Braun KF 20 Aromaster, 1972 This maker’s success led to numerous versions from other electric drip coffee maker manufacturers, helping to make designed by Florian Seiffert coffee consumption a more casual made in Germany and constant part of our daily lives.

water in top

heating coil boils water water drips through ground coffee 1970 US Design Patent coffee brewed into carafe (up to 8 cups)

heating pad keeps coffee warm

As a student, Florian Seiffert won the Braun Prize in 1968, and went on to work as a designer there from 1968–1973

Coffee: 15th century: Arabia 16th century: Persia, Egypt, Syria, Turkey Instructions for the coffee 17th century: England, Holland, France, maker include text in German, through colonies in Java, Indonesia, English, Spanish, Italian, Sumatra, Celebes, Martinique, the French, Dutch, Danish, Caribbean, South and Central America Norwegian, and Finnish

Japan, c.1650 US, 1893 US, 1941 Germany, 1958 Coffee grounds Percolation sends Filtered drip coffee Wigomat uses electricity mixed in hot water, boiling water over allows more control to heat water and brew left to settle. contained grounds over brewing and flavor drip coffee in one apliance Name: Matthew Bird Item: Braun KF20 Coffee Maker

Describe the basics of this object. 1. What is it? An electric drip coffee maker 2. What is it called? Braun KF 20 Aromaster 3. When was it made? 1972 4. Where is or was the object available? Europe, America certainly, maybe farther. 5. What did it cost? This was not a cheap coffee maker. 135 DM in 1972 (which was $42 then, and which would be around $240 today)

Formal Analysis (what it looks like): 6. What are the parts? The coffee maker is divided into three horizontal zones: the top is a smooth plastic cylindrical housing, with rounded corners. There are neatly organized vent holes that make a patterned band around the back half of the lower part of this cylinder, and a demure Braun logo in front, carefully positioned over the horizontal on/off toggle switch. The bottom inch or so of this part is a black plastic band with a projecting handle which houses the filter. The middle zone is a removable glass carafe with a black plastic handle that aligns neatly with the filter handle, making a visual waist band around the middle of the coffee maker. The bottom zone is colored plastic and contains a heating pad. In addition to keeping the coffee warm, this base is structurally connected to the top with two vertical chromed metal tubes, and visually connected in color, uniting the three parts into one bold, unified cylindrical shape.

7. How are the parts composed? The composition The Braun KF 20 coffee maker is a celebration of the cylinder. It employs a bold contrast of black and colored plastic, and an overall unity of shape; all of the transitions and corners use a limited family of radii which relate to each other. All of the functioning equipment needed to make coffee (water container, heater, filter, carafe, electrical components) are unified into one object that appears to be more sculptural than functional.

8. What materials are used? The outer casing is plastic (probably Polypropylene), while the black parts are a more rigid plastic (probably Duroplast, as they contact the hot water). The carafe is glass, and the metal supports are chromed tubing. There are also electronic parts (heating pad, wiring, heating coil) made of stuff electronic parts are made of.

9. What colors are used? The KF 20 was available in white, orange, yellow, red, or olive green. All of these used black plastic for contrast, had a clear glass carafe, and chromed metal tubing.

10. What textures are used? Only smooth. This design is a celebration of smooth surfaces. The vent holes make a pattern, but manage to do so without creating texture. The inside of the coffee filtering cone is ribbed, but that is not visible on the outside.

Functional Analysis (what the object does): 11. What does it do? The KF 20 uses gravity, and a paper filter to make drip coffee in the home.

12. How does it work? A heating element in the upper chamber boils water, which is released onto coffee grounds in a removable single-use paper filter held in place just below the water chamber. The drips into the removable glass carafe, where it is kept warm by a hot plate in the base. The process of brewing coffee takes between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the amount of coffee being made.

13. Does it have a patent? There is a 1970 US “claims refiling” of an earlier 1970 German patents involved. It is US Design Patent #223,425 and includes a coffee grinding mechanism included in the machine.

