one embodiment of the invention concerns an electrical household apparatus , for example a washing machine , equipped with a control device in the form of a panel , said panel comprising a display device for providing visual data to the user . said panel is made of a material which is substantially opaque when it has a normal thickness . one area specific to the display device comprises at least one transparency zone wherein the thickness of the panel material is reduced relative to the thickness of the material outside said transparency zone such that light from a light source , for example a light - emitting diode , located behind the panel may pass through said transparency zone . such a configuration provides backlighted panels having a closed surface . in another embodiment , the control device is in the form of a turning knob .