Programmable coffee makers, sleek white cabinets, and islands are all cornerstones of the kitchen in 2015, but the space could look pretty different in 10 years, if Ikea has anything to say about it. The company collaborated with Ideo, students from the School of Industrial Design Center at Lund University, and the Industrial Design department at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The end result was Concept Kitchen 2025.
Over the course of 18 months, the groups worked together to create a concept kitchen to reflect what this space may look like in a decade. Concept Kitchen 2025 will be a part of Ikea Temporary, which opened on April 9 in Milan. The goal was to find out how people will be growing food, storing it, cooking it, and eating it in 10 years.
One of the key features of Concept Kitchen 2025 is its grey water system. This is essentially a sink with two drains. It can pivot one way for “grey” water for tasks, such as plant watering, and pivot another direction to send contaminated water into sewage pipes.
Keeping reuse in mind, the Concept Kitchen 2025 also has a compost system that utilizes organic waste from the sink. Additionally, there is a system for nonorganic waste that separates items according to material. For instance, a bottle can be scanned by the system to identify its contaminants and determine how it should be disposed of.
In terms of food storage, the Concept Kitchen 2025 hints that we may get a bit more casual in the future. For example, we could lean toward more “open storage” and shelves that allow us to see our food. This type of storage can also help us keep healthier options in front of us.
However, the most impressive feature of Concept Kitchen 2025 may be its “table for living.” Centered above the table is a “smart light” that has a camera that observes the ingredients you want to cook with, such as tomatoes. Once it sees what you want to use, it projects information down onto the table to assist you with meal preparation. The smart light will help you create a meal based on how much time you want to spend cooking, and it can suggest tasty ingredient combinations, too. When you’re ready to cook, it will turn the surface of the table into a burner for you.
You can even charge your mobile devices on the surface of the table, thanks to its induction technology. You can also keep a plate of food warm or cool on a specific area of the table for freshness.
While the Concept Kitchen 2025 is just that — a concept – it’s hard not to get excited over this prospective technology. Bring on the future!
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