Q: What role does Whirlpool Design play in developing the Design Series Stand Mixer?  
A: The Whirlpool Design Team spends a lot of time tracking global socio-cultural trends. Keeping emotional connections top of mind, we then adapt the trends through the KitchenAid lens and try to understand what those trends could mean when brought into the kitchen. We want our products to evoke joyful reactions, which is why we make sure each design embodies unique elements of the world. 

Q: What inspired the team to create Evergreen? 
A: The Design Team was inspired by the concept of nature and how it can calm you via its fresh and revitalizing elements. Plus, we do a lot of interior design trend spotting and we knew consumers’ desire to introduce outdoor elements into the home was growing in popularity. Nature offers a type of clarity and comfort that is very specific, so we wanted to play around with that idea and see how it can translate into the kitchen. To start, we began engaging with shades of green as we knew we wanted the tone to be very lush. More specifically, the walnut bowl was a surprising yet intentional way of bringing makers’ favorite parts of nature directly to the countertop.

Q: Can you speak more about the the trend of consumers wanting to introduce more natural elements from the outdoors into their homes?
A: This is one of the largest themes our team has identified in our trend spotting, so we knew we wanted to create a Stand Mixer that embodied nature in many forms. Wood is already such a central component in the kitchen when you think of utensils, bowls, butcher blocks, so introducing this natural element to the Stand Mixer made for a perfect pairing. 

Q: Can you speak about the Design Series process from the inspiration stage all the way to launch? 
A: The process of creating Evergreen began in 2019. As we always do, we started with trendspotting to get a sense of what was going on in the world. Once we know the trends we want to tap into and the overarching emotions we want to evoke, our global team comes together to identify materials, tones and textures. After we finalize the hues and elements we feel most strongly about as a group, we began to bring the larger story to life.

Q: How did culture and current trends influence the creation of Evergreen?
A: The concept of heightened senses and engaging with one’s craft played a large role in influencing Evergreen. Whether it was the craft of woodworking or cooking, we wanted that to come through in the design of Evergreen to inspire makers to come alive.

Q: What colors and materials are used for Evergreen? What role do these colors play within nature? 
A: With Evergreen, we want makers to feel like they’re going on a walk or they’re out in the woods experiencing all of the revitalizing elements that so many love. In nature, there's so much warmth in earth and golden tones. We brought these elements to life in Evergreen through the deep forest green hue, lush matte finish, true walnut wood bowl and brass accents.

Q: How are nature and design connected from a design and consumer perspective? 
A: The Whirlpool Design team sees nature as the ultimate designer. For KitchenAid, every one of our colors is inspired from natural elements and ingredients that we know both resonate with and inspire makers.

Q: What does Evergreen represent for KitchenAid and the Stand Mixer heritage?
The word “evergreen” itself means “enduring” and “remains fresh and vital,” which is also representative of the Stand Mixer heritage. The Evergreen Stand Mixer represents exploration that continues to evolve, inspiring makers to come alive no matter where they are in their culinary journey. Similarly, the Whirlpool Design team is always evolving and looking outside of the trends for relevant materials that we haven't explored yet, like the true walnut wood bowl of Evergreen.

Q: What other colors or patterns do you think consumers can pair with Evergreen?The best colors to pair would be black and neutral tones to allow the deep forest green hue, lush matte finish, true walnut wood bowl and brass accents of Evergreen to stand out. 

Q: How can consumers embody adventure and the outdoors more with their kitchen design choices?
The best way would be to think about what you love most about being outdoors and find ways to bring that element indoors. Whether it is the smell, the sound or the feeling, use that as a guide for which direction to go in. Wood for example is an easy and useful natural design choice to add to any space.