Respondents to the survey* carried out at DesignBoost in Stockholm this past February, value the aesthetics and performance of a household appliance in equal measure. The survey asked people to rank one of the two options exclusively in a purchasing scenario. The results provided a pure 50-50 split, with many finding it difficult to separate the two.

“This split reaffirms our belief that people want the products they buy to provide performance and aesthetical appeal in equal measure.” say’s Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President for Design at Electrolux. “Performance could be seen as a prerequisite, with the design of a product acting as a differentiator. People are taking our products in to their own home and naturally want them to look good and perform accordingly. This understanding is at the heart of the creation of Electrolux products – well crafted design and efficiency shouldn’t present a choice of one ahead of the other – they are synonymous.”

Indeed, the Electrolux ‘Heart of the Home’ concept highlights the importance of design in ensuring optimal product performance. This exciting new kitchen concept offers an integrated and smart solution for the domestic requirements of the future. A great emphasis on intuitive design facilitates both real and digital social interaction with friends and family members, as well as offering people the opportunity to cook, learn, and develop skills with a practical space saving amorphous table top surface.

* Electrolux surveyed 70 people (20% of the day’s attendees including designers, architects and creative thinkers) at the DesignBoost event in Stockholm held at the Swedish Museum of Architecture, 12th February 2010.

Imagine never having to use pans or pots again, never having to worry whether the ingredients are fresh or never having to look up a recipe in a cook book. Heart of the Home is a thought provoking vision of the kitchen of the future – an integrated solution functioning as a kitchen table, cooking surface and bar all in one.

‘Heart of the Home’ is an intelligent, amorphous, interchangeable cooking surface that adapts to user needs. When using the Heart of the Home one simply places one’s ingredients on the surface. The appliance then analyses the ingredients and presents a list of suitable recipes. After deciding on a recipe, the user marks an area with his hand to determine how large the cooking area should be. Then the desired depth of the surface is created by simply pressing the hand against the malleable material. After achieving the required width and depth it’s just a matter of setting temperature and time with a simple touch of a finger.

Heart of the Home background

2008 was the year when, for the first time in history, more people were living in cities than in rural areas. According to the UN, the number of people living in urban areas will increase to a staggering 74 percent in 2050. As a reference, a mere 29 percent lived in cities in 1950. Electrolux has developed the Heart of the Home as an illustration of how we will lead our lives in 2050 based on a number of assumptions:

Social needs are important: Just as today, social activities will be an important part of our lives, especially when it comes to socialising with your family and friends. The increased level of high-tech support in everyday life will also mean that we will want to experience true and real values

We need simplified homes: In the limited available space of future mega cities, homes will need to be flexible and able to adjust according to circumstances. The appliances of the future will need to be integrated and adjustable. We won’t have room for a whole host of products each with their own specific function.

Societies need to be more effective: When 74 percent of 9 billion people live in cities, we have to adapt our way of living to the resources we have. We need new ways of recycling our waste. Energy efficient products and buildings will be more important than ever before.

We won’t make it without technology: Technology is important today, but it will be a matter of survival in 2050. Technological advances are a prerequisite for us being able to have a sustainable development, environmentally as well as socially.

Heart of the Home was presented for the first time at DesignBoost in Stockholm February 12th 2010.

Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Design at Electrolux will present an exciting new kitchen concept Friday 12 Feb 2010. The event is held at the DesignBoost forum at Arkitekturmuseet in Sweden and Henrik Otto is joined in the “Space for Life” seminar by Ineke Hans, Karim Rashid, James Irvine and Ross Lovegrove (amongst others). The discussion will revolve around the role of design in realising the potential benefits of increasing global urbanisation.

Electrolux will be presenting a new kitchen product concept at DesignBoost held at the Architecture Museum in Stockholm (February 11/12th 2010) . Two days of workshops open to the public will be attended by a number of the world’s top international designers. The launch of the Electrolux  concept addresses future urbanisation (as per the theme of the Electrolux Design Lab 2010 competition). Watch this space for inspiration, especially if you can’t make it to the event in Sweden.