Every custom home reaches a point where the conversation turns to the kitchen, and within about ten minutes of that, it turns to appliances. So when one of our supplier partners shows something genuinely new, it is worth paying attention.

Smeg has just unveiled a run of new products at Eurocucina in Milan, and the one we are watching most closely is Musa.

What Musa actually is

Musa is a new aesthetic collection for integrated appliances, developed with the Italian design studio BorromeodeSilva. It covers ovens, induction cooktops and rangehoods, which is to say the three appliances that do the most to set the tone of a kitchen.

The design language is built on rounded graphics, material geometry, and a deliberate contrast between glossy and matt finishes. Smeg has designed it to integrate into any kitchen style rather than committing you to one look, which is unusual for a range with this much personality.

That last point is the one that matters to us. A lot of appliance ranges quietly dictate the rest of the room. A collection that reads as considered without forcing a whole aesthetic is far easier to work into a home built around how a family actually lives.

The rest of what Smeg showed

Musa was not the only thing announced. Also unveiled:

• Isola, an induction cooktop line developed with Stefano Boeri Interiors, which has already picked up a Design Intelligence Award and an iF Design Award.
• Portofino rangehoods and freestanding cookers, now available in a matte finish.
• FAB refrigerators in a new Moonlight colour.
• An electric barbecue range for indoor and outdoor use.
• A Porsche collaboration, in three colour collections including 917 Salzburg and Carrara White.

The electric barbecue is the sleeper of that list for Australian homes. Outdoor living is not a nice-to-have here, and an appliance designed to work both inside and out solves a problem we design around constantly.

Our whole network has had hands on it

This was not one person at a trade stand. We held our national meeting at Smeg’s new Sydney showroom, so builders from every location we operate in got to use the new ranges before they reach the market. Managing Director Matt Jackson took the Porsche collaboration for a spin while he was there, fridge included.

Seeing appliances in a showroom is a different exercise to seeing them in a brochure. Finishes read differently under real light. Door weight, handle feel, how a drawer runs and how a seal closes are things you can only judge with your hands on them. It is the same reason we send clients to look and touch before they sign off a selection, rather than choosing from a spec sheet.

The practical upshot is that when you sit down with your local David Reid Homes builder to talk appliances, you are talking to someone who has used them, not someone reading you a brochure.

Why a builder cares about an appliance launch

Appliances are one of the earliest decisions with the longest tail. The oven you choose determines cabinetry dimensions. The cooktop determines benchtop cutouts and, if it is induction, your electrical load. The rangehood determines ducting, which determines ceiling and roof detailing above it. Get those settled early and the build runs smoothly. Leave them late and you are reworking joinery that was already made.

This is why we specify Smeg across our inclusions rather than leaving appliances as a loose end. Smeg is one of our national supplier partnerships, and their commercial team supports selections for individual builds, so the choice made at the design table is the one that arrives on site.

When can you get it

Honestly, we do not know yet. Smeg has not published Australian availability for Musa, and we are in conversation with them about release timing. We would rather tell you that than guess at a date you might plan a kitchen around.

What we can say is that when it does land, our builders will know about it, and it will be available to specify in a David Reid Homes build.

Planning a kitchen

If you are at the stage where appliances are becoming real decisions rather than mood board images, that is exactly the right time to talk to a builder. Have a look at how kitchens come together across our completed home gallery, or talk to your local David Reid Homes builder about what will work for the way you cook.