From Jetsons to Thermomix: Three new kitchen concepts for a modern, clutter-free life

Jennifer Sheahan introduces new ways to think about cooking, living and space

The meal prep kitchen of the future. The key is looking at your kitchen as a set of workstations — store, prep, cook, and clean.

If you haven’t yet heard of the Thermomix then I don’t know where you’ve been. They’re hard to describe — so hard that their main form of marketing is through in-person demonstrations, as nothing less will convey the full scope of their capabilities. 

Effectively, they do everything, and replace almost every appliance in your kitchen aside from your fridge, hob, and oven. I don’t have one, nor am I peddling them, but the breadth of their utility is impressive for a relatively compact device.

Designing kitchens for clients is my favourite part of my job, and I spend a lot of time thinking about optimal layouts and the best appliances. So any significant advancement is a fun opportunity to imagine how such multi-functional inventions will transform our kitchens in the near future. 

I regularly use AI tools to help me visualise these ideas (I have aphantasia) and it’s so cool to glimpse into the potential future of the kitchen in this way. Here are three new kitchen concepts straight from my imagination (via AI imagery), rooted in the latest thinking on design, appliances, and the realities of contemporary life.

THE CONSOLIDATED KITCHEN

If you’re an elder millennial like me you will remember The Jetsons. If you loved The Jetsons as much as I did, you may remember the kitchen gadget that did the work of a chef, fridge, oven, and everything else needed to prepare a home-cooked meal. 

A list of dinners was presented, the family pressed a button, and whatever they desired was prepared and served in minutes. That doesn’t exist, but we’re close enough. 

Appliances such as the Thermomix, the Ninja Foodi, and the Instant Pot have so many functions that if you choose wisely to suit your needs, you can ditch single-use gadgets and free up serious storage. The aesthetic follows: minimal fronts, open shelving for the things you use every day, and generous stretches of durable countertop for prep or for doubling up as dining or work space.

If you loved 'The Jetsons' as much as I did, you may remember the kitchen gadget that did the work of a chef, fridge, oven, and everything else needed to prepare a home-cooked meal. File picture: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

This is the kitchen for people who watched The Jetsons and thought “I want that machine”. It’s for those who don’t revel in chopping, slicing, braising, or kneading. It’s for those who want home-cooked meals with as little effort as possible, and who prefer a space uncluttered by pots and chopping boards.

I’ll be honest, this isn’t me — I like taking my time with dinner in the evenings, but I have the luxury of that time and an interest in cooking. If you’re a busy person with other interests, it is absolutely achievable to have a kitchen that feels calm, looks pared back, and functions for a modern, low-clutter life, while still having freshly prepared home-cooked meals every day. 

The key is analysing what kind of food you like and investing wisely in the right multi-functional appliance that will allow you to remove most other gadgets and utensils from your home, then using the freed-up space to remove unnecessary cabinetry.

THE MEAL PREP KITCHEN

If you’ve gone online at any point in the past five years, you’ll no doubt have been served ads for aesthetically pleasing food storage containers and time-lapse videos of some genius prepping a week’s worth of food in two hours. This isn’t me either — my epicurean inclinations are too mercurial to plan my meals days in advance — but I get the appeal if you have specific nutritional needs or you’re super busy and need something good on the go. 

Meal prepping is a life-changing approach in these cases, and many would struggle to eat healthy, delicious food without it. So if you love to batch-cook and prep your meals in advance, then it makes sense to design your kitchen around these preferences, and modern accessories and gadgets make it easier than ever.

The key is looking at your kitchen as a set of workstations — store, prep, cook, and clean. Storage is multi-fold — you should consider how you’re storing your ingredients, your containers, and your prepared food. 

Look for containers that can withstand heat and cold, that can be baked and microwaved and frozen, that are odour-resistant, and that can go in the dishwasher without fussy disassembling of parts. Consider sizes and storage-ability — stacking containers are best. 

My favourites are Pyrex Snapware containers, Ikea glass containers with bamboo lids, and the stainless steel (yet somehow microwave safe) containers from Blackblum Design.

Consider the appliances that will make food prep easy for you. A good food processor and blender is key — Ninja is the current flavour of the month but my favourite will always be Magimix (worth the investment), or the Kenwood MultiPro for one that does it all. 

Meal prepping is a life-changing approach in these cases, and many would struggle to eat healthy, delicious food without it.

A modern fridge-freezer with temperature-zoned drawers is an excellent idea to waste less food. You could also consider a fridge drawer that can be either a fridge or a freezer, allowing you to store ingredients after a big grocery shop and freeze meals once prepped. 

The Fisher & Paykel CoolDrawer is a worthwhile investment, and having something under the counter rather than full height frees up even more countertop space for prepping. 

For cooking appliances, a combi microwave-oven could be a great space-saver for cooking at the start of the week, then heating up meals throughout the rest of it. Or perhaps it would be worth investing in a double air-fryer, or even multiple air-fryers, that will allow you to cook more things at once.

Finally, design. Lighting is critical here: linear LED task lights under cabinets will give you clean, shadow-free workspaces ideal for prepping. If space is at a premium, consider an extendable countertop that you can pull out during your meal-prep day and fold away during the rest of the week.

THE ACCESSIBLE KITCHEN

We’re living longer and it’s easier than ever to design a kitchen that is genuinely usable for all. Varied worktop heights can let you sit for prep when you need to, and appliance lifts can make it easy to pull heavy gadgets in and out of presses. 

Induction hobs are a no-brainer for safety to reduce the risk of burns, plus they’re easier to clean. There is no need to crouch down to clean dishes — some modern dishwashers have lower racks that lift up for easy filling, such as the AEG ComfortLift.

Modern gadgets do so much of the peeling, chopping, and mashing for us now that there is no need for anyone to experience discomfort when attempting such tasks. The Oxo Good Grips range is fantastic for gorgeous, ergonomically designed kitchen accessories that will make anyone’s life easier. 

With so many options now available, the future kitchen is really whatever you want it to be.

There is little reason for anyone not to have a food processor — again, I like the Kenwood MultiPro for versatility, with built-in weighing scales which means less lifting items over and back.

Smart bulbs can provide lighting that is easier to control, and will let you change the feel of a room in seconds. Materials have come a long way too — anti-slip flooring such as tiles or, even better, vinyl is an aesthetically pleasing option that can reduce injury.

Ultimately, re-imagining the kitchen starts with honest thinking: what do you cook, how often, who’s in the house and how do you want the room to feel? With so many options now available, the future kitchen is really whatever you want it to be.