KBSA Company Designer Scoops Top Award

Young kitchen designer Caroline Davies, who works for Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association member company Aristocraft, scooped a top award at the Design Awards 2004.

The awards, organised by Kitchen and Bathroom Designer magazine, culminated in a presentation ceremony in London late last month when Caroline was presented with the New Kitchen Designer of the Year trophy by TV presenter Kevin McCloud.

Caroline was one of three finalists shortlisted for the coveted award and was ‘stunned’ to have won.

‘When Kevin McCloud announced my name I just couldn’t believe it,’ she says. ‘I was thrilled to have been shortlisted but never expected to win. I’m just over the moon!’

Caroline joined Aristocraft of Brierley Hill, West Midlands, which is run by her father Bryn Davies, just under two years ago. She had previously worked as a special events designer, organising interior decoration for hotels and wedding party venues, and it was this experience that inspired her interest in design.

Her submission to the Design Awards panel of judges had to be a kitchen she had designed for a client and Caroline chose a very contemporary kitchen in solid maple with shaker doors, granite surfaces and an American fridge freezer.

Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association chief executive Graham Hayden commented: ‘It’s always gratifying when member companies succeed in bringing new talent into the interiors industry, especially when these new designers are as gifted as Caroline.

‘Our association is firmly committed to encouraging design innovation and actively seeks to support the work and training of young designers.’

Leading International Design Awards for Electrolux Home Products' brand, AEG

Electrolux has recently received two Focus Dialog 2004 design awards in Germany, recognising its household appliance design. The prize, considered to be one of the principal design awards on an international level, was given by the Design Centre in Stuttgart, a leading institution which promotes and supports design related activities in Germany and beyond.

Electrolux was praised for its design achievements under its AEG brand. The winning products were the AEG freestanding dishwasher product range, and the AEG Designer 'Cobra' cooker hood (HD8795m).

The freestanding dishwasher range includes the F80850 dishwasher, which operates at a quiet 41dBa, and offers eight programmes including automatic wash, and a 3-in-1 option to ensure the best performance with the latest detergents. The LCD programme progress indicator also shows remaining time allowing the user to plan their time.

The HD8795m cooker hood is available in stainless steel or with Alutec(r) side panels. A narrower, 60cm model, the HD8760 is also available in stainless steel.
There were nearly 400 entries for the design awards, in numerous categories, covering a multitude of design-related industries.

Web: http:/www.electrolux.co.uk

Roman, the shower enclosure company based in Newton Aycliffe, has won the award for business growth from the County Durham Development Company.

The award was presented to Gerry Osborne, Roman's founder and Managing Director, at the County Durham Business Show at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, on 30th September.

The citation says that it 'recognises an expansion which, the judges believe, shows commitment to, and confidence in, County Durham as a location for business growth. The business will have demonstrated sustained employment growth and turnover, and will have grown its markets.' There are more than 12,000 businesses in the county.

Gerry Osborne and colleagues from Roman celebrate the recognition of the company's achievement at the County Durham Business Show

In recent years County Durham has developed a diversified economy able to create sustainable business opportunities. Business expansion projects by companies such as Roman are an essential part of this development.

Since Roman's inception in 1985, the company says that it has been at the forefront of design and technological developments in shower enclosures and trays, bath screens and wet-room products. The company's factory extension was opened by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in 2002 and today exports all over the world.

Tel: 0845 0540 032
Web: http://www.roman-showers.com

Hansgrohe AG Most Successful Plumbing Appliances Company at the 2004 International Reddot Design Competition

This year more than 1600 products from 32 countries competed for the hotly contested reddot design award, which is presented annually by the Design Center of North Rhine-Westphalia. But there was hardly any other company in this competition - one of the largest and most important in the world - that did as well as Hansgrohe AG. With its brands Axor and Hansgrohe, the international provider of plumbing appliance products and state-of-the-art design oriented bathroom solutions raked in a total of six awards - including the distinctive award ‘best of the best’ for the Rainbow shower set, developed in collaboration with Phoenix Design (Stuttgart/Tokyo). The jury, which was composed of very prominent members in the field, conferred the award this year to a total of only 33 products for ‘highest design quality’. In receiving the award, the Group was the only top winner in the category of ‘Bathroom, Heating, Plumbing, and Air Conditioning’.

