'The kitchen is increasingly about personalization, connectedness and service'

The look and feel of the kitchen - and therefore its function - has changed unprecedentedly in recent years. More than ever, the kitchen has become the focal point of the home. That's where everything comes together. Nothing new under the sun. Once upon a time, however, this trend started and it became here to stay. But where do trends like this ("The kitchen is the central place") actually come from? Who determines them? We speak with Maxime Parein, responsible for marketing the Home Appliance Division at Samsung. He is clear with his answer to these questions. "The consumers themselves determine the trends!"

"Consumer research is and remains the basis," says Maxime. "By asking good questions and especially by asking through questions, you can discover the intrinsic motivations of the consumer. You can then define them better, often even better than the consumer himself. You then do something with that in your own innovation processes."

"Trends do move faster and faster," he continues. "But that's not so surprising. The world has become one big village. The world view is broader. That means people have more channels on which to be inspired, so needs lose latent status and become concrete faster. Moreover, influencers can accelerate trends but the bottomline - also for the entire kitchen industry - is that the basis of a new development always comes from the consumer himself."

The question of whether this makes it "easier" to predict what the kitchen will look like in 2030 is at the same time difficult to answer. Maxime's vision: "The kitchen as an extension of yourself will become bigger, though. I am convinced of that. What it will look like in concrete terms, however, is impossible to predict but the general concept is: it will remain the central place in the home."

"However, I do expect that by 2030, devices will deliver more 'experience.' Technological developments will cause appliances to (think) more for you. I call that 'Connected Cooking. Of course there are disadvantages to 'The Internet Of Things' but still: it can also deliver a lot to the consumer, such as more healthy eating. Current - and certainly upcoming - kitchen appliances are literally going to make that happen. And I mean really "healthy food" tailored to your needs. Partly through food recognition that is linked to the habits, customs and health of the resident/user. Smart Things Cooking, in other words. How nice is it when you get a personalized and appropriate healthy eating proposal from your own kitchen equipment?"

"It's about personalization, connectedness and service," he says. "That's the core around which the kitchen will be built in the coming years. We will arguably be much further along in that in 2030 than we are today. Yes, we at Samsung are also trying to contribute to that. True, we are still a relatively New Kid On The Block in kitchen land, but we too absolutely want to make life more fun, more beautiful and easier. We do that based on what consumers want, but what they may not realize in concrete terms right now."