“Consumers, especially millennials, are spending more time at home and demanding products that enhance their everyday lives with customized features,” said JaeSeung Lee, President and Head of Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliances Division. “Great, reliable performance is now a basic expectation. The standard for a better, smarter home experience is now decided by how closely appliances can be ‘fit’ to various customer lifestyles.”

Introducing a More Tailored Take on Appliance Design

Customization is already a key feature of Samsung appliances. Guided by a design philosophy first introduced with a project known as Project PRISM, Samsung appliances cater to users’ unique needs, reflecting their lifestyles just as a prism refracts light into various colors.

That customizable, lifestyle-centric philosophy is epitomized by Samsung’s Bespoke refrigerators. The company’s flagship refrigerator lineup was first introduced in Korea in 2019, and has since expanded into global markets. Offering multiple types of modules (1-Door, BMF, 4-Door), along with panels that can be customized with various colors and finishes, the Bespoke range challenges industry norms by empowering users to customize their fridge to their décor, rather than vice versa.

Bespoke turned out to be a game-changer, driving two-thirds of refrigerator sales in Korea, and proving that consumers – particularly millennials – are in the market for appliances that answer their unique lifestyle needs. The refrigerators went on to launch in select markets around the world, bringing a revolution in home appliances wherever they went.

Launching the ‘Bespoke Home’ Era

In Samsung’s vision for the future, the concept of customizing appliances to fit users’ lifestyles does not stop with refrigerators. Indeed, the company is constantly exploring ways to add customizable elements to a wide range of appliances – from staple appliances like refrigerators to relatively new categories of devices, including air purifiers and the clothing care device AirDresser.

The company’s vision does not stop at hardware design, either. Equipping appliances with AI capabilities and connectivity will be crucial for creating more holistic and personalized user experiences. Washing machines that automatically relay cycle information to dryers, refrigerators that know when milk will go bad, air purifiers that switch on automatically when air quality drops – these are a few examples of how Samsung is using its leadership in connectivity and intelligence to put the consumer at the center of every appliance experience.

While continuously upgrading software in devices like the beloved Family Hub refrigerator, Samsung is continuously enhancing its SmartThings ecosystem with services that allow consumers to input personal preferences and manage their appliances for a more closely tailored experience.

The idea of taking a more bespoke approach to home appliance design will take center stage at CES 2021. Not only will Samsung kick off Bespoke’s entry in the U.S. market with the unveiling of the all-new Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex refrigerator, but the company will also reveal exciting new ways that its smart appliances work with users and each other to make life easier for all lifestyles.

“We see the future of Bespoke home appliances as not only being about design, but about performance, hygiene, and sustainability as well,” says Lee. Samsung is excited to present this new way of thinking about home appliances, beginning at this year’s CES. We look forward to another year of developing innovations that put consumers’ needs first.”

Launching PRISM

On June 4th, Samsung Electronics held a launch event to introduce Project PRISM at the Samsung Digital Plaza in Gangnam, Seoul. From the product displays to the café to the experience zone, the event held at Digital Plaza was more than just a showroom; it was a digital playground where visitors were able to explore the different types of customization offered.

The welcoming speech at the event was given by Samsung Electronics’ President and CEO of Consumer Electronics Division, Hyun Suk Kim. “There is a growing trend across this generation, especially among millennials, that sees us valuing personal tastes and experiences foremost,” noted Kim. “With Project PRISM, we are reflecting this trend, and hope that Samsung can become a prism-like medium, able to reflect each and every colorful consumer lifestyle.”

Kim also introduced the driving ideas behind Project PRISM and its first customizable product, BESPOKE. “Project PRISM’s philosophy is that only when truly reflecting a consumer’s lifestyle can a home appliance fit seamlessly into their lives – and BESPOKE marks the start of this process.”

Samsung’s First Customizable Refrigerator: BESPOKE

In order to bring about this new era of customized home appliances, Samsung has introduced BESPOKE, its latest refrigerator first showcased at the Samsung Digital Plaza event. The name itself has a clever double meaning, playing on the word for ‘custom-made’ and a combination of ‘be’ and ‘spoke’, highlighting the role the voice of the user has in its creation.

With the BESPOKE refrigerator, customers can customize their own configurations of material, color, sizing and other feature choices. Able to fit naturally into whatever home space the customer has available, the BESPOKE refrigerator comes in 8 sizes; 4-door freestanding, 4-door “kitchen fit”, 2-door BMF (upper refrigerator and lower freezer), 1-door refrigerator (24 inches), 1-door freezer (24 inches), 1-door kimchi refrigerator (24 inches), 1-door (alternating temperature, 18 inches) and kimchi plus.

With a BESPOKE refrigerator, customers can choose their preferred color from a 9-strong color range that includes navy blue, mint, pink and coral. Able to fit in seamlessly with any home interior styling, BESPOKE also features three different refrigerator door texture options.

At the launch event, visitors experienced six different lifestyle scenarios, from a one-person household to a double income family household, witnessing firsthand how the BESPOKE refrigerator could easily be adapted for any lifestyle.

The BESPOKE refrigerator is the first product in Project PRISM that, by encouraging customers to think outside of the box, is set to take home appliances to the next level and beyond their traditional spaces within the home.