‘Quality has a form’ - Professor Peter Zec; Jury members Kenneth Grange and Markus Ferstera bestow the ‘red dot award - best of the best’ on the Rainbow shower set from Hansgrohe. Accepting happily for the company are Jan Heisterhagen and Carsten Tessmer as well as development partner Tom Schönherr from Phoenix Design (from L to R). Photo: red dot/Peter Wieler

Quality has a Form
The efforts toward consciousness of form and perfection in design have been a part of the company's identity for decades. This is not only demonstrated by the more than 150 design prizes that have been bestowed upon the fittings, showers, and shower and well being systems from Hansgrohe, but also in the productive cooperation it has cultivated for years with internationally renowned design powerhouses like Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, and Phoenix Design. But these relationships in no way hold product design to be an end in itself or as the sole guarantee of success. To the contrary, successful styling develops in a dialogue with the technological characteristics of a product and its intended emotionality and functionality, in order to generate the highest level of benefit for the consumer. Only in this kind of relationship can a good design pay off in the end, because it then stands for innovative capacity, creativity, and quality, and is in a position to set trends in the market and influence purchasing decisions. In the end, potential buyers - for whom a red dot award is equal to a seal of quality - are the ones who honour the fact that quality has a form.

AIR is More - Design for the Senses
It's no coincidence that the Rainbow shower set, distinguished with the ‘best of the best’ award in Essen, is one of the major contenders in the Hansgrohe product range. Rainbow stages showering as a sensual and intensive experience modelled after nature, and connects it with a well thought-out, user-friendly functionality that simultaneously has an appealing form concealing its technologies. In fact, it was not only the design but also the novel AIR technology that was recognised; this new technology provides a new quality for showering and continues to push ahead the ‘revolution in showering’ first ignited with Raindance.

The set integrates the hand shower Raindance Puro AIR both physically and visually into a matching wall bar. The shower spray seems to float out of a rainbow, bringing not only an experience associated with nature, but with showering enjoyment as well. With its variable height-adjustability, the mini shower system provides a variety of options for use. In a horizontal position, the hand shower becomes an overhead shower spray. When positioned this way, the hose is guided above through the slim lines of the bar, which then directs the hose seamlessly to the hand shower. Additionally, the Rainbow shower set takes on the function of a ‘normal’ shower bar: The hand shower can be positioned at any height or angle. The extensive spray (with a 140mm-diameter spray disc) in fact offers a pleasant surprise, providing a ‘rain shower’ experience that is created out of a mixture with air. The AIR technology in the flat-shaped showerhead mixes water with air in a ratio of 3:1, so that millions of tiny raindrops reach down over the shower-taker in a generous flow.

In addition to the Rainbow shower system, the hand shower Raindance Puro AIR, the Raindance concealed-technology shower panel, the Axor Steel and Axor Uno concealed-technology single-lever vanity sinks with countertop base-plate and the Axor Terrano Showerpipe each received a red dot award.

Web: http://www.hansgrohe.com

Electrolux Wins Euronics Supplier of the Year Award 2004

Electrolux has received the Supplier of the Year Award, from Euronics, a leading consumer electronics chain in Europe. Amongst the various award criteria, the company was praised for its high standards in product innovation, service focus, product quality, marketing support and supply chain solutions.

The Euronics Supplier of the Year Award, given annually, compares its suppliers’ ability to deliver high quality services and appliances on a country-by-country basis. The cumulative result of this comparison has made Electrolux the clear leader in 2004. Harrit Kingma, Key Account Director at Electrolux Home Products Europe, accepted the award on behalf of the company from Werner Winkelman, President of Euronics International, at a ceremony held in Venice, Italy.

