Rs 8.5 lakh - Rs 25 lakh

Rs 2.3 lakh

By bringing in products like its MasterCool refrigerator series (top) and the sleek induction wok (above), German luxury appliance major Miele is giving Indians the best their money can buy, says its chief, Dhananjay Chaturvedi (below)

Pic by Jagan Negi

Would you like to own a refrigerator-freezer that costs nearly Rs 25 lakh and that allows you to control the temperature and humidity level in every compartment? And if you’re health conscious, how about turning up the heat and whipping out your chequebook for a Rs 1.7-lakh steam oven — yes, it’s a new electric oven that works only on steam — to cook that nutritious meal ordered by your dietician?

Forget that huge side-by-side refrigerator that you once thought was the last word in luxury. Forget even your ever-so-passé

hob-and-hood. Welcome, instead, to the swank new world of super-luxurious kitchen appliances where an oven can cost Rs 7 lakh and a refrigerator-freezer-wine-conditioner combination can go all the way up to Rs 25 lakh.

The world’s leading luxury home appliance makers from Miele and Gaggenau to Sub-Zero and Wolf, and Fisher & Paykel are all in India. And they’re cooking up a storm as they woo the affluent and aspirational Indian consumer with droolworthy cooking, cleaning and cooling gear.

“The Indian kitchen is no longer that tiny room tucked away in a corner where the housewife sweats and toils. Today’s kitchen has become integrated with the living space,” says Sanjeev Wadhwa, country manager of the New Zealand-based Fisher & Paykel Appliances, which launched its products in March.

“Indians are well-travelled and connected with the world. And having moved up in life, they want the best their money can buy,” adds Dhananjay Chaturvedi, managing director, Miele India.

One such person is architect Chitra S. Jain in Delhi. When Jain decided to splurge on gadgets for her newly done-up kitchen, she didn’t bother with the mass brands. She knew that she wanted a state-of-the-art refrigerator that she could control at every level. And she also wanted a separate freezer. Naturally, then, she turned to Miele, the leading German luxury appliances brand. “I left vegetables in my refrigerator’s drawer and when I opened it after two weeks, the tomatoes were as fresh as ever,” she says.

Rs 1.2 lakh - Rs 15.5 lakh

Luxury appliance makers like Wolf are combining the simple gas hob with grills, steamers and teppanyaki cooktops

Jain’s not the only convert. Berty Tarab, managing director Top Products India, which distributes the American brand, Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliance’s products , points out how “more and more clients are designing their homes with a utility kitchen at the back, where the massive cooking takes place, and a front kitchen, where they can enjoy cooking a light meal with friends and family”. After spending Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore on these show kitchens, it’s not surprising that Indians are now splurging on smart appliances that look good and work even better.

The appliance makers too aren’t stopping at the regular refrigerator-washing machine-oven-coffeemaker categories — even if they sport jaw-dropping prices. Miele’s MasterCool series of refrigerators, freezers and wine conditioners range from Rs 8.5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, while Sub-Zero’s products cost between Rs 6.5 lakh and Rs 18.5 lakh.

Instead, they’re introducing new product categories. Even the simple gas hob’s passé. So, how about mixing and matching it with an induction hob or a teppanyaki cooktop? Miele even has a made-to-measure induction wok and hob that costs a mere Rs 2.3 lakh. Wolf has a dual fuel cooking range with griddle and teppanyaki options that ranges from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 16 lakh. Incidentally, Nita Ambani chose Sub-Zero-Wolf’s products for Antilla.

Then, there are new products like the steam oven. And if you’re fed up of heating the dinner each time a family member traipses in at night, get yourself a warming drawer, which can keep your meals warm for a few hours. Both Wolf and Miele have warming drawers with Miele’s costing Rs 99,990.

Rs 2.25 lakh

Rs 70,000 - Rs 1.35 lakh

Refrigerator drawers are becoming a big hit at the top end of the kitchen appliances market ; (above) Fisher & Paykel is the only manufacturer of the sleek DishDrawer

The innovations aren’t limited to cooking products. So if you don’t have space for a bulky dishwasher, you can opt for a sleek DishDrawer from Fisher & Paykel. “We’re the only manufacturers of the DishDrawer,” says Wadhwa.

While its basic DishDrawer costs Rs 70,000, there’s a 90cm-wide Rs 1-lakh DishDrawer to accommodate larger Indian vessels too. Or you can opt for a Rs 1.35-lakh double DishDrawer version and separate your vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. “The double drawer was originally designed for kosher and non-kosher food but it works perfectly in our culture too,” says Wadhwa.

There are more under-the-counter products too. Like Sub-Zero’s famous 700 Series of drawer refrigerators. Fisher & Paykel’s Rs 2.25-lakh CoolDrawer even has multiple temperature settings.

Since most of these luxury appliances are built-in, the brands have tied up with global modular kitchen brands like Poggenpohl and Hacker to sell their products. Some like Miele and Fisher & Paykel have opened swank experience centres in Delhi and Gurgaon, where they’re even flying down customers from other cities. Besides, they’re looking at installing their appliances in upcoming luxury apartments.

The players are confident of growth. Miele, for instance, is already clocking 100 per cent growth rates. The demand is also coming from small cities like Surat and Ludhiana. Of course, Indian consumers are finding unique uses too. So, one of Miele’s customers bought three 120-cm-wide (that’s almost 4ft) Master Cool refrigerator-freezers to create a refrigerated wall, while another bought four Salamander grills to place at intervals between the kitchen and dining room to ensure his food remained piping hot at all times. Clearly, the appetite for luxury kitchen appliances is only increasing.