Homes of the future

How will we be cooking, cleaning and washing in the future?

What will our homes be like in the future? We spoke to Adam Szczepanowski, Senior Industrial Designer at Electrolux, to get his expert predictions.

Your home will create its own energy
This isn't a bad idea when you consider that 10% of energy is lost during transmission to your home from the power station. Other countries are already making the switch – last year, 50,000 domestic geothermal wells were sunk in Sweden alone. Wind turbines, air heat pumps, solar water heating and solar electricity generation – it's all going to become everyday stuff.

A new breed of energy-smart appliances
We've been making good progress in energy efficiency – there's a massive difference between the energy consumed in the 1990s and what we use today. But there's much more to do. By replacing appliances that are more than 10 years old, we could cut carbon dioxide emissions by 22 million tonnes per year in Europe. Energy taxation and home energy production will result in huge leaps in energy efficiency.

Fresh air
In the future, air conditioners and purifiers will come together and evolve to give the right temperature, humidity and feel to the air in your house, as well as removing allergens and odours. You might wake up in London, but you'll feel as though you're in the heart of a Norwegian Fjord breathing in super-fresh air.

Open-plan living
In the years to come, it will be the norm to 'live' in the kitchen – the kitchen, living and dining areas will fuse into one zone. This means that we will need quieter appliances and an even greater focus on aesthetics. There will be fans to remove unpleasant smells and fans to enhance nice ones. Fridges will have built-in entertainment.

Intelligent appliances
The washing machines of the future will sniff out any stain or dirt and take care of it. Similar technology will be introduced to other appliances – problems will be solved before you even realise they exist. Technology will become more 'human', softer and invisible.

The future of cooking
The new Electrolux Inspiro oven gives us an idea of how ovens will be in the near future – advanced sensors will weigh the dish, then automatically set the correct temperatures and cooking modes to give you a perfect result every time. Future ovens might even network with food retailers so packages could be scanned and the perfect cooking settings could be downloaded automatically to the oven.

Dreamy home spa bathrooms
Bathrooms will become more like home spas, and will include special air conditioning so you'll be able to change the feel of the air in the room. Other factors will be adjustable, too – humidity, temperature, audio-visual effects and even taste. You'll be able to recreate the feeling of lazing in the warm sea, listening to waves lapping the shores of a tropical island, while basking in sunshine.

Personalised appliances
Mass customisation is approaching. You'll be able to send your own print, pattern or colour and it will be reproduced in the surface of your fridge, your washing machine or your TV.

Wardrobe assistant
In the future, robots will zip about inside our wardrobes, sensing which clothes need refreshing in a wardrobe refresher unit.

The robots are coming!
A team of minibots will ensure that your floors are dust free and clean everyday. They'll even polish wooden floors and clean bathroom tiles.

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