Electrolux Design Lab 2010 » Electrolux Design

Electrolux Design Lab Live on CNN

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:42:12 +0000

Henrik Otto, SVP of Global Design at Electrolux, was recently on CNN (25th June 2010) to provide a commentary on some of this year’s Electrolux Design Lab entries.

Electrolux Design Lab at Barcelona Design Hub

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:50:16 +0000

The Design Hub Barcelona recently opened their exhibition ‘Full Print3d – Printing Objects’ (16.06.2010 – to 29.05.2011). This three-dimensional printing exhibition includes Electrolux Design Lab 2009 finalist concept, ‘Moléculaire’ – the molecular food printer.

Imagery from the exhibition, an explainationary video and more detail about the Moléculaire follows.

Design Lab 2009 finalist Nico Kläber took the marriage of science and cooking to a new level with his ‘Moléculaire’ concept submission. The Moléculaire is influenced by chefs that scientifically and painstakingly experiment with food and their states to surprise and provoke fresh ideas in cooking. The Moléculaire simplifies a process that currently requires great skill, time and knowledge by acting as a cnc-food-printer for both professional and domestic kitchens. It autonomously prepares basic and otherwise difficult to create two and three dimensional parts of meals. It works with a layer by layer printing process using small particles from diverse ingredients. The aim of the concept is to provide simplicity, accuracy, repeatability and, of course, great tasting food!

Electrolux Trend Review – Milan Design Week 2010

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:02:28 +0000

Eurocucina, Europe’s largest kitchen and furniture show is the epicentre of design, attracting thousands of companies, journalists, architects, designers, retail buyers and visitors who meet up to see the latest developments and innovations. Thomas Johansson, Electrolux Design Director, Major Appliances Europe, shares the most striking trends from the fair.

Eco-sense
Sustainability and green issues were a hot topic with a number of manufacturers taking a greener approach by addressing issues like sustainable materials, energy saving, carbon footprint and manufacturing practices.

Reveal and Conceal
A number of kitchens were based on concealment, with generous worktops alongside spacious tall units. Sliding fronts revealed kitchen appliances, shelving and well-planned storage options.

These kitchens had a sleek and subtle design allowing homeowners to reduce, or even eliminate, hanging wall units and handles, transforming the kitchen in to a refined extension of the living room. There was also a shift from a completely minimalistic design to softer aesthetics.

Living Spaces

Authenticity
The revival of authentic wood is still evident, and is cleverly combined with stainless steel, glass quartz, marble, Corian and laminate. The wood provides a premium feeling, being veined and either dark or very light. There were also a lot of rough structured surfaces providing authentic beauty.

Glass
Glass was also widely used on countertops, door fronts, drawers and shelves with etched, satin and silver mirror finishes and colored tints.

Colour
An abundance of whites, off-whites, brown/greys and dark brown tones were seen. There were also some vivid primary hues – the continued use of red and emerging mid-tones such as turquoise, acidic yellow, fuchsia and violet.

Light
White and colored LED lighting was used extensively: semi-visable on tabletops; under shelves; or hidden inside door fronts and drawers.

The Kitchen as the Heart of the Home
Today’s kitchen is a place for socializing, interacting, entertaining and cooking and plays a truly important role in modern homes. Many kitchen layouts shown at Eurocucina were based on a central working island combined with tall wall units and had a layout that allow the kitchen to be used in different ways.

Integrated Kitchen Design from Eurocucina, Milan

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 09:46:04 +0000

At Eurocucina (the kitchen fair held during Milan Design Week), Pernilla Johansson, Design Director at Electrolux, found prominent examples of integrated and stylish design. Here are some clever details that caught Pernilla’s eye.

Rational Kitchen Displayed at Eurocucina, Milan

Pernilla found “the proportion of this kitchen from Rational (a part of the Snaidero group) to be stunning. The thin dark stone surface, emphasized by the wider metal gap provides clearance to open the doors. The tall stainless steel base is set in to give a feeling of lightness and further maximizes space. There is a certain delightful feeling to simply using the foot to push open and close this lower drawer, where you can store those items not frequently used.”

Snaidero (left) and Rational (right) Kitchen Design

Both Rational and Snaidero show a great sense of detail in the way they make sure the side of their kitchen units as beautiful as the front, with materials and proportions seamlessly continued.

Sensual Kitchen Leg - Snaidero’s kitchen designed by Pininfarina

This very sensual leg detail is a part of Snaidero’s kitchen designed by Pininfarina. This light thin table with its curved open leg contrasts nicely with the more soild kitchen installation.

More from Milan – The Plate with a Twist

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:01:22 +0000

Milan Design Week provided no shortage of inspiration for the Electrolux Design Team and as if to show one can find such inspiration anywhere, if you care to look for it, Thomas Johansson, Electrolux Design Director, identified this simple but beautiful plate in particular. Made from recycled cardboard/paper it proved to be sturdy, stylish and with an indent to ensure easy grip, a practical way of holding the food served at an opening event party. Check out more images and thoughts below.

This clever interpretation of the plate and in particular, the way it is designed to meet a specific use; held whilst standing up, is a further illustration that good design doesn’t need to be complicated. The key is thinking of the user and their interaction with the object in question.

Thomas Johansson, Electrolux Designer Director (below), shows a natural affinity with the plate with a twist.

It looks good – but good enough to eat?

Simple yet elegant.

The centre piece of the table and a perfect platform for presenting some great food.

