Designwire Daily: from the editors of Interior Design magazine

Miele’s Bright White Takes on Staid Stainless Steel

by Jennifer Krichels | Monday, March 11, 2013 | 1 Comment

Brilliant: White in Design by Linda O’Keeffe. Photo by Mae Hacking.

Falling snow was the perfect backdrop for Miele’s U.S. launch of a new line of bright white appliances at New York’s A&D Building last Thursday. The limited-edition collection, titled Brilliant White Plus, includes three built-in ovens, a coffee system, and a plate and cup warmer, each faced with white glass and accented with chrome details.

“We decided to take it to the brightest possible level, so that it does stand out,” says Paul McCormack, director of Miele’s Architects & Designers Resource Group. “There was a lot of talk that the American design community was ready for a new finish. Everyone’s been waiting for something to give stainless steel a run for its money.”

Miele also invited friends to talk about the role of white in design. After a progressive lunch that included stops at Poggenpohl and Hastings Tile & Bath for talks about trends in white cabinetry and tile colors, a group of designers and editors sat down with Linda O’Keeffe, former Metropolitan Home creative director, to discuss ideas from her book Brilliant: White in Design.

Linda O’Keeffe stood out against the white collection. Photo by Mae Hacking.

“A lot of the designers I spoke to said when they’re designing with white, whether they’re a ceramicist or whether they’re designing cars, that white allows them to focus on pure form in a way that color doesn’t,” says O’Keeffe of her interviews for the book. “For me, no other color has the depth and interest that could sustain me over a six-month [writing] period.”

The company will also launch a new space-saving combination convection–steam oven at the Architectural Digest Home Design show running March 21-24 at Pier 94 in New York.

A close up of Brilliant White Plus at Miele’s NY showroom. Photo by Mae Hacking.