‘Electrolux Home Products is honoured to receive this important recognition from Euronics’, states Peter Nolan, Senior Vice President Brand and Marketing at Electrolux Home Products Europe, ‘It is a strong signal from our customers that our continuing efforts to meet the highest standards of products and services are being recognised. Customer satisfaction is one of our primary targets as a company, and the driving force behind our approach to business. We are proud to be recognised as the leaders in our field.’

The award plate, sculpted in Venetian Murano Glass, will take a prominent place at the Electrolux Home Products Europe headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Web: http://www.electrolux.com

Ideal-Standard Wins D & D Award

Ideal-Standard's Newson bath has won the Design & Decoration Award for Best Bathroom Product.

One of five finalists, the Ideal-Standard Newson Bath beat off strong competition including products from Samual Heath and Sons, Aqata and Hansgrohe.

The Newson bath has been created by leading Australian designer Marc Newson. Part of the Newson Collection the Newson freestanding bath stands proudly as the 'monolithic' centrepiece of the suite. The 1900 x 950mm bath and panels are formed as one seamless piece creating a simplistic focal point for the bathroom.

Commenting on the win, Ideal-Standard's Marketing Manager Brian Grey said, ‘We are very honoured to have won the D&D Award for Best Bathroom Product. The Newson Bath introduces a new generation of design to Ideal-Standard, and it is wonderful that it has been recognised by such a prestigious award.’

The Newson bath, along with the rest of the finalists was on display at the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre from the 24th June - 27th August 2004. `

Tel: 01482 346461
Web: http://www.ideal-standard.co.uk

Samuel Heath Shortlisted for DD Awards

Samuel Heath reports that the Xenon™ V109 Single Lever Mixer Tap with Pop up Waste reached the final five products in the bathroom section for this year's Design & Decoration Awards. Samuel Heath had to beat off some stiff competition in this crowded category, which attracted in excess of fifty entrants.

The judging was carried out by many of the industry's most respected members including: Nina Campbell, Kevin McCloud, George Ferguson President of RIBA, Matthew Line The Princes Foundation, Rupert Thomas Editor The World of Interiors, and Celia Birtwell to name just a few. The judges considered aesthetics, fitness for purpose, originality, innovation, use of materials, detailing and finish when making their decisions and the judging of this category alone took two days.

The Samuel Heath V109 Single Lever Xenon™ Tap with Pop Up Waste, part of the Samuel Heath Xenon™ Collection, is designed and manufactured in the UK from solid brass and is offered in both polished chrome and satin nickel plated finishes to complement the overall appearance

Web: http://www.samuel-heath.com

Tradestyle Cabinets Shortlisted for Scotland’s National Business Awards

Tradestyle Cabinets has made it through to the final stage of the National Business Awards for Scotland.

It is one of five shortlisted companies in the 2004 National Business Awards for Scotland in the ScottishPower Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year category.

Companies from across Scotland entered the category, which is being sponsored by energy giant ScottishPower.

Tradestyle Cabinets is competing with ACS Clothing, BiP Solutions, Harper Macleod and SpaceandPeople to claim the title.

Tradestyle Cabinets is a major player in the upper end of the kitchen cabinet market and has grown significantly year on year.

Terry Hamilton, managing director of Tradestyle Cabinets, said: ‘We are delighted to have reached the final in the Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year category of the National Business Awards for Scotland.

‘It is pleasing to be acknowledged as a successful business by our inclusion in the shortlist for such a prestigious competition’.

The Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award is open to organisations with less than £10 million turnover in the last financial year. This award will go to the company that best demonstrates significant growth and innovation in its market sector; this will be underpinned by strong financial performance. The category is open to public and private sector organisations.

Tradestyle Cabinets has also been shortlisted in the Growth Strategy of the Year award category. ScottishPower is also sponsoring the Tourism Business of the Year category.

Robert Robinson, Business Marketing Manager at ScottishPower said: ‘At ScottishPower we are committed to meeting the needs of small businesses. This is demonstrated by our competitive prices, focussed customer service and added-value services like free energy efficiency information.

‘We are delighted to be supporting the National Business Awards – Scotland which is a great opportunity for Scottish companies to be acknowledged for business success in their individual fields.’

