Public wants greener kitchens, superstore chain says

Many consumers would like to see their kitchens transformed into a mini-allotment and provide a heart for the home, which helps householders “return to nature”, a report for homeware superstore giant IKEA claims.

IKEA Dublin’s head of kitchen design, Jill O’Reilly, said: “Today’s society of abundance will be a thing of the past as resources are rationed, technologies are streamlined into day-to-day living, and health and wellness take centre stage.”

Householders would like to see food grown in their kitchens as well as stored and cooked there, the report published this month says.

It reveals consumers are concerned about energy efficiency and the ability to recycle waste.

They also want their kitchen appliances to be made from recycled materials as standard and want to bring the vegetable garden indoors.

The report is based on a survey of more than 2000 British and Irish shoppers asked what they would like to see in kitchens in 30 years time.

Some of the more ambitious expectations are to see organic fruit and vegetables grown using hydroponics – without soil.

Rooftops and even vertical walls will be used to grow food due to pressures on space and resources, including urbanisation, population growth, climate change and water scarcity, says the report.

The eco-friendly kitchen is one of three kitchen archetypes highlighted by the report.

The second is a gadget-based Smart Kitchen using the latest technology to allow appliances to communicate with each other and conjure up holographic projections of celebrity chefs with inspirational recipes.

The third is an Emotionally Intelligent kitchen that nurtures the mind and spirit as well as the body, automatically tweaking lighting to match the inhabitant’s mood.

David Gibbs