This is what Ikea thinks the kitchen of the future will look like

Ikea made 12 assumptions about what life will be like 10 years from now.

Ikea thinks they have figured out what the kitchen of the future will look like. Courtesy of Concept Kitchen 2025

May 11, 2015

1 minute to read

What will kitchens look like in 10 years?

Ikea thinks it has some answers.

In a project called Concept Kitchen 2025 Ikea collaborated with several universities and Ideo, a design and innovation consulting firm which has an office in Cambridge, to look into how kitchens will respond to a changing world.

Why will 2025 be so different than 2015?

The collaborators came up with twelve assumptions about what the world will be like in the next decade, a few of which included:

– We’ll be living more urban lives

– Food will be more expensive

– We’ll be more open to thinking ‘protein,’ not meat

– Our homes will become physically smaller

– Working from home will be the norm

– ‘Shopping’ will mean ‘home delivery’

– Western culture will incorporate Eastern values

Ikea and its partners worked together for 18 months. The designs are now on display at Ikea Temporary, a pop up exhibit on display in Milan. You can see ideas about everything from how people will get their food, where they’ll store it, how they will cook, and what appliances will look like.

“The Concept Kitchen 2025 doesn’t automate away personal choices,’’ the project’s website says, “but rather facilitates mindfulness with embedded cues throughout the kitchen that subtly guide people toward being conscious of their actions and making informed decisions.’’

Check out the kitchen prototypes on display in Milan:

The Modern Pantry: “The Modern Pantry encourages us to have a closer relationship with what we eat by storing food in transparent individual containers on open shelves rather than hiding it at the back of a fridge.’’

The Table For Living: “The Table For Living is designed to inspire people to be more creative with food and throw away less.’’

The Mindful Water System: “The Mindful Water System pushes us to be more conscious of our water consumption with a basin that pivots left and right.’’

The Thoughtful Disposal: “The Thoughtful Disposal system is a response to the overuse of landfills, and reminds us of exactly what we’re throwing away.’’