No fewer than 7 Miele products are to be awarded the coveted Red Dot Product Design Award this year: The Triflex HX2 Pro rechargeable handstick, the motorised Black Levantar downdraft extractor, the KM 7999 FL induction hob, the SmartLine Hong Kong cooking unit CS 7151/7152 with its gas burners and the Miele Professional washing machines and dryers from the PWM and PDR series. Each year, this sought-after design prize is awarded to products which excel in terms of the quality of their design. This year, around 50 experts sitting on an international jury evaluated more than 6,500 submissions from 60 countries.

Alongside the design quality of the products, the jury’s assessment also included such aspects as functionality, sustainability, and longevity as well as innovativeness and ergonomics. These criteria are met by the new Triflex HX2 Pro. The second generation of this compact allrounder from Miele’s Bielefeld plant brings together the unique flexibility of its predecessor with further increased suction power and improves user convenience. The jury was particularly taken in by the intuitive user interface, well-conceived design details and the mature functionality of the product. Whether regular vacuum cleaner or handstick for difficult-to-access places: Thanks to the patented 3-in-1 design, the PowerUnit, consisting of motor unit, rechargeable battery and the dustbox, can be reconfigured in a flash. If the PowerUnit is fitted at the top, the unit lends itself to vacuuming under furniture or along the ceiling. If fitted close to the floor, the centre of gravity shifts, providing the perfect balance for vacuuming large areas without experiencing fatigue. In this configuration, the Triflex can also stand upright – unsupported – which is practical for short breaks in work when, for example, the phone rings or food has to be removed from the hob. In solo mode, the PowerUnit is ideal for removing crumbs from the breakfast table or cleaning the car. The Triflex HX2 is available in four elegant colours, each combined with subdued colour elements in rosé gold and a crystal grey dustbox

Red Dot’ also went to the Black Levantar downdraft extractor, developed, and built at Miele’s competence plant for ventilation and filtration technology in Arnsberg. Discreetly concealed in the base unit, it only rises above the worktop when cooking is in progress. Thanks to a 17 cm deep fan unit, more space remains in the base unit for drawers. Thanks to Con@ctivity, suction power adapts to work on the hob in three settings and two booster stages. Manual operation involving reaching over the hob is no longer required. New, too, are the convenient controls using WiFi technology and the Miele app. Perfect illumination of the neighbouring hob unit is provided by dimmable three-stage LED lighting

Another award winner was the KM 7999 FL induction hob. The large-scale hob unit offers flexible space for up to 5 pots or pans and is operated via a multi-functional and multi-colour touch display. Centred in the front of the ceramic glass screen, the controls allow power settings, temperatures, and cooking times to be intuitively selected at the touch of a fingertip. Once a pan is placed on a ring, a colour indicator appears in the corresponding position in the touch display. A total of 8 TempControl sensors ensure perfect frying results. These infra-red sensors below the glass screen precisely regulate the temperature between 140°C and 230°C, dispensing with the need to keep adjusting power settings. This means burnt food is a thing of the past. Special-purpose accessories are not required; the pots and pans used simply need to be suitable for induction cooking. It goes without saying that the induction hob is connectivity-enabled via WiFi and can be integrated into the Miele app. To ensure a pleasant room climate at all times, the hob communicates with the tried-and-tested Con@ctivity functionTwo products specifically developed to cater for the cooking preferences and lifestyle in Hong Kong convinced the jury with respect to functional quality and precision craftmanship. The gas modules from the SmartLine series are particularly slim whilst featuring high-power brass burners. The special X-shape trivet design provides the maximum possible surface for large pots and pans, and above all for woks. With their glass ceramic screen, these elegant units can be fitted flush or on-set. The CS 7151 is equipped with a 6 kW wok burner. The CS 7152 features two burners: A max. 1.9 kW standard burner and a max. 3.2 kW high-speed burner – ideal for large woks which require strong heat.

In addition to this, the jury commended two products from Miele’s Professional sector: the high-end Performance Plus Little Giants with their stainless-steel front, offering an intuitive user interface and a design which exudes calmness and clarity.

This applies to over 90 wash programmes grouped into programme packages to serve the needs of specific channels. These includes special-purpose programmes for workwear, domestic-type clothing such as shirts or WetCare programmes, Miele’s aqueous wash system for garments labelled ‘non-washable’. Features also include two programmes for the RKI-compliant disinfection of laundry from retirement homes. The heart and soul of the new machines are new controls which allow programme customisation. Depending on the application, M Touch Pro Plus controls with their full touch colour display for instance can be set to offer a full complement of programmes and parameters or to be incredibly simple – in more than 30 languages. All machines are connectivity-capable. Programme cycles are short and at the same time environmentally friendly. The shortest cycle on Performance Plus washing machines uses a mere 5.9 l of water per kilogramme of laundry and is finished in only 42 minutes. Residual moisture is as low as 44%, saving valuable energy in the subsequent drying stage