The winners of the National Business Awards for Scotland will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony for 700 guests at the Glasgow Hilton on Thursday 9th September.

For further information on the National Business Awards for Scotland log onto http://www.businessawardsforscotland.com

PWS’ Commitment to Invest in its People

Following an outstanding Investor in People report, County Durham based distributor PWS has retained its IIP status for the third time since first achieving the standard in November 2000.

The IIP Assessor was impressed that although the organisation has seen further growth in both turnover and employees since the previous review, the distinctive PWS culture continues to be very strong, ensuring individuals feel valued within the business. Relationships at every level are positive with innovative and effective approaches to managing people. The Assessor’s report concluded that PWS is a confident organisation and the value it places on its people is an outstanding characteristic, as is its smart business approach.

PWS’ Personnel Manager, Ione Hannam comments, ‘This is superb recognition for all employees at PWS who work as a great team to ensure that our culture and working ethos are perfectly in tune with the aims and objectives of the IIP philosophy. The IIP recognition provides a firm foundation on which we can form a programme of continuous improvement and development, and ultimately continue to demonstrate our total commitment to supporting and developing staff at PWS’.

Web: http://www.pws.co.uk

Indesit Wins Gold Marketing Awards for Euro 2004 Promotion

Indesit was a special supporter of the qualification matches of Euro 2004 and to leverage this sponsorship, a promotion was designed specifically for the company’s Independent retailers. Developed in conjunction with creative agency Fresh, the promotion has earned the brand two gold awards in the prestigious Promotions and Incentives magazine 2004 Awards. The gold awards were presented to Indesit for winner of the 'Small Budget Campaign' and the 'Copywriting' categories.

Indesit rewarded Independent retailers with a case of beer for the purchase of a minimum of five appliances, throughout the qualifying stages of the 2004 Championships and following David Beckham's disqualification from the Euro 2004 match against Slovakia, 750 retailers were issued with postcards carrying the message ‘since he's not playing, watch the match with Becks’. Its success was paramount and throughout the 4-week promotional period total sales reached 2,630 units.

Sarah Pascal, Indesit's Marketing Communications Manager, comments: ‘We were very excited to have won two Gold awards; they represent a combination of an innovative creative concept alongside great products. The campaign proved to be humorous, effective and topical and demonstrates our support for our Independent retailers.’

Tel: 0870 777 6485
Web: http://www.indesit.co.uk

Aussies Race to Join International Designer Award

Australia will now be represented in the International Designer Awards, part of the Bathrooms And Kitchens Industry Awards 2005. National winners of the Housing Industry Association Kitchen Designer Award and Bathroom Designer Award will compete against designers from New Zealand, the UK, USA, Canada and Sweden.

Representing Australia in the International Designer Award for Kitchens is design partnership Darren Genner and Simona Castagna of Minosa in Sydney. While Royston Wilson of Royston Wilson Design, in Victoria, will represent Australia in the International Designer Award for Bathrooms.

New Zealand has also named the winners of its National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Awards, which will represent the country in the International Designer Awards. Shane George (CKDNZ) of Shane George Design, in Auckland, will represent New Zealand in the International Designer Award for Kitchens. Partnership Ingrid Geldof and John Gaynor of, Ingrid Geldof Design in Christchurch, will represent New Zealand in the International Designer Award for Bathrooms.

Winners of the UK's Designer Award for Bathrooms and Designer Award for Kitchens will automatically represent the country in the International Designer Awards, and they will be named on the night.

The Bathrooms And Kitchens Magazine Industry Awards take place at the Grosvenor House, in London, on February 1st, 2005.

For more information visit http://www.bathroomskitchens.co.uk/awards

Symphony in running for 'Business Oscar'

Fitted furniture supplier the Symphony Group has been chosen to represent the North East in The National Business Awards.

The Leeds based company, the largest privately owned furniture provider in the UK, beat off strong competition from across the region, in the Best Use of Technology category, for its innovative Extranet facility.

