Platinum Home Appliances Design · 2020
Lavazza Idola Coffee Machine
- A' Design Award 2020 Platinum Winner in Home Appliances Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: Lavazza
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 583,437
- Verification code BD3D5D7455 · Verify this award
About Lavazza Idola Coffee Machine
A perfect solution for coffee lovers looking for proper Italian espresso experience at home. The touch sensitive user interface with acoustic feedback has four selections and a temperature boost function offering a tailor made experience for every taste or occasion. The machine indicates missing water, a full caps container or the necessity for descaling through additional illuminated icons and the drip tray can be adjusted easily. The design with its open spirit, quality surfacing and sophisticated detailing is an evolution of Lavazza’s established form language.
Positioned within the contemporary tradition of elevated domestic product design, Florian Seidl's Lavazza Idola Coffee Machine represents a thoughtful synthesis of sculptural form and functional engineering that transforms the quotidian ritual of coffee preparation into an aesthetic experience worthy of contemplation. The design demonstrates remarkable sensitivity to material juxtaposition, pairing the warm luminosity of a champagne-toned exterior shell with the technical gravitas of a deep anthracite operational core, creating visual and psychological contrast between hospitality and precision. The organic curvature of the housing suggests influences ranging from mid-century Scandinavian furniture to contemporary automotive design, yet the form remains distinctly purposeful, each curve serving both ergonomic and visual ends. The circular control interface, positioned as a medallion within the upper fascia, employs embossed iconography that communicates function through universal visual language while contributing to the overall compositional harmony. Particularly noteworthy is the designer's handling of the base zone, where a chrome-accented drip tray with precisely calibrated linear perforations introduces industrial refinement that grounds the organic upper forms. The transparent water reservoir cap crowning the composition introduces an element of crystalline lightness that suggests purity and invites the user to monitor water levels while contributing to the visual hierarchy. This work exemplifies how contemporary industrial design can honor both functional demands and aesthetic aspirations, creating objects that serve practical needs while elevating the visual culture of domestic spaces. One might consider how such designed objects shape our daily rituals, transforming routine actions into moments of appreciation for thoughtful human craftsmanship.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- A perfect solution for coffee lovers looking for proper Italian espresso experience at home. The touch interface with acoustic feedback has four selections and a temperature boost offering a tailor made experience for every taste or occasion. The machine indicates missing water, a full caps container or the necessity for descaling and the drip tray can be adjusted easily. The design with its open spirit, quality surfacing and sophisticated detailing is an evolution of Lavazza’s form language.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 145mm / 380mm / 280mm
4 kg - Tags
- Lavazza, Coffee, Espresso, touch interface
- Production Technology
- injection molding (ABS/SAN), glas, steel grid, painted main shell
- Design Challenge
- Much effort went into developing a shared common platform for two machines (Idola and Deséa) at the same time.
- Project Duration
- Turin, Italy
- Operation Flow
- intuitive touch interface with acoustic feedback, quiet operation
- Research
- conceptual and formal research, 3D modeling, mock-ups, prototyping
- Inspiration
- The product was designed to be a natural extension of the Lavazza A MODO MIO product line. The shoulder profile of the main shell lowers the perceived height of the product and the overall design was inspired by a series of different products - examples include a vase and automotive interior controls.
Colors of Lavazza Idola Coffee Machine
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Industrial Design Leadership and Innovation
We transform consumer products through award-winning design excellence. With expertise spanning automotive to home appliances, we create meaningful experiences that connect brands with people. Our approach combines Italian craftsmanship with user-centered innovation.
G0E1 ShopDesign Interview about Lavazza Idola Coffee Machine
A perfect solution for coffee lovers looking for proper Italian espresso experience at home. All while being a natural extension of the Lavazza A Modo Mio product line.
We were looking for a high end user experience and translated this into a open hearted and well resolved design.
We also worked hard to visually contain the overall dimensions of the product. This is evident in the lowered shoulder profile and the black base of the appliance.
We also worked hard to visually contain the overall dimensions of the product. This is evident in the lowered shoulder profile and the black base of the appliance.
