Kitchen appliances are necessary for cooking, but what if they could be as stylish as they are functional? Brooklyn Beckham proves that it's possible in his kitchen. He proudly features a white Smeg Retro Toaster and Smeg Retro Kettle for an inviting and effortlessly chic feel.
In my time as a Celebrity Style editor, I've noticed these kitchen appliances pop up in famous home after famous home. I wanted to understand more about what makes Smeg appliances so popular among the uber-stylish, and how as non-famous people, we can use that understanding to design our own kitchens. I interviewed Daniel Hadley, Managing Director at Smeg UK to find out.
First, there's no doubt that Smeg appliances are iconic kitchen accessories. Hadley explained: 'Our appliances appear in many celebrity homes. We've done everything from George Clark through to the Beckhams. We've had celebrities and politicians of all sort of walks of life and through to music stars like Robbie Williams.'
This workhorse of a kettle is one of the most classic Smeg silhouettes. It features a swivel base and smart auto-shut off, so it's as easy to use as it is beautiful.
This icon of cookery looks beautiful on the countertop. It has a sturdy design with 6 preset levels to toast everything to your exact preference.
If you're cooking for a large family, this four slice toaster makes everything so much easier. The retro-style design is so gorgeous.
As for why that is, Hadley believes the popularity of Smeg in celebrity homes originates from the desirability of the brand, an interest in self-expression, and an appreciation for the professional quality of the products themselves. He states: 'First things first is, nobody wants to hide our products. People have so many appliances in their homes now and if they're not well-designed people want to hide them, and we all run out of cupboard space. Nobody would want to hide the Smeg kettle, the Smeg oven, the Smeg toaster, because you're buying Smeg because you wanna show everybody you've bought Smeg, so you keep them out.'
This is in line with kitchen trends in general. 'If you think about how people are designing their homes, actually appliances and consumer appliances have become a major part of what the home and kitchen are,' Hadley adds. 'From that point of view, celebrities want that self-expression when they use our products, like everybody else.'
In this vein, Smeg appliances are available in dozens of colorways that can be combined based on your tastes. For instance, in Beckham's all-white kitchen, the Smeg toaster and kettle are white to match his cabinets. Hadley states: With our brand and products, we allow for playfulness and personality. I think that being self-expressive is such an important thing for everybody, but particularly with celebrities.'
However, what makes Smeg pieces go beyond passing kitchen appliance trends is their professional quality. Hadley explains: 'If you think about the breadth of our portfolio, we have professional ovens, but our domestic products are delivering professional results. So we've had celebrities contact us directly saying they want a top-end range and top-end ovens because they want these high-end meals. They want those professional results at home.'
Just like celebrities, most of us want things in our home that look good and work well. Whether you're Brooklyn Beckham or not, quality and personalization are key to designing a kitchen that you will love for years to come.