Developed as part of a business strategy to make life easier for its customers who include retailers, house builders and housing authorities, Symphony’s Extranet enables customers to track and review quotations, drawings and orders throughout the business process.

Symphony’s IT Manager Ruth Rew (pictured) said the Extranet helped Symphony’s customers by delivering real-time information relevant to all areas of a particular order or service, freeing up time that would previously have been occupied with telephone enquiries.

She comments: 'We are the first company in the industry to provide a service like this and client feedback shows that the Extranet is a very welcome addition to Symphony’s kit of customer service tools, so we’re delighted that it has been recognised in this way. The benefits are very tangible and the only requirement on the user’s behalf is to have access to a PC and Internet browser.'

Symphony now competes against nine other companies in the national finals later this month. The National Business Awards, sponsored by Orange, aim to reward and recognise excellence, best practice and innovation throughout the UK business community.

Daryl Anodising Achieves Environmental Excellence

Showering products manufacturer Daryl Industries has been awarded the ‘SME Best Environmental Practice Award’ at the annual Northwest Business Environment Awards for achievements made by the company’s aluminium finishing division, Daryl Anodising.

Daryl achieved this prestigious award through developing and implementing a programme of energy saving, waste reduction and environmentally sound working practices at the Daryl Anodising plant in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. Achievements made by the company include reducing monthly water usage from 1.3m litres to just over 300,000, which resulted in a cost-reduction of over 75%.

The key to Daryl’s success was the creation of an in-house management team to devise and produce an environmental action plan, which was supported by an internal communications programme. This included monthly newsletters and the introduction of a method statement to ensure that all staff understood the importance and relevance of the new working practices to the success of the business.

Hosted by Mersey Basin Campaign and Northwest Development Agency with support from a number of industry regulators, the awards recognised the achievements of businesses demonstrating excellence in environmental innovation and management.

John Burrow, Director of the Northwest Development Agency’s Business Development commented: ‘We were particularly impressed with Daryl’s waste reduction achievements and the extent to which employees have embraced the new initiatives thanks to the internal communications activity.

‘By highlighting the achievements of those who have made outstanding contributions in this area, we hope these awards will encourage more businesses to develop and improve their environmental performance.’

Through adopting a rigorous approach towards environmental responsibility Daryl Anodising was also recently awarded ISO14001 certification - the internationally recognised standard for Environmental Management Systems.

Heather Devlin, business systems director at Daryl Industries, concluded, ‘Working towards environmental excellence is an integral part of Daryl’s business strategy and we are delighted to have received such a prestigious recognition for our achievements.

‘It also demonstrates to our customers the approach, attitudes and standards to which we operate and reinforces our commitment to manufacturing the best engineered products supported by the best customer service.’

Jado Wins Prestigious Red Dot Award

Bathroom and kitchens brassware manufacturer Jado has been recognised for its commitment to cutting edge design with the presentation of the 'high design quality' category for its latest Glance range by Germany's Design Centrum Essen's Red Dot Awards.

Recently launched in the UK, Glance was designed for Jado by Artefakt Industrieculture; which is based in Darmstadt, Germany.

The Red Dot Design Award is regarded as the international seal of quality for outstanding design, with over 4000 products from 40 countries being seen by the judge.

Commenting on the award Jado European Communications Manager Richard Moss said, 'lt is really heart-warming for products with the design culture of Jado's Glance to be recognised with such a prestigious award.'

Jado will be formally presented with the company's award at a ceremony, which takes place on the 5th July in Essen.

For further information regarding Glance call Jado on: 0870 1296025.

Could your Bathroom and Kitchen Designs Win you £500?

The Bathrooms And Kitchens Industry Awards are searching for up and coming talent, with the Student Designer Award for Bathrooms and the Student Designer Award for Kitchens. Entries are being called from universities and colleges across the UK to recognise, and financially reward, the best young kitchen and bathroom design skills in the country.

The Student awards are open to students over the age of 18 who are enrolled on a full-time design related course. If you have a bathroom or kitchen design to be proud of, then call today to get your entry in.

