Bronze Home Appliances Design · 2026
Terra Induction Cooktop
- A' Design Award 2026 Bronze Winner in Home Appliances Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Merel Philippart
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 6,313
- Verification code 6F78E2AEF1 · Verify this award
About Terra Induction Cooktop
Terra is a built-in induction cooktop designed to form part of the kitchen interior. Most induction cooktops use black glass, which can visually dominate a room. Terra uses a coloured ceramic glass plate in a warm natural tone, developed with specialist glass partners. The touch interface is colour matched to the glass, and the controls stay understated when not in use. The cooktop has four induction zones, two of them expandable, with pan detection and residual heat indication. The smooth surface is easy to clean.
Merel Philippart's Terra Induction Cooktop represents a thoughtful exploration of how contemporary cooking technology can integrate harmoniously within residential environments through material refinement and compositional intelligence, engaging with design traditions that privilege clarity, restraint, and the expressive potential of subtle formal relationships. The work appears to emerge from a lineage of Scandinavian and minimalist design philosophy, where reduction serves to amplify rather than diminish, and where every retained element carries heightened significance within a disciplined formal system. The rose-copper metallic cooking surface embedded within the pale stone countertop demonstrates sophisticated material juxtaposition, introducing warmth and tactile richness into an otherwise cool, neutral palette while maintaining the geometric precision and flush integration characteristic of advanced appliance design. The compositional architecture reveals careful attention to asymmetrical balance, with the cooking zone positioned left of center, counterweighted by the sink and faucet assembly to the right, and vertically anchored by the hanging botanical artwork above and the matte black teapot below, creating a dynamic equilibrium across horizontal and vertical axes. The chromatic strategy is particularly accomplished, deploying an essentially achromatic foundation of cool grays and whites that serves as a neutral ground allowing the warm metallic cooking surface and the saturated green foliage artwork to resonate with heightened intensity, while small accents of citrus yellow and lime green introduce a tertiary color note that creates diagonal relationships and prevents chromatic monotony. The inclusion of the traditional teapot with its curved handle and matte black finish suggests a deliberate dialogue between heritage craft forms and contemporary technological innovation, positioning the cooking ritual as a continuum connecting historical practices with present capabilities. The overhead artwork depicting abstracted botanical forms in layered greens introduces organic reference and biophilic connection within the manufactured interior, suggesting that even highly refined contemporary environments benefit from symbolic and visual links to natural systems and living processes. The lighting appears carefully controlled to eliminate dramatic shadows and emphasize material surfaces, edge definition, and geometric relationships, an approach that serves both documentation and aesthetic purposes by presenting the design with clarity while maintaining atmospheric serenity. The spatial construction remains shallow and frontal, treating the countertop as a compositional plane where functional objects become formal elements in a studied arrangement, suggesting that everyday domestic technology can transcend purely utilitarian status to participate in aesthetic experience and visual contemplation. The designer seems to navigate skillfully between industrial precision and residential warmth, technological capability and human-centered ritual, achieving a synthesis that honors both functional performance and experiential quality. The work invites viewers to consider how contemporary cooking technology might integrate into living environments without visual or conceptual disruption, and how material choices, color relationships, and compositional refinement can transform functional necessity into opportunities for daily aesthetic engagement and mindful interaction with the designed world that supports our fundamental human activities.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Makus Terra introduces colour to induction cooking, turning the cooktop into a part of the interior palette. It replaces the visual weight of a black appliance with a warm, natural tone that integrates into its surroundings. Every detail, from glass colour to interface layout, is designed to support softness and harmony in the kitchen. Makus is the original coloured induction brand, established to make induction desirable through design rather than obligation.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The MAKUS 80 cm induction cooktop is a built in electric appliance with a total connected load of 7.4 kW, configured for a 2 phase Perilex connection. It features four induction zones, including two standard and two expandable zones, with individual outputs ranging from 1.4 kW to 3.0 kW with boost.
Installation requires a 750 × 490 mm niche and a construction height of 55 mm, with 20 mm ventilation clearance. The unit integrates a ceramic glass surface with capacitive touch and slider control, offering 10 power levels from 0 to 9 and boost mode.
The system includes automatic pan detection, pan size recognition, zone coupling, residual heat indication, and safety functions such as automatic shut off and overheating protection. Expandable zones support variable cookware dimensions, including rectangular cooking areas. - Tags
- induction, kitchen, cooking, decorating sustainability, design induction, makus
- Production Technology
- Terra is produced using high-quality induction engineering combined with a coloured ceramic glass plate developed specifically for this project. Since coloured induction glass did not exist, MAKUS sourced specialized partners able to experiment with pigments, coatings and processing methods. Schott Ceran supported the glass development, while the manufacturing partner adapted its production line. Previously used only for black cooktops, to accommodate new colour-controlled processes. Final assembly combines precision induction hardware with the customized coloured top. Ensuring stability, performance and long-term colour integrity.
- Design Challenge
- The main creative and research challenge was developing a coloured induction cooktop in a category that had exclusively used black glass. Achieving soft, natural tones while meeting strict thermal and mechanical requirements demanded new approaches to glass colouring, coatings and reflection control. Makus collaborated with designers from the Dutch Design Academy, with tno on performance research, and with schott ceran on material development.
- Project Duration
- The development of Makus Terra started in 2018 in the Netherlands and continued through prototyping, colour testing and engineering refinement until its launch in 2020. The project was based in Amsterdam, with production and material development carried out in collaboration with European manufacturing partners.
- Operation Flow
- Terra operates as a standard high-performance induction cooktop, but its interaction is designed to feel calm and intuitive. The touch interface is colour-matched to the glass to reduce visual distraction. Controls appear only when needed and remain understated when inactive. The smooth surface supports effortless cleaning and a clear workflow around the cooking area. Terra is part of the kitchen interior rather than a dominant technical element.
- Research
- The development of Terra required research into coloured glass stability, heat resistance and optical behaviour. Makus collaborated with tno for this and found a strong partnership with schott ceran.
- Inspiration
- The shift away from gas cooking in the Netherlands in 2018 created an opportunity to rethink induction. All induction cooktops were black. And pure designed as a functional device: hard and visually dominant. While kitchens were becoming softer and more personal. Instead of trying to convince people through obligation to cook induction/electric, the idea of Merel was to make induction desirable. This led to the concept of a cooktop designed as part of the interior. Natural colours, soft shapes and subtle detailing inspired both Terra and Moon. Allowing them to blend into the design of a home instead of interrupting it.
- Image Credits
- Makus owns all material.
- Patents
- The brand Makus is registered in the Benelux