Colour-changing home appliances by Karim Rashid

High-end appliance manufacturer Gorenje is showing ovens and fridges in a different light through their recent collaboration with New York-based designer Karim Rashid. Appliances in Gorenje’s new line feature colour-adjustable LED strips, making the Slovenian company the first home appliance manufacturer to offer a solution that allows the users to change the colour of their oven or refrigerator. Gorenje is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of home appliance design. Back in 2006, we featured their Swarovski crystal-encrusted fridges; since then there have been collaborations with top designers Pininfarina and Ora-Ïto. But this latest line of products is perhaps conceptually their most interesting. Rashid builds on a trend that started in a London hotel: St. Martin’s Lane enabled guests to sculpt the lightscape of their rooms back in the ’90s. The concept then moved into homes with Philips Living Colours lighting range, which allows people to change a room’s colour to suit their mood or to create a different ambience. Applying the concept to large appliances like fridges and ovens is a logical next step. “Today we are dealing with a society based on experience, so objects need to blur experience with form”, explains Rashid, reflecting the theme of trendwatching.com’s 2006 briefing on insperiences. (Related: White goods morph into whiteboards.) Email: info@gorenje.si