The winner will receive a cheque for £500 and also the opportunity to receive a great step-up on the career ladder. The student awards have run for the past five years, and many finalists and winners have gone on to great things in the industry. You can find out more on the website at http://www.bathroomskitchens.co.uk/awards. The prize will be presented at the Bathrooms And Kitchens Industry Awards – a black-tie event at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 1st February 2005, attended by the leading lights in the bathrooms and kitchens industry.

The Student Designer Award is sponsored by Twyford Bathrooms, joining many of the industry’s leading manufacturers as sponsors of the main awards including Hotpoint, Ideal Standard, Jacuzzi UK, and Neff.

Download your entry form at http://www.bathroomskitchens.co.uk/awards or email Clare Coe at mailto:ccoe@quantumbusinessmedia.com. The entry deadline for the Student Awards is 10th December 2004, so please get your entry forms today

Ideal-Standard Wins Prestigious Red Dot Award

Ideal-Standard's new Tonic range, has picked up Germany's top design award; the Design Centrum Essen Red Dot Award.

With over 4000 entries from 40 countries, the Red Dot Design Awards ranks amongst the largest design competitions worldwide. The competition has come to be regarded as the international seal of quality for outstanding product design.

Artefakt lndustrieculture of Darmstadt, the award winning design house founded by Thomas Fiegle and Achim Pohl created the Tonic design for Ideal-Standard. Tonic won the highest 'best of the best' accolade in the awards.

Commenting on the award, Ideal-Standard European Communications Manager Richard Moss said, 'lt is a real honour to win such a prestigious award. We work with some of the world's top designers to produce ground-breaking pieces such as Tonic and it is great to be recognised in the industry as a company that is committed to good design.

Ideal-Standard will be presented with the Red Dot Award at the ceremony, which takes place on the 5th July in Essen.

For further information regarding Tonic call Ideal-Standard on: 01482 346461.

FIRA Gold for all PWS' New Doors

PWS has announced that the company's six new door ranges launched with the 2004 Directory have achieved the FIRA Gold award. Including Avilon, Baltic Maple, Broadoak Golden, Caprio, Freestyle Grey and Freestyle Ivory, this brings the total number of PWS door ranges with FIRA Gold status to 37.

Comments Terry Mitchell, Quality Manager at PWS, 'We are committed to the stringent FIRA Gold testing procedure and this demonstrates the importance we place on door performance and quality at PWS. PWS is the only distributor of doors in the UK to hold the renowned FIRA Gold Award.'

Web: http://www.pws.co.uk

Grohe’s 'Movario' hand shower won an 'iF design award.CHINA'. A fully rotatable head is the unique feature of the Movario hand shower. All award-winning products were exhibited at CeBIT-Asia from April 26 to 29. The iF label of design quality was bestowed upon a total of 50 products by an expert jury comprised of Ulrich Skrypalle (designafairs GmbH, Erlangen), Fritz Frenkler (f/p design gmbh, Frankfurt am Main), Professor Yin Zhengsheng (Tongji University, Shanghai), Professor Xiaobo Lu and Professor Liu Guanzhong (both from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University Beijing). This was the second edition of this design competition. Last year, Grohe’s 'Eurofresh' line of single-lever mixers and the company’s 'Freehander' shower system each won an iF design award.CHINA.

Geared to manufacturers and designers who distribute their products in the Chinese market, the award competition is meant to highlight the increasing importance of product design in China. The jury decided on the winner according to a fixed catalogue of criteria, focusing not so much on the outer appearance of the product, but rather on its overall design and function. Sustainable and well-reflected product design are only two of the criteria considered in the selection of the award winners. In 2004, CeBIT Asia for the first time took place in late April.