Describe the user. 14. Who is the user? Anyone with electricity could use this coffee maker. BUT, because this was an expensive coffee maker it was used by middle class consumers. Braun was never an entry-level manufacturer; the quality of their electric and electronic components, the careful manufacturing, and the concern for design made all of their products more expensive than lower-end versions from other manufacturers. But they were also innovators, using new technologies to create improved and durable versions of existing tools and objects. As a result, this coffee maker was not the least expensive model available. But it was the earliest, and established a new category of home appliance that other manufacturers could produce for a wider range of customer. Its sculptural and visible presence in a kitchen would tell visitors that the owner understood and valued design. Good coffee was important, but the declaration of good taste and forward thinking design would also have been part of the thrill of ownership. It is tempting to assume that the bold use of color would limit the appeal of the KF 20 to a younger audience. But the simple, thoughtful, controlled form of the machine would also let it appeal to an older, more cautious user. And the red or yellow models are balanced by the inclusion of olive green and white versions. There is enough variety in the visual statement this device makes to allow it to fit into a wide variety of home kitchens. Instructions for the coffee maker include text in German, English, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, and Finnish indicating that it was sold throughout Europe, the United States, and beyond. The KF20 made 8 cups of coffee (a revised KF21 model made 12), and so was created to make coffee for a crowd of secondary users. Home entertaining was an important part of the use of this coffee maker, so dinner or house guests could be considered other users.

Describe the designer. 15. Who designed this object? Florian Seiffert was a staff designer at Braun, a German appliance manufacturer in Frankfurt when he designed this coffee maker. He designed many other Braun products, including many of their successful electric razors. Seiffert studied at the Folkwang School of Design in Essen, and was one of the winners of Braun’s first Braun Prize competitions, in 1968. Although Braun had a large team of in-house designers, and designs were frequently developed through teamwork, with multiple names attached to a finished design, this coffee maker is recorded with only his name attached. Braun engineers likely participated in developing the technology used in the design, and the larger Braun marketing, sales, and distribution system was certainly involved in the process of getting the design produced and sold.

16. Where was it designed? Frankfurt, Germany

Describe manufacturing: 17. Who produced it? Braun was established in Frankfurt Germany in 1921 to make parts for scientific equipment, and quickly entered the growing field of radio manufacturing. From the early 1950s, design became increasingly important in the company’s output. By 1972 when this coffee maker was sold, Braun had produced a wide range of devices (electric shavers, radios, stereo components, projectors, coffee makers, flashlights, electronic lighters, and televisions). The company helped define what is called German Rationalism, and managed to introduce a unique and consistent form language that merged a rigid allegiance to geometry with a softer presence of organic shapes.

18. Where was it produced? It was made at the Braun factories in West Germany.

19. How was it made? The plastic parts are all injection molded. The glass is machine blown. The tubing is extruded, bent, and plated. In short, it is industrially produced in large quantities. Assembly was done by hand in a factory.

Understand the Context of the Object Compare each of the objects to yours (so do these 3 questions 4 times): 1. WIGOMAT COFFEE MAKER, 1972 20. How are the objects the same? Both machines are made of similar materials (plastic, glass, metal), and both machines are German, and were available in the same areas, distributed through the same retail venues, intended for the same users. 21. How are the objects different? Though I can’t find its original sale price, the Wigomat must have been less expensive than the Braun KF20. There is no similarity in aesthetics between the two; the Wigomat is a machine, produced almost without consideration of aesthetics. 22.Do the two objects appeal to the same consumer? The Wigomat introduced drip coffee making when it was created in 1954. Until the Braun KF20, it seems to be the only electric home drip coffee maker. As a result, it had a reputation and customer base. The same users would have bought the Wigomat, though I suspect they were excited to have an alternative when the KF20 came along.

2. Mr. Coffee, 1972 20. How are the objects the same? The materials are similar (plastics, glass) and the basic functioning is the same (heating element boiled water, drips it over grounds into glass carafe). There are few other similarities. 21. How are the objects different? They are more different than the same. Mr. Coffee makes no effort to be attractive or elegant. It uses a yellow sticker on white plastic as a feeble attempt to say “I am pretty because I have yellow patterning.” It has no formal harmony or even clear intent. Just a bunch of utilitarian, cheap to produce shapes. Cost was the primary concern, with quality, durability, aesthetics, style, and everything else beyond basic functioning coming in last. Still, it sold for just under $30 (around $180 today) which is expensive. But it was the only drip coffee maker available in America at the time, and sold exponentially better than the KF-20 (over a million units by 1975). 22.Do the two objects appeal to the same consumer? Yes, if you go only by financial demographic, because they were for people with extra income to spend on luxury kitchen equipment. But no one who wants a KF-20 would settle for a Mr. Coffee. They have zero overlap of consumer because they are aesthetic enemies.

