Novy. Redesigning the cooking experience at home.

Placing user experience at the core Novy Undercover demonstrates how aligning design with real-world needs can result in a product that is both functional and desirable.

Challenge

Designing what cannot be seen.

As the kitchen has transformed into the heart of a home, appliances have to do more than just cook. They have to match the creativity of an interior architect, strengthening the appearance of a home.

Novy spotted a bold opportunity to stand out in today's saturated market: what if the cooking hob would vanish into the countertop, blending perfectly into the design while still delivering the full Novy cooking experience?

However, this ambition came with big questions. How do you guide users when the product is invisible? How do you keep the cooking area safe? And how do you design an experience that feels effortless without sacrificing performance?

Enter Made.

Impact

Style on the surface, power underneath

Novy Undercover takes the induction hob out of sight and into the surface, blending seamlessly with modern kitchens and clearing away visual clutter. All while delivering top-tier cooking performance.

With design at the forefront, both the cooktop and hob components are fully customizable, offering over 40 worktop finishes to match any interior style. To keep the experience safe and effortless, we created a sleek external controller that feels as intuitive as it looks. Subtle tactile feedback and clear visual cues give users the minimalist design they want, without ever losing control of their cooking.

Approach

Research at the heart of design.

To get it right from the start, we immersed ourselves in how people actually cook. How do they use a traditional hob? What happens when it suddenly disappears into the countertop? What do they expect, worry about, or instinctively do in the kitchen?

We found the answers through home visits, in-depth interviews, and iterative prototypes, uncovering how users navigate unfamiliar controls, what makes them feel safe, and the feedback they rely on while cooking.

These insights guided every design choice. The remote controller is the clearest outcome: sleek and uncluttered, yet giving users precise control with clear indicators, tactile feedback, and built-in safety features that make the system intuitive and reassuring for anyone.