Fridge from the future: Why the 'Family Hub' is nothing like the household norm

Remember when a fridge just sat there, humming contentedly, playing it cool? Then someone came up with the idea of jamming an ice-maker in the door and suddenly there was a strangely desirable point of difference in people’s kitchens.

The fridge of the future, however, will be so much more – a television, a music player, a personal assistant, a photo frame, a grocery-ordering service – and best of all it will have cameras inside it, which you can access from your phone. So when you’re at the shop and you can’t remember whether you’ve got eggs and milk, you can just have a look.

Fortunately, in our non-chilled modern world, you never have to wait long for the future to arrive, because you can already have all this in the tech-tastic Samsung Family Hub.

It may seem a grand name for a fridge, but Jeremy Senior, head of home appliance for Samsung Australia, points out that the kitchen really is where busy families spend a lot of their time.

“The kitchen is the hub of the home, so it makes sense that you would use your fridge for things like calendar management, to organise the week ahead, and to leave notes for each other on the digital whiteboard; you can even send a note to the fridge from your phone when you’re out,” he explains.

You can also send photos to the fridge’s giant 21.-5-inch screen, in case it’s lonely when you’re away, and use it to stream music or to