Bridget A. Otto
The Oregonian

Remember the opening sequence to the iconic’60s cartoon “The Jetsons”? Everything was automated, sleek and clean, thanks to Rosie the robot maid.

The concept of simplifying through automation is becoming a reality in the design studios of firms such as GE, Italy’s Scavolini and Germany’s SieMatic. Their smart kitchens are enough to make you salivate.

They are sleek — think entire kitchens cut from white Corian. They are integrated — drawers with built-in knife holders and undercabinet touch lighting. They are flexible — space that converts from homework central to formal dining.

If we’re multi-tasking in the kitchen — and we are — the design needs to integrate helpful technology. It’s about solutions, says Portland kitchen designer William Roy.

• Instead of creating a work desk in the kitchen, Roy integrates a pop-up outlet in the island that turns the breakfast bar into a mini office ready for laptop and printer.

• Televisions pop up when needed and disappear when not.

• Refrigerators don’t just wear cabinet panels; they are seamlessly integrated into the cabinetry.

• Programmable lighting operates at the touch of a button, adjusting to task and time of day.

• Dishwasher drawers go in multiple places for the most efficient use.

It’s all in keeping with a survey of 600-plus homeowners, who see the kitchen as the nerve center of their homes. In addition to cooking and eating, the survey shows that the kitchen is where families entertain, do homework, pay bills, plan events, get news and weather, and leave messages and reminders.

The survey, released at last year’s Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas, was used to create the “ideal digital kitchen” and included features the homeowners most wanted:

Digital calendar. A calendar on a large screen that is easy to see and use and can be accessed remotely.

Recipe projection system. A wireless system allows a cook to ask for a recipe or look one up online and have it projected onto a surface in the kitchen.

Energy monitoring and control. The homeowner can monitor peak energy use, diagnose waste and calculate costs.

Home control. This system manages heating, cooling and security.

Universal charging station. Enough said.

Wireless access. Nearly half of the respondents who were remodeling their homes said they will use a computer in the kitchen.

The survey suggests that consumers want function and control in their kitchen, not entertainment. The kitchen TV, for example, was for news, not watching a movie.

Spare design and Jetson-like components also are seen in GE’s Kitchen of the Future. Designed as one unit that is interconnected, this kitchen would do things such as take inventory of the refrigerator, present menu options and then create a shopping list of what’s needed.