The Design Column – January/February 2008

There are few things I like as much at this time of year than coming home from a crisp winter walk to luxurious kitchen that is warm, comforting and full of the smell of freshly baked bread, or even better fruit cake.

A cosy kitchen where food is being prepared, friends are chatting or family meals are being taken can drive away the darkest, coldest evenings and warm us from the inside out. In days gone by this was all carried out by the kitchen fire and then during the interwar years the first Aga began to appear in country homes across the UK.

Launching a new product in an era of depression was a bold move but in the 1930s, Art Deco was all the rage and linear, decorative designs evocative of modern technology with curved surfaces and geometric patterns reigned supreme. At the time, the Aga just felt right. In the early days, the Aga was heavily promoted on its low running costs (from as little as £4 a year) and a further USP was its ability to heat the kitchen as well as cook, roast and bake to perfection.

There are not many brands like Aga that have become iconic, drawing on a rich heritage but still retaining real relevance in today’s market. People who have grown up with an Aga in their family home are understandably passionate about it and won’t use anything else. To them, the Aga is as much part of family life as a beloved pet and many consider it to be the warm heart of their home.

And it’s easy to see why.

A lamb vindaloo can be cooked alongside a lemon meringue pie in the same oven and they will not smell or taste of each other. For families with younger children an Aga is a real labour saving boon as clothes can be ironed and aired by folding them whilst damp and placing them on the simmering plate lid or on the warming plate of a 4-Oven Aga. Sports shoes can be dried in the warming oven, wellies in front of the Aga and of course you can even warm cold feet in the warming oven.

Today, the Aga is still built using traditional values and materials in the same way that it has been for decades. Molten iron is poured into moulds giving castings their characteristic surface and then over three days, the multiple protective coats of gleaming vitreous enamel paint are applied. These traditional values are blended harmoniously with state-of-the-art technology such as intelligent management systems and meeting the latest environmental standards.

The result is that the Aga is still exceptionally sought after and can blend perfectly with any style of kitchen. My clients wanted an Aga to be the centrepiece of their kitchen in a new build Georgian mansion in Hertfordshire. By using oak, burr oak, polished cream lacquer and light granite, their kitchen had all the contemporary style, luxury and warmth they were looking for, whilst maintaining the traditional values and feel of an English country kitchen.

The Aga is living proof that classic design is timeless, but it equally shows that no brand can simply rest on its laurels. The need to move with the times whilst retaining the values and heritage that brought popularity in the first place is the recipe for success.