Hello! This is Ferren writing from the Easyart Loves blog. I spend a lot of time looking at great styles for decorating your home and usually I apply these trends to art print, but today I’m excited to apply these ideas to appliances as well! One look that has been gaining traction as a fixed favourite is Britannia. This idea of little bits and bobs with British themes first really gained its stride with the royal wedding last year and now it’s in full force.

A lot of the charm of this look is that it references familiar colours and imagery. I love the idea of one of these bold-coloured Smeg refrigerators for a kitchen because the design looks vintage and the colours are so striking. Good design never goes out of style and this is apparent when looking at the vintage underground print and Marmite design. If you’re really keen for a bold look, why not go for the Union Jack refrigerator? To pull this look off successfully, I suggest having mainly white and cream tones throughout the kitchen with touches of wood accents. Remember, appliances and accessories can enhance the look of any room if you use them to their full advantage. Don’t let bold colours intimidate you away from a brilliant Britannia look.

(Image Caption)
Top left image via Casapinka. Top right image via Automatism

1. Smeg Left Hand Hinge FAB28YBL1
2. "Keep Calm Flag"
3. Smeg Right Hand Hinge FAB30QR
4. "By Train to London"
5. Smeg Right Hand Hinge FAB28QUJ1
6. "Marmite - Original (Red)"

If you’re a regular Friday giveaway entrant or a Yossette, you’ll know exactly what the title of this blog’s alluding to. No idea what the Friday giveaway is? Don’t worry, I’m here to fill you in.

Last Friday, Appliances Online gave away a brand new LG washing machine. Yes, you heard right, they gave it away free of charge! One lucky winner told us which famous figure wore a certain famous outfit and took home the F1479FDS5 6 Motion™ TrueSteam™ washing machine. Not bad for 2 minutes work!

This week, we’re doing it all again... but BIGGER AND BETTER. Yossi’s dug out some more photographs of famous outfits and we want you to tell us who they belong to.

The prize – the LG F1443KDS. Not only does this washing machine have everything last week’s prize has – LG’s 6 Motion™ wash technology, Truesteam™ programmes, and Direct Drive™ motor – it also has a huge 11kg drum. You couldn’t ask for any more from a washing machine.

To be in with a chance of taking this beauty home, simply enter our competition via our Facebook page. Every day at lunch time, 12pm to be precise, Yossi will be uploading a new photograph of a well known outfit. Choose which celebrity that outfit belongs to from one of the multiple choice answers below the photo, and you’ll be entered into our draw. 

Each photo will remain on the Facebook page for 24 hours only, so make sure you don’t miss it. Enter every day to bump up the odds of a win.

The winner will be announced on Friday 9th March at 4pm. Get guessing, there’s no time to waste.

By entering this competition you declare that Appliances Online has permission to send marketing emails related to our products and services. Your details will be the property of Appliances Online and will not be passed on to any 3rd parties.

For me, the quaint charm that a shabby chic design offers is exactly what I’m looking for in a kitchen. Cold, hard designs are all well and good in a commercial kitchen but our homes are all about comfort and there’s nothing more welcoming that soft pastel colours and periwinkle china.

For those that don’t already know, shabby chic is a kind of interior design where your furniture and furnishings are chosen for their appearance of age and signs of wear. You could also ‘add’ the wear and tear to your existing furniture if you wanted to (believe me, it’s a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon!)

As well as ‘antique-y’ looking items, soft, cottage-style decor can be incorporated to give a room a feminine feel. It’s all about mixing and matching. I’m thinking beautifully distressed wood, beaded mini chandeliers and old jars made new with gingham fabric tops and elastic bands. Have I painted a picture?

The beauty of shabby chic is that is can be so cheap. It’s all about what you make of it. One of my latest creations was tying ribbons to some white china plates then securing the ribbon and plates to the wall and ending up with a gorgeous piece of art.

Shabby chic fridge magnets are an easy way to update a plain kitchen. You could get yourself a decent-sized collection and turn the beautiful canvas that is a fridge like a Beko TLDA521W into something beautiful.

 

Leisure also make a selection of quirky range cookers, the CMTE95C being one of my favourites. With something like this the work is already done – you’ve got a stylish cooker shabby chic cooker that’s actually brand new!

Whether you’re into shabby chic or not, there’s no denying that our kitchens are an extension of our personality, so make sure yours gives off the perfect impression of you.

Got any tips for me? Whether it’s a cute shop or a website that’s full of little gems, leave a comment and let me know. I’m always on the lookout for great finds.

If you’re into keeping up appearances, this season’s cooking appliances are not to be missed. Combining effortless beauty with up to the minute technology, these new kids on the block are so nifty they’re worthy of a place in Hyacinth's kitchen.

