German brand Neff's new range of built-in home appliances was designed to offer users greater flexibility in their kitchens, says head of design Ralf Grobleben in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen for the brand.
The Neff Collection can be customised to let users tailor the appearance of their appliances according to personal tastes, as well as allowing them to select the way in which they operate and interact with them.
"The kitchen is the most individual room in your home," Grobleben said in the video. "With our new solution Flex, the idea was to give people the opportunity to choose how to operate their appliance and to choose the colours in their kitchen."
The Flex Control feature offers users the option to operate their appliances either via touchscreen controls or via a new device called Twist Pad Flex, a pocket-sized dial that provides a haptic experience when cooking with the brand's appliances.
The magnetic dial can be placed onto the appliances in the collection, such as ovens, hobs and coffee machines, which instantly recognise its presence and respond to its movements.
When the dial is not in use or is removed, the appliances automatically revert to touchscreen control, making them easier to clean than an appliance with buttons and dials.
Flex Control allows different residents of the same home to control their appliances in various ways according to personal preferences.
"You can decide if you use it via a touch, via one knob or two knobs, on the left or on the right-hand side," Grobleben explained.
Flex Design is a selection of trims and panels for Neff appliances that come in a variety of colours including Brushed Bronze, Deep Black, Metallic Silver and Anthracite Grey.
The trims and panels can be changed without the need to reinstall the appliance and can be easily swapped to offer maximum customisation.
"Often design is made just for one person or just one target group in the kitchen," Grobleben said. "And we said no, there are different people inside of a household and we want to give these people the ability to choose."
Flex Design is compatible with Neff's signature Slide & Hide oven, a space-saving oven with a door that can be fully hidden underneath the appliance when open.
The oven, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, is known for being used by contestants on The Great British Bake Off television show.
"We try to find solutions that always give some kind of positive surprise to people," Grobleben said.
With the Neff Collection, the brand aims to expand the lifecycle of its products to enable users to update their appearance and functionality in line with changing tastes.
"We are doing design in a different way. We are doing it for the long term," Grobleben explained. "With Flex Design, you don't have to throw away the whole appliance, you can just change the colour if you want."
Partnership content
This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Neff. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.