At the moment the product is on the market and quite successful.
The complete product development - from the very first initial concept to launching the final product - took about two years.
The Lavazza A Modo Mio range needed two new products to complete the range in the upper area. Idola and Deséa were developed for that reason.
The appliance has been developed by Lavazza in Italy and is currently in production. It is an important part of the product range.
We had to develop two new products on a common platform. They represent the upper end of the range and were important to consolidate the form language of Lavazza in the area of small domestic appliances.
The product was designed and developed internally. There were several different design proposals at the beginning. After selecting the design theme the proposal was further developed and brought into production.
Idola is an important model within the Lavazza A Modo Mio range. The target customer is basically everyone who is looking for good authentic, Italian Espresso.
A well resolved design within the Lavazza A Modo Mio range. Italian design with incredible attention to detail.
The name was developed by colleagues from the marketing department.
The design process involved everything from analog and digital sketching to 3D modeling, a series of physical mock-ups and prototypes.
The design is sophisticated and well resolved with a lots of attention to detail.
The design was developed by our small in-house team in close collaboration with colleagues from the technical department.
Technology allowed us to create a solid and pleasant user experience. The touch sensitive user interface with acoustic feedback is probably the most evident part.
The design was developed based on market analysis, the target group and relevant trends.
In this particular case we had to design two design two distinct products on the same platform. Naturally this was challenging.
Design competitions play an important part in communication. They help in product and brand positioning. This is why we submit our products to these competitions.
I'd think we were able to build on previous experiences and were quite efficient as a team.
That's all.
Grand Interview about Lavazza Idola Coffee Machine
This user interface represented first and foremost a significant step forward for our very own products and our user experience. Idola is quite an advanced and sophisticated product. It was challenging to place all the necessary functions on one well structured user interface and guarantee an intuitive and pleasant user experience.
This particular design feature was directly inspired by a vase. I had seen it in a store in Munich and thought the side profile was particularly nice. While studying it in detail, I also realised, that - a part form the immediate aesthetical impact - it was also very effective in reducing the perceived height of the object. And that was exactly what I had been looking for. I took this feature as a conceptual starting point and then weaved it into our existing form language.
Developing two separate products on one common, shared platform is always a big challenge. Just because you always need to check twice, and make sure design decisione will work well for either direction. It is important to make this work on both sides, while not compromising the original design idea along the way.
This is always the challenge actually. Creating something relevant, that is in tune with the historical and cultural background while also being able to add something new and exciting to the mix that allows us to project ourselves into the future. Not easy. Always the challenging. Very often colours, materials and finishes can be the emotional key to establishing that balance.
These features are actually not really based on articulated user research or tests as such. But to a certain extent they are based on our very own experience. We've been designing coffee and espresso machines for a long time and know from previous projects that these indicators are needed for a clear and pleasant user experience.
I'd like to think that I've learned quite a lot in the automotive industry. Especially about volumes, surfacing and detailing. When setting up the design operations here at Lavazza, I tried to bring and apply as much of that as possible to our own product development process. Naturally this also applies to the Idola project.
Every new project is an adventure, an exploration that allows you to reinforce or slightly modify and adjust a brand's form language. It's almost like every new product is a new chapter in the ongoing story of a brand. Idola wasn't any different: A new chapter that has it's very own identity but also naturally feels at home with the rest of the family.
We know from experience that there are different preferences for coffee temperature amongst our customers. While some like a "normal" coffee others will preferer a much higher temperature. So naturally we were looking for a way to satisfy this need when we planned the user experience and the user interface.
In most cases a coffee machine has to be as compact as possible so the the overall dimensions are directly linked to the technical package and some other functional requirements. So we worked very close with our colleagues from the technical development in order to optimise the internal layout and make sure we could reduce the visual impact of the machine through the design.
In product design it is always important to choose the right materials for the intended purpose. These materials also directly influence the form language, performance and durability. The material choice very often dictates what can be achieved and what not. Transparency, mechanical stability, heat resistance and many other factors need to be considered.