For today’s consumer, a luxury product must represent more than the sum of its parts.
Modern luxury is about inspiration, experience, excitement and joy. State-of-the-art design and materials, a legacy stretching back centuries, association with professionals at the top of their craft; these are necessary but not sufficient conditions for a luxury brand. TRD spoke with an expert in the field of luxury studies as well as a top luxury residential broker to discover how the Gaggenau brand has achieved its enviable status at the top of the luxury hierarchy.
What is Luxury?
Dr. Daniel Langer has spent his career probing the boundaries of luxury as a consumer category.
“Very simply, we pay a premium for brands, products, services or experiences that inspire us to do something different, to become a better or almost a renewed person,” he says.
“Luxury brands inspire people to try something new.”
Dr. Langer explains that luxury today transcends material quality; it’s about brands that craft stories—not only of themselves but of the individuals who embrace them. This is why luxury brands command prices that far outstrip the sum of their material and production costs. Clients aren’t merely paying for quality craftsmanship or exclusivity, but rather for the inspiration that comes from using the items or services.
With Gaggenau, this storytelling extends to the home in which the appliances are found.
“When prospective buyers see the brand’s products showcased in a new home, it’s a signal,” explains leading Corcoran luxury broker and “Million Dollar Listing New York” star Steve Gold. “It’s all about creating a mood and allowing prospective buyers to imagine themselves in the space – and ‘what could be.’”
Developers choose Gaggenau for the kitchens in their highest-end projects because clients associate the sleek, high performance appliances with the pinnacle of quality. Owning a home equipped with Gaggenau appliances isn’t just about having the tools to prepare a great meal; it’s about being the type of person who expects the best from the world around them, down to the oven they use to reheat leftovers.
More Than A Feeling
For Dr. Langer, a luxury brand like Gaggenau sets itself apart by making people who use its products feel something that they can’t get anywhere else. A self-professed non-chef, Dr. Langer told us how using Gaggenau’s intuitive appliances made him look forward to cooking.
“They call it ‘The Professional Kitchen Principle.’ It’s designed to inspire even the most discerning Michelin star restaurant chefs,” he says. “I’m not known for being anything near that level, but interacting with these appliances started to inspire me to cook.”
Gaggenau’s layered design drives this inspirational mindset. For example, Gaggenau appliances all come with presets that help home chefs ensure their meals are cooked with their preferences, for precise repeatable results with ease, removing the doubt and stress that can accompany the meal prep process and focusing all attention on the joy of cooking.
Dr. Langer emphasizes how these elements inspire users to try something new by giving them a sense of security, a permission to “dare to do more.” For him, this means feeling confident in the kitchen.
“Let’s say I want to do a turkey in a very specific style,” he says. “I just go to the Automatic Programs and select the turkey program, press play, and the oven does everything for me. Or, I can set my own pre-programed personal recipe. That makes things so much more pleasant because the outcomes are certain.”
The Future of Luxury
The luxury market has boomed over the last couple of decades, and the demographics of luxury buyers are in the process of shifting.
“The next generation of luxury clients is Generation Z,” explains Dr. Langer, who points out that Generation Z has a couple of unique consumer traits: They are a “social media first” cohort, and they are “unforgiving” when it comes to determining which brands they will buy.
Gaggenau is uniquely well-positioned as a luxury brand in the face of the Generation Z consumer tidal wave. Not only do the brand’s appliances look great on social media, they are located in the kitchen, which, as Dr. Langer points out, has become a new focal point for the digital first generation.
“20 years ago, no one would take a picture in the kitchen,” he explains.
“Now, the kitchen has become the most photographed place in the house.”
Whether they’re making content for social media or enjoying time with their family and friends, the kitchen is truly the heart of a client’s home, and putting Gaggenau appliances in your project’s kitchens tells prospective buyers a story about the space and themselves.
“Luxury residences today feature even more deluxe amenities that give occupants the ability to make the most of their time,” says Gold, who explains that large open kitchens decked out with Gaggenau appliances “allow them to make new memories.”
Like Dr. Langer’s personal experience of being inspired to cook by Gaggenau appliances, Gold has a connection with the brand. Not only does he have Gaggenau appliances in his own home, he relies on the brand’s reputation when renovating his investment properties.
“I believe when prospective buyers see the brand’s products showcased in a new home, it’s a signal of the builder’s high standards and attention to detail,” he says. “Gaggenau’s products are as versatile as they are aesthetically pleasing in both modern and traditional settings. They give the best of both worlds, reliability and style.”
To enter the world of Gaggenau, visit Gaggenau.com.