

Out of nine tremendously creative and functional household designs produced by the finalists in the 2008 Electrolux Design Lab competition , one design really stood out in the judges minds: The "Flatshare" Refrigerator, by Austrian design student, Stefan Buchberger, whose inspiration came from sharing a flat, of course.



The mess he described in his flat's refrigerator is familiar to most of us who have had roommates, so he came up with a way that everyone could keep their mess a secret from each other, by designing a "to each his own" modular refrigerator that is portable, so when you move, your fridge mess moves with you!

A fridge is a tricky thing to reinvent,” said Henrik Otto, head of Global Design for Electrolux and chair for the jury. “Flatshare, however, manages to be new in a fun and expressive way. A shared refrigerator is also very relevant from a consumer-insight perspective, managing to resolve the needs and wants of the target group.”

As winner of the Electrolux Design Lab competition, Mr. Buchberger receives €5,000 plus a six month scholarship to an Electrolux Group design center!

Second place winner was the iBasket, by designer Guopeng Liang of China. The iBasket is a hamper that starts washing your clothes automatically when the hamper becomes full! As if that wasn't a clever enough design, you can also monitor the iBasket from your office!





And the third place win belongs to Antoine Lebrun, the student designer from France, who created the Coox . Coox is a portable stovetop that travels on adjustable legs and wheels to any number of rooms and stations in your home. Breakfast in bed? Prepare it by your bedside while you're watching the morning news!

The competitors for Electrolux Design Lab 2008 were all international design students who were tasked with designing a kitchen or household appliance that would be useful to iGeneration consumers. You can read about all nine finalist designs here.





via press release and September 25, 2008, 9 Design Lab '08 Finalists: Brilliant Kitchen Appliances For The IGeneration