'Movario' is the first hand shower with a special RotaHead®, that can be turned through 360 degrees in eight steps, allowing the shower head to be adapted to the user’s specific preferences. By turning the shower head, the user can modify the angle of the water flow, which facilitates a dedicated massage of the back and neck, for instance. To treat your entire back to an invigorating splash, all it takes is another rotation to turn the handspray, in combination with the shower rail, into a height-adjustable side shower. This and the up to five different spray patterns (depending on the model) turn a simple shower into a personalised wellness programme. All showers feature the convenient SpeedClean system, which allows the elastic jets to be freed from scale by simply wiping over them. What makes the 'Movario' handle special on the outside is its gentle, ergonomic shape; on the inside, it is the invisible Cooltouch function, which ensures that the handle will never get hot even when hot water is flowing. These features have already won 'Movario' the coveted 'red dot design award' of Design Zentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen (Germany).

Wolf Wins GOOD DESIGN™ Awards

Wolf Appliance Company, a manufacturer of luxury cooking appliances, is the recipient of two prestigious 2003 GOOD DESIGN™ awards from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design-one for its dual fuel range and another for its electric cooktop.

'We are honoured to be recognised by the Athenaeum through its distinguished international competition,' said Jim Bakke, president and chief executive officer for Wolf Appliance Company. 'The Wolf dual fuel range affirms our commitment to developing innovative products that provide the latest cooking technology in a single multipurpose appliance, while the electric cooktop continues our tradition of industry leadership in performance and form.'

Combining a gas cooktop and an electric oven the stainless steel range is available in four sizes: 30" and 36" single ovens and 48" and 60" double ovens. Wolf unveiled the company's first dual fuel range at retail showrooms in 2003.

The electric oven features Wolf's exclusive dual convection system that delivers even temperature and airflow throughout the range. Two convection fans and four heating elements provide user convenience and superior control over eight different cooking modes, including bake, roast, grill, convection bake, convection roast, convection grill, convection and bake stone. Microprocessors govern the eight cooking modes to make the dual fuel range a true precision instrument. The homeowner can easily set all eight cooking modes and temperatures from the single, coaxial control knob that mirrors Wolf's classic red controls. As part of the knob, Wolf also designed an ergonomic digital temperature readout to be easily viewed while cooking.

The patented dual-stacked burner design uses the upper-level burner for maximum heat transfer and the lower-level burner for simmering and melting. The burners deliver up to 15,000 BTUs. Another feature is the oven's all-glass electronic control panel which is hidden to create a clean, minimalist look when not in use. When ready to cook, the control panel flips into position for easy use.

Wolf's electric cooktop provides high-performance and good control of cooking surface temperatures in a sophisticated exterior. A single touch activates any setting, from super-low heat for melting and simmering to highest searing heat-up to 2,700 watts of power-offering as much control as a gas cooktop. The smooth, subtly patterned glass surface reduces visible scratches. The 36-inch cooktop contains a 12-inch diameter triple heating element with concentric rings that give the homeowner exceptional control of temperature for pans and pots of all sizes.

The GOOD DESIGN™ programme was established in 1950 by Earl J. Kaufmann, Jr., and is the oldest and one of the most renowned design competitions worldwide that recognises designers and manufacturers for advancing new and innovative product concepts. The Museum received hundreds of submissions ranging from an aeroplane to a paperclip for this year's programme. The GOOD DESIGN™ winners will be on exhibit at the museum from April 3rd through July 31st, 2004, and online at http://www.chi-athenaeum.org.

Wolf appliances also won two Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in the 2002 Consumer Products category: a bronze for the Dual Convection Wall Oven line and a bronze for the Radiant Cooktop line, and the dual fuel line was first runner-up in Appliance Manufacturer Magazine's 2003/4 Excellence in Design Contest. Sub-Zero Freezer Company, an affiliate of Wolf and a manufacturer of residential refrigeration and wine storage units, won a GOOD DESIGN™ award in 2001 for its 400 series wine storage unit. Sub-Zero's 650G glass door refrigerator is the recipient of the 2004 American Kitchen & Bath Award, sponsored by Home magazine, and the unit was a top 100 product pick in the nation for 2002 in Builder, Remodeling, Custom Home and Building Products. Additionally, Sub-Zero refrigerators have been ranked number one in Quality and number one in Leader in Innovation for Builder magazine's 2003 awards.

Email: mailto:hprisbe@wolfappliance.com

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