On show this weekend at 100% Design London has been the latest and greatest in interior furniture and fittings, with everything from the hottest fireplaces to a concept fridge designed to save time and energy by teleporting the food from the farm or store to its cool storage!
Don't believe me on the last one? Here it is – part of a design competition run by Electrolux, it's been dreamed up by Thai design student Dulyawat Wongnawa, who says his inspiration came from Star Trek:
"In the movie, the main characters often get teleported from place to place. It made me eager to explore the possibilities of how this useful technology could be integrated into our daily lives once it becomes available.
"The exterior surface of the fridge will be coated with an ultra-thin layer of smart material, which features both an LCD display and a touch-screen interface for users to interact with. Users can adjust the temperatures for each compartment and order fresh produce to be teleported into the teleport compartment drawer via the smart material display."
What's all that got to do with hi-fi and music? Not much, but also on show at the exhibition were the designs of Korean-born, Milan-based designer Michi Jung, which combine furniture and audio.
His Music Chocolate (above) is a footstool with built-in amplification and speakers, to which an iPod or MP3 player can be connected. Upholstered in leather, the piece takes its name from the surface resemblance to a bar of chocolate.
The designer says: "There is a need for a new type of social environment in which the home is central. House concerts are becoming more frequent moments of meeting in the home.
"Music Chocolate fits into this context, combining a classic taste with new hi-tech features so that the furniture itself becomes the protagonist of these moments."
Another Michi Jung design at the show is the Chaiselounge (below), a classic chaise longue design with a twist: the cushion at the head again has an integrated amplifier and speakers, and the whole thing has what the designer says is "the particularity of being able to swing a little while it was accompanied by music."
