This idea came from a discussion with Heron as he came to interview us about a project he had: the concept of the near-future home with no electronics.
Well, with no visible electronics.
The shrinking of technology has meant that we’re no longer forced to show off technology. Our TVs are on wheels and can come out when we feel like moving the projector from its cubby hole is too much of an effort, speakers are beginning to look like pictures. Our desktops have become laptops filed away in the magazine basket. Our music player is the ubiquitous little white box and the stacks of CDs and DVDs are quickly disappearing to storage (before they end up in recycling).
Sure, one could argue that we’re seeing a boom in theater-TV systems those systems are being placed in the family room – often in the basement.
We’re tidying away decades of electronic prominence to bring simplicity to our homes.
Your think?
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Yes, we will have either server farms in the basement or high speed connections to all our digital media.
For many, the clutter will be removed.
However, there is also a trend away from the cold and towards the addition of electronics with more warmth and character- Linn record decks and valve amps for iPods are starting to appear.
So, home electronics will either be removed as you suggest, or become even more iconic.
August 30th, 2006 at 12:03 am
It’s already happened in our house. The hi-fi stack I spent years accumulating is now unused in the cupboard under the stairs; the CDs I used to feed into it are in the loft, their contents dispersed across two computers and two ipods; the TV will soon be downsized; the unsightly cable boxes and DVD player are hidden from view; the laptops hibernate in a draw each evening and all the white goods in the kitchen have been ‘integrated’. The only thing that stays on display is the Bose SoundDock.
None of this required custom furniture or expensive wiring.
Why? Because most affordable consumer electronics are so damn ugly.
August 30th, 2006 at 7:23 am