A special plate that brings a smile!

Simple & Smart Design from Milan Furniture Fair

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:02:07 +0000

At the furniture fair in Milan, Martin Alexanderson (designer at Electrolux) found a clever interpretation of the chair from Vitra. This strap (15 Euro’s) acts as a body support, allowing one to sit down in places that don’t offer a conventional solution when the need arises. Perfect for the beach, the park or for use at a transport terminal whilst waiting to get a bus or train ticket should an erupting volcano disrupt flight plans.

Vitra ensures you can carry your own ‘chair’ so you can sit comfortably when and wherever you choose.

Electrolux SHINE Laundry Concept Launched in Milan

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:28:44 +0000

The Electrolux SHINE washing machine concepts were launched at Eurocucina, Milan yesterday. The design concepts (not actual Electrolux products) are potential solutions to address the issue of shrinking domestic spaces, with one of the appliances being wall mountable and the other designed for integration within a bathroom (for those who may not have a dedicated space for laundry). Both of the concepts were shown in a bathroom context at the Riva 1920 exhibition space, also at Eurocucina. We’ve posted more images and further detail below.

According to the UN, by 2050 around 74% of the world’s population is expected to live in an urban environment. This will mean we need to be more space efficient. As a suggested solution, the Electrolux Design Team in Porcia, Italy, devised the SHINE concept appliances – true to the Electrolux design values of simplicity and purity, the concepts are able to be seemlesly integrated within the bathroom.

“We wanted to make the appliance look more like bathroom furniture than just a washing machine,” says Levente Szabo, lead designer for the SHINE concepts.”The form and high gloss finish reference porcelain and ceramics as normally found in the bathroom environment.”

There are two Shine washing machine concepts: one freestanding and one wall mounted. The free standing apliance can be integrated underneath a bathroom sink, while the wall mounted version is easily integrated with bathroom cupboards.

The importance of light: When developing the concepts, the Electrolux Design team thoroughly studied the bathroom environment and developed new design trends linked to materials, colors, lighting and ambiance.
“The bathroom is more of a relaxation room than a cleansing room,” explains Calum Armstrong, Electrolux Industrial Design Manager, Fabric Care. “The SHINE concepts are thoroughly connected to this with our intention to contribute to a therapeutic atmosphere, akin to Japanese culture.”

Around the doors of the Shine concepts there are integrated lights that act as ambient lighting and the product’s interface. The light ring around the door will visually communicate both the cycle time and the phase of the washing process. Once the washing cycle is started, the ring around the door will start to light up in a clockwise manner, reaching completion at the same time as the washing cycle.

“This not only creates nice ambient lighting, but also provides a more emotional connection to the washing cycle,” continues Calum. “True to Scandinavian design, the SHINE concepts are sleekly designed, yet functional at the same time. The small display above the door has a smaller selection of programs, depending on the type of garments that need to be washed.”

Form vs Function

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:47:11 +0000

With three weeks left to submit an entry to the 2010 Electrolux Design Lab contest, you may be interested to see the results of an Electrolux survey that asked people to rank the more important thing when considering the purchase of a domestic appliance; form or function. To find out what they thought and what Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President for Design at Electrolux has to say about the subject click the ‘more’ tab below the this picture of an Electrolux Inspiro Oven.

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.

Electrolux Design Barometer – Designs For Life

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:25:47 +0000

Thoughtful, integrated design can ensure urbanisation has a positive global impact.

80% of respondents to an Electrolux survey* at the DesignBoost** event in Stockholm on 12th February 2010, embrace urbanisation as an opportunity to make the world a better place.

A delegation of 350+ designers, architects and global thinkers were in situ at the Swedish Museum of Architecture to participate in a series of seminars and workshops addressing the theme: ‘Designs for Life’. Amongst many issues discussed throughout the day, the role of design was explored as a way of ensuring that the opportunities afforded by increased urbanisation can be maximized.

“Whilst urbanisation is often seen as a negative force, population growth makes this inevitable and thus requires sensible and planned solutions.” say’s Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President for Design at Electrolux. “It is essential that this change is embraced for the greater good. Clever, intuitive design and progressive architecture working together can help ensure a better future; with smarter cities that help reduce negative environmental impact. In fact, far from being a bad thing, urbansiation, if managed correctly, can be a force for good, facilitating sensible energy consumption, minimizing infrastructural impact and allowing communities to grow together.”

The day also saw the launch of ‘Heart of the Home’ an exciting new Electrolux kitchen concept positioned as an integrated and smart solution for the domestic requirements of the future.

DesignBoost attendee’s included Ineke Hans, Karim Rashid, James Irvine and Ross Lovegrove as well as many other distinguished names in the world of design.

*Electrolux surveyed 75 people at DesignBoost asking them for their thoughts on urbanisation.

** DesignBoost Stockholm saw a number of world renowned designers come together to workshop and discuss the future of design. The overall theme of DesignBoost 2010 is ‘Design for Life’ which concerns the way we plan, produce, transport and consume.

Electrolux ‘Heart of the Home’ Kitchen Concept

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:26:01 +0000

Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Design at Electrolux presented an exciting new kitchen concept Friday 12 Feb 2010 at the Swedish Museum of Architecture in Stockholm.

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.

: Electrolux ‘Heart of the Home’ offers a fully customised/personalised surface design

: Choose lighting dependant upon your mood

: Amorphous cooking surface replaces the need for pots and pans!

: Profile view showing built in sink

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.