"The Bouquet residence, the lady of the house speaking!"

No need to shout about your new appliances, with a centrepiece as good looking as the Whirlpool AKR804/IX Island Cooker Hood, it’ll be the first thing the neighbours spot. 

Designer lighting? No. An efficient cooker hood with 3 variable venting speeds.

Candlelit suppers on the cards? Forget about a lengthy wait for dinner. With the immediate response you get from the Siemens IQ-700 EH679ME11 Induction hob, those fillet steaks will be seared in seconds. Your guests will be too busy wondering where you keep the Mercedes, sauna, and room for a pony.

Why not melt some chocolate for dessert and wow them with just how fast this bad boy is?

The periwinkle china’s laid out in the dining room; all that’s left to do is cook the soufflés. Keep your cool, because the Smeg Linea-elite SCP115 electric oven will literally do it for you. There are 10 automatic cooking programmes which know exactly how much heat to use for different dishes so you’ll never be caught short. Simply allow the smart chef function to automatically adjust the temperature and cooking time, and it’ll cook those soufflés perfectly.... do make sure you take all the credit, of course!

The glass finish on this beauty could pass for a bespoke mirror.

And when they've all left, the pyrolytic cleaning fucntion on this oven takes all the hard work away. Just switch it on, and your oven will look brand spanking new again.

They'll never know!

Do you ever find yourself thinking about what the next major technological advancement will be? I certainly do. Recently, the iPhone 4 S, the iPad 2 and 3D TV have all been introduced into our lives (for better or worse...) and now it is the time for a radical change in the world of kitchen appliances! Now, you can control your appliances from outside the home using your smart phone.

LG; the global leader and technology innovator in home appliances, has been very busy developing its own range of innovative appliances. At the forefront of the line-up is LG’s innovative smart technology LG THINQ™.

It includes Smart Grid, Smart Diagnosis, Smart Access, Smart Adapt and Smart Manager features alongside its industry-leading core technologies. The full range of home appliances includes refrigerators, ovens, washing machines and robotic vacuum cleaners (due for release in the next few years). This could bring greater connectivity and allow owners to control their appliances from outside the home - reducing energy, water usage, customers’ time and energy.

Sounds great...but what does all this mean for YOU?

• Smart Access will enable remote access and control to your appliances via Smartphone or tablet PC so that you can always be connected to your appliances. Ever wish that you could turn on your washing machine from the office? or change the temperature of your fridge? No problem...Smart Access will let you do this! More impressively, the Smart Access feature will let you instruct your smart robot vacuum to tidy your home and monitor how the cleaning progresses remotely via your smart phone – saving time on chores.
• 
  The Smart Grid feature will ensure that your appliance uses the minimum amount of energy at the cheapest price without any input from you.
• 
  The Smart Diagnosis™ feature will allow information to be sent to service personnel when anything goes wrong, allowing them to quickly and efficiently troubleshoot mechanical issues with their expert knowledge. For you this will mean no more hassle or repeat visits from an engineer! This feature is available in most of LG’s laundry products and will be available in ALL our laundry products from 2012.
• 
  Through the Smart Adapt feature appliances will be able to update themselves, allowing you to grab quick updates for the appliances via Wi-Fi. The appliances will even be able to recommend cooking instructions and wash cycles tailored to your needs. 
• 
  The Smart Manager feature will transform your appliance into a complete food management system letting you drag food icons on the fridge’s LCD display and use voice recognition to find out what’s in the fridge, where those items are located and when they go out-of-date.

The reaction
Although smart home appliances have been around for some time, I think that LG is successfully differentiating itself from the competition – it is clearly going further to offer more; especially in terms of information, convenience and connectivity for you. LG is continuing to respond to your changing needs - offering previously unimagined levels of convenience and energy efficiency and well-engineered, stylishly designed digital appliances, to enable you to enjoy smarter lifestyles.

However, as with any new product innovation, there are some concerns. From the feedback that I received on a food forum it is clear that some people will always be weary and a little scared of such new technology and as one reader expressed... Yes you will unfortunately still have to do your own cooking and laundry! (LG has not quite developed the technology to solve that problem yet...)

Verdict
Personally, I am very excited about the release of this exciting technology over the next few years. I think that these smart products will really improve consumers’ daily lives and be a real game-changer in the industry. I am particularly looking forward to seeing how LG’s competitors react to the introduction of these products and what the future holds for home appliances.

Anyway, enough from me...What do YOU think?

• Is LG’s product innovation in line with your hopes and expectations?
• Would you consider investing in this new product range?
• Do you think that this new range could actually improve your life?