Behind the Design | JennAir Brand’s New Limited Edition Cuts Leather Panel

Behind the Design | JennAir Brand’s New Limited Edition Cuts Leather Panel

The JennAir^® Leather Cuts Panel Collection is the result of our unwavering commitment to enhancing your kitchen with unparalleled artistry and bespoke luxury. Each piece is meticulously designed, based on prevailing color trends, and then crafted with fine Italian leather to add further depth and intrigue to your JennAir^® Column Refrigeration. Read on to learn more about the Cuts Collection.

We caught up with Brittni Pertijs, Lead Color, Material & Finish Designer for JennAir to discover the story behind each of the diverse Leather Cuts designs, including the brand new, limited edition panel for 2024, Mystic.

Touchable Textures: The Story Behind Cuts

While breaking the mold has been at the core of JennAir brand’s story since its founder, Lou Jenn, invented the first downdraft ventilation. In recent years, the brand has re-intensified its focus on forging a new future for the luxury industry by turning the mundane into something to celebrate: transforming the classic stainless steel front of a refrigerator into something tactile, warm and seductive.

The selection process is handled by a larger team that starts by taking a keen look at prevailing color, finish, material, home and sociocultural trends to identify the colors that will tap into the moods and satisfy a need a potential owner may not even be able to put words to. 

After a color is settled on, the team works to carefully select the leather from high-end Italian tanneries that often work with haute fashion houses. All leather Cuts panels are crafted from aniline leather, a natural and supple material grade from the finest hides. The hides are then dyed through for richness and longevity of color, then finished twice for cleanability.

Answer the Call to the Mystic Depths

Available now until February of 2025, the latest addition to the Cuts Collection is an opalescent azure green that is aptly dubbed “Mystic.” 

For Mystic, the team tapped into a trend in the home that has been gaining in momentum. While colors have been in a warm space of browns and taupes, Pertijs and team noted that cooler tones, like blues and greens, have been more and more popular. 

The team was inspired by the deep sea, an underwater world where glistening sunlight filters through and slowly fades as you dive ever deeper into the depths. In that way, Mystic is like a siren, pulling you in to marvel at the color and touch the delicate texture.

“I think the energy that these panels have is really exciting. Especially playing with a blue-green tone, which we’ve never done before.” Pertijs explains.

“We designed Mystic for people who want to… stand out and tell the world that they’re different. We hope they will feel desire and be drawn in by the color,” says Pertijs. 

Pertijs goes on to note that what she loves best about Mystic is that its “a little out there,” and that the color is even more beautiful when paired with silver or nickel touchpoints to bring out the cool hues, or with warmer metals like brass to let the warm undertones shine.  “It’s more of a glam maximalist style, and very elevated,” she explains.

The Fabulous Four: Carbon, Caviar, Cognac & Croc Leather Panels

The original four leather Cuts designs were originally launched in 2018, and will continue to be available for purchase for the foreseeable future. Pertijs describes the original colors as “classic, rich and dark hues” that evoke comfort luxe and modern glamor styles.

Classic Black Carbon

The first of the original four designs is Carbon, a classic black leather style with an embossed grain that is meant to fit with any kitchen design.

Rich, Golden Cognac

The JennAir exclusive amber-colored finish of Cognac has varying depths of two-toned color throughout. The golden amber tone, likened to that of Cognac liquor, pairs well with diverse styles. Pair it with high-gloss jewelry-inspired gold or silver handles, or for a more rustic, natural look, wood or antler.

Ostentatious Burgundy Croc

The most attention-grabbing of the original four colors, Croc is textured to emulate crocodile skin. The texture is created by rolling the dyed hide with a crocodile-skin pattern, then coated with a secondary tone to create a pattern with a sense of depth. The burgundy color is a bold, provocative option that will stand out in any design.

Pewter-Tipped Caviar

Rich black Caviar has a pebbly “stingray” pattern embossed into the leather, creating a tipped texture that adds creative energy and a powerful dynamic to modern decor styles. The texture is tipped with pewter-colored ink to create a two-toned effect that plays with the light.

The Future of Cuts

Pertijs’ team is already dreaming about the future of the Cuts Collection. When asked, she had this to say: “We’re definitely looking at other possibilities, of materials or patterns.” She continued, saying: “I want these designs to be inspirational for people in the home, and get them thinking about their space, and coming up with new ideas for their interior design.”

Whatever the JennAir team has in store, we can be certain that it will be provocative, fresh and on-trend.