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DESIGNER: HOTPOINT’S LATEST PRODUCT LAUNCH HAS BEEN MASSIVE IN TERMS OF AMBITION AND PRODUCT CATEGORIES. WHAT WERE THE KEY DESIGN BRIEFS GIVEN TO YOU FOR THESE PRODUCTS – LUCE IN PARTICULAR? MAKIO HASUIKE: To define the initial brief for the Luce project, I had to go down a pretty long path. At the beginning, Hotpoint communicated its wish to create a range that would be suitable for contemporary kitchen designs and the designs of the near future, and superior in quality to what had gone before. The structure of the range came later, working closely together with Hotpoint.
DESIGNER: YOUR TRACK RECORD OF DESIGNING ICONIC PRODUCTS FOR HOTPOINT IS WELL-ESTABLISHED. OPENSPACE – AND NOW LUCE – HAVE MADE A BIG IMPACT, BUT WHICH HAVE BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE CREATIONS DURING YOUR LONG ASSOCIATION WITH THE BRAND? HASUIKE: Actually there are a series of products that have affected the story of the company and possibly also of the appliance sector. I’m talking about built-in products, such as the 70 hob - a unique project at the time - the 4 burners in a rhombus shape, the ‘one piece’ oven of the 90s, or, in the freestanding sector, the Margherita washing machine and then later the Aqualtis. It’s difficult today to say which is my
favourite. Also, as our lifestyles change, our parameters and opinions on design change and therefore the design itself also changes. I always hope my best work is yet to come.
DESIGNER: HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR LONG-ESTABLISHED TRACK RECORD OF WORKING WITH THE HOTPOINT BRAND AS A FACTOR IN INFLUENCING THE DESIGN PROCESS OR DO YOU TRY TO TREAT EACH PROJECT INDIVIDUALLY? HASUIKE: I believe that consistency and constancy in the ethics of design are important to build the brand identity of
products, while looking back on the products of the past is not always important. Perhaps what’s more important is to
have a ‘spirit of discontinuity’ to face each project as a new challenge to get to a potentially unexpected and innovative result, but one which is suitable to an ever- changing world.
DESIGNER: WHAT ARE THE CULTURAL CHALLENGES IN DESIGNING PRODUCTS FOR THE GLOBAL MARKET RATHER THAN JUST ONE DOMESTIC MARKET? HASUIKE: Despite the remarkable differences between one culture and another, there is always something that we have in common. Being able to indentify this aspect and searching for it throughout research, observation and experience, is always useful when planning globally.
DESIGNER: HOW MUCH IS YOUR DESIGN WORK INFLUENCED BY JAPANESE DESIGN CULTURE, OR HAS THIS BECOME IRRELEVANT NOW THAT YOU’VE WORKED IN ITALY FOR SO LONG DESIGNING PRODUCTS FOR THE GLOBAL MARKET? HASUIKE: Despite my long stay in Italy, I think that the aesthetic sense of my country of origin still remains. In reality, today, we all absorb different cultures anyway, perhaps a little bit more in my case.
DESIGNER: WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR THE FUTURE OF KITCHEN APPLIANCE DESIGN – ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR TRENDS THAT YOU SEE EMERGING IN THE FUTURE? HASUIKE: I imagine the future of appliances with technological progress that will allow different products to talk to each other in order to optimise energy and water consumption. As a consequence, I imagine the appliance user interface will evolve in the future to have a very different face and expression from what we have today. In the cooking sector I believe that
induction technology will go forward. Generally speaking, I might say that
everything now tends to be oriented towards simplicity and precision, environmental and safety matters.
DESIGNER: WHAT NEW PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW AND HOW IS TECHNOLOGY DRIVING NEW IDEAS IN KITCHEN APPLIANCE DESIGN? HASUIKE: We are working on 3-4 freestanding products. Although the ergonomic aspects of the design process are still very much involved, technology can improve the development of new projects even more, for example regarding the enhancement of the interface and food preservation in the fridge. It is also fascinating to see how the
use of particular materials and finishes is evolving continuously. designer
Makio Hasuike & Co
www.makiohasuike.com
Hotpoint
www.hotpoint.co.uk
Above: The new Luce oven by Makio Hasuike for Hotpoint
Below: Hotpoint’s OpenSpace oven, launched in 2009
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