our products are not only IoT ready, but also intelligent by 2020,” said HS Kim, President and CEO of Samsung’s Consumer Electronics Business, at the press conference on April 18^th.

Stylish Built-in Design

With premium designs such as Samsung’s black stainless-steel built-in packages, the exhibit modeled the streamlined look of the modern kitchen, which couples elegant design with intelligent technology.

Based on a philosophy of thoughtful design, today’s kitchen embraces simplicity, timelessness and an aesthetic that emphasizes minimalism while maximizing usability. This “Flat Design” favors clean lines, hidden displays and seamless integration. Samsung’s built-in appliances, such as its premium flat design refrigerators, have a precision engineered flat face which sits flush to the counter front.

Samsung Electronics acquired the luxury US built-in brand ‘Dacor’ in 2016 and has worked with various other partners, such as Nolte in Germany, Scavolini and Veneta Cucine in Italy to increase the competitiveness of premium built-in appliances as part of the company’s commitment to ‘bring the kitchen to life’. As well as displaying the ‘Dacor Modernist Collection’, Samsung also collaborated with numerous European luxury brands such as Nolte at this exhibition. Amongst these designs, the Dacor built-in refrigerator, which imbues a sense of luxury with its porcelain inside, has attracted significant attention.

Integrating smart technology with appliances and pursuing further innovations will transform the way we cook and interact in the kitchen, as Samsung aims to provide a more seamless, connected experience throughout the home.

Samsung Electronics today announces its first participation in the biennial EuroCucina 2018 in Milan, as part of its commitment to strengthening its presence in the European market. Samsung’s exhibit aims to elevate the company’s brand image and reputation among consumers in the region with products that make a real difference to consumers’ lives.

“We’re very pleased to be showcasing our latest appliances here at EuroCucina in Milan for the first time,” said BK Kang, Samsung Electronics’ Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Digital Appliances Business. “We hope our participation at EuroCucina signals our dedication to providing innovative home appliances that bring kitchens to life and give consumers real benefits they can experience every day.”

Consumer-centric Innovation with New Dual Cook Flex

Samsung is introducing its full built-in product lineup at EuroCucina, and among the range of unparalleled kitchen solutions is the brand new Dual Cook Flex oven. Its EU-industry-first innovation “Flexible Door” gives consumers independent access to the upper oven compartment without losing heat and compromising cooking performance in the lower compartment. The upper and lower compartments can even be used as one bigger compartment for large dishes by removing the divider.

Dual Cook Flex also makes it easier to prepare multiple dishes using the Dual Cook system. Consumers can set two different temperatures and times for each compartment to achieve the best taste possible during simultaneous cooking. The Dual Cook also prevents odor mixing between compartments, ensuring optimal cooking performance. Enabling consumers to use the upper compartment only, the Dual Cook also enhances energy efficiency by cutting down preheating time and overall energy usage.¹

Dual Cook Flex offers a range of smart features for optimized cooking. For example, consumers can conveniently start preheating the oven and remotely monitor and control cooking conditions while on the go via the SmartThings app. In addition, the Cooking Guide recommends the best cooking mode, temperature, and cooking time based on the ingredients and type of food being made.

Smarter Living with AI/IoT Solution

As part of Samsung’s presence at EuroCucina, there will be demonstrations of how key home IoT products work together seamlessly. Samsung plans to maximize its smart/IoT leadership by providing customized smart solutions. Visitors will be able to experience Samsung’s unique home IoT technologies through Family Hub and its smart built-in offerings.

On display will be the superior smart connectivity of the Dual Cook Flex and the latest generation of Family Hub that is integrated with SmartThings. Family Hub gives consumers an easy, convenient and harmonized experience for connecting all smart devices in the home, with features like Bixby, Meal Planner, Shopping List, and Recipes that provide real life smart experiences in the kitchen.

Innovative Technology and Flat Design in the Kitchen

At the Samsung booth, visitors will be able to experience and understand the company’s unique kitchen technologies. This includes the WaterWall dishwasher that perfectly cleans all dishes from corner to corner, and Virtual Flame cook top, which provides the intuitive visual control of flames. Samsung’s Twin Cooling Plus technology will be showcased as well, in a transparent display to exhibit how the system controls the refrigerator and freezer independently.

In addition, Samsung’s premium designs will also be on display, including flat design, a minimalist design that seamlessly harmonizes all lines into one and maximizes usability. Samsung also displays its black stainless-steel built-in package and Dacor’s Modernist collection.

To further demonstrate Samsung’s innovative and smart appliances, Samsung will host a launch conference for partners and media on April 18^th at the Auditorium of Salone del Mobile and an exclusive Samsung Club des Chefs cooking show the same day, led by Michelin-starred chefs at the Samsung booth in Hall 15. EuroCucina, and its ancillary Technology for the Kitchen Event, runs as part of Salone del Mobile Milano from April 17^th to the 22^nd.

¹Total energy consumption reduced up to 20% and the preheating time is 4 min according to the result of internal testing in the upper compartment based on IEC- 60350 test protocol (small cakes, convection 155℃, compared to when using the whole compartment). Results may vary depending on the cooking item, use, and other factors.