3. Sunbeam Hot Shot, 1974 20. How are the objects the same? The materials are similar (plastics) and the basic water heating is the same (heating element). There is a certain care for aesthetic expression (though the Sunbeam is so stuck in 1974 it is hard to appreciate), with intentional (though hideous) color use. 21. How are the objects different? The Sunbeam relies on fake wood grain to get your attention and blend into your decor. It only makes coffee if you use (which is very hidden in the advertisements). Really it just dispenses hot water into a mug. The rest is up to you. 22.Do the two objects appeal to the same consumer? No. Sunbeam is lower end and trying to appeal to “drink on the go” single cup users while the KF 20 is for a coffee community or group. It is a stupid gadget, not a useful appliance.

4. Corning E1112, 1972 20. How are the objects the same? They aren’t. Glass and plastic and electricity. But really not much else. 21. How are the objects different? At just under $30 (Around $180 today!!!) this was an EXPENSIVE coffee maker. It was an electric percolator, so didn’t make very good coffee compared to the newer drip method. But it was Corningware, an established heirloom sort of brand. The shape is weirdly neither classic nor modern. It can’t quite figure out what it is or wants to be. 22.Do the two objects appeal to the same consumer? I don’t think so because there is nothing modern or innovative about the Corning.

Understand the History of the Product Category 23. When were the alternatives made? c. 1650, 1889, 1941, 1958 24. What changed over time? The method of coffee extraction evolved from in-pot mixing of hot water with ground coffee, with no straining involved (15th - 17th centuries) but full steeping, to percolation (boiling water in a stove-top pot to force it through the coffee grounds which are contained in a metal filter chamber) in 1880 with limited steeping, to pouring water (boiled in a kettle) over coffee grounds in a paper filter to make “drip” coffee (1941) which controls steep time for better flavor, to having one unified electric machine that boiled water, poured it over coffee grounds, and filtered the coffee into a pot (1958) for perfect coffee. In short, no heat or filtering, no heat but filtered, no heat but filtered and better tasting, and finally heat, filtering, and flavor. Braun KF20 Bibliography July 28, 2015

Information

Books: Fiell, Charlotte and Peter. Industrial Design A to Z. Köln: Taschen, 2000, 2006 Polster, Bernd. Braun: Fifty Years of Design and Innovation. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2009

Websites: “KF 20 Coffee Makers.” Alien Explorations. 22 December, 2009. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://alienexplorations.blogspot.com/1979/05/kf-20- coffee-making-machine.html “Womit Alles Begann.” Wigomat - die erste Filterkaffeemaschine. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://wigomat.de/index.html “1970’s Appliances Including Prices.” The People History. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/70selectrical.html “Sunbeam Hot Shot Hot Beverage Maker.” Click Americana. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://clickamericana.com/topics/food-drink/sunbeam-hot- shot-hot-beverage-maker-1974 “The .” National Coffee Association. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=68 Stamp, Jimmy. “The Long History of the Machine.” Smithsonian. June 19, 2012. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http:// www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-long-history-of-the-espresso-machine-126012814/?no-ist Noe, Rain. “A History of Braun Design, Part 4: Kitchen Appliances.” Core 77. May 29, 2013. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://www.core77.com/posts/ 24950/a-history-of-braun-design-part-4-kitchen-appliances-24950 “Syphon-Action Coffee Infuser, c. 1855.” Science Museum. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp? image=10186631&itemw=4&itemf=0001&itemstep=1&itemx=6 “Cona Coffee Maker, c. 1950.” Science Museum. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp? image=10308047&itemw=4&itemf=0001&itemstep=1&itemx=4 “Sunbeam Hot Shot Hot Beverage Maker (1974).” Click America. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://clickamericana.com/topics/food-drink/sunbeam- hot-shot-hot-beverage-maker-1974 “Wigo Wigomat.” Alte Kaffee Maschine. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://altekaffeemaschine.de.tl/Wigomat.htm “Peter Schlumbohm, Chemex Coffee Maker, 1941.” MOMA.org. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://www.moma.org/collection/works/1847?locale=en “Gerhard Marks, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Sintrax Coffee Machine, c. 1925.” MOMA.org. Date accessed: July 25, 2015. http://www.moma.org/collection/ works/2174?locale=en

Patents: Hathaway, Mabvin P. 1880. Coffee-pot attachment. US Patent 228,632A, filed December 22, 1879, and issued June 8, 1880. Matthes, C. Frederick. 1880. Coffee-pot. US Patent 227,805A, filed March 17, 1880, and issued March 17, 1880. Hanson, Goodrich. 1889. Coffee-pot. US Patent 408,707A, filed January 12, 1889, and issued August 13, 1889. Wilcox, Albert C. 1932. Automatic Electric Drip Coffee Maker. US Patent 1,962,165A, filed July 20, 1932, and issued June 12, 1934. Florian, Seiffert. 1972. Combined coffee mill and grinder. US Patent D223,425S, filed November 16, 1970, and issued April 11, 1972.

Images

Websites: http://www.lauritz.com/en/auction/dieter-rams-og-florian-seiffert-braun-aromaster-kf20/i3192026/#. Date Accessed: July 24, 2015. http://www.dasprogramm.org/electrical/household/braun-kf-21-aromaster.html. Date Accessed: July 24, 2015. http://seeklogo.com/braun-logo-22211.html. Date Accessed: July 24, 2015. http://www.advertisingarchives.co.uk. Images 30550716, 30550715, 30550714. Date Accessed: July 24, 2015. Germain, François. Coffeepot. 1757. Silver with ebony handle. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Coffee pot. 19th century. Copper. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Coffee pot. 1650–1675. Porcelain with silver. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Behrend, Gerhard. Coffee Maker. 1914. Borosilicate glass and metal. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Ebay listings, accessed: July 24, 2015: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-BRAUN-KF-20-Coffee-Maker-in-Orange-F-Seiffert-Panton-Era-1970s-Germany-/261979890525?hash=item3cff37e35d http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-BRAUN-KF-20-Coffee-Maker-in-Orange-Panton-era-/131527914924? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e9facb5ac&nma=true&si=IBbijtZM6d3Kdf8TiPgYUfQ51o0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-BRAUN-KF-20-Coffee-Maker-in-Orange-Panton-era-/131527914924? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e9facb5ac&nma=true&si=IBbijtZM6d3Kdf8TiPgYUfQ51o0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAUN-KF-20-Kaffemaschine-Olivgrun-/281746040952? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item41995f6878&nma=true&si=IBbijtZM6d3Kdf8TiPgYUfQ51o0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l255 7 http://www.ebay.com/itm/70-s-BRAUN-Design-KAFFEEMASCHINE-Aromamaster-KF-20-Orange-/131531028917? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item1e9fdc39b5&nma=true&si=IBbijtZM6d3Kdf8TiPgYUfQ51o0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l255 7 http://www.ebay.de/itm/Braun-Kaffeemaschine-KF-20-mit-kleinen-Mangeln-und-deutlichen-Gebrauchsspuren-/121713765427?hash=item1c56b4ac33 http://www.ebay.de/itm/BRAUN-KF-20-Kaffemaschine-Olivgruen-/281746040952? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item41995f6878&nma=true&si=CUmqcfiro4pbS0ixLcHkJLR%252BBjU %253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.de/itm/Braun-Aromaster-KF-20-Design-Klassiker-/311374441239? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item487f5ceb17&nma=true&si=CUmqcfiro4pbS0ixLcHkJLR%252BBjU %253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.de/itm/70-s-BRAUN-Design-KAFFEEMASCHINE-Aromamaster-KF-20-Orange-/131531028917? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item1e9fdc39b5&nma=true&si=CUmqcfiro4pbS0ixLcHkJLR%252BBjU %253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.de/itm/Kultiger-70-er-Jahre-Kaffeemaschine-BRAUN-KF20-in-orange-/131519280468? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item1e9f28f554&nma=true&si=CUmqcfiro4pbS0ixLcHkJLR%252BBjU %253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.de/itm/Kultiger-70-er-Jahre-Kaffeemaschine-BRAUN-KF20-in-orange-/131519280468? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item1e9f28f554&nma=true&si=CUmqcfiro4pbS0ixLcHkJLR%252BBjU %253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.de/itm/Braun-KF-20-/321755685625?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item4aea2222f9&nma=true&si=CUmqcfiro4pbS0ixLcHkJLR %252BBjU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.de/itm/Braun-Kaffeemaschine-KF-20-Der-Designklassiker-der-70er-TOP-Florian-Seiffert-/121660095828? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item1c5381bd54&nma=true&si=CUmqcfiro4pbS0ixLcHkJLR%252BBjU %253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 http://www.ebay.de/itm/BRAUN-KF-10-20-KAFFEEMASCHINE-ANDERTALB-MAL-DER-KNALLER-/161720224848? pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item25a746cc50&nma=true&si=CUmqcfiro4pbS0ixLcHkJLR%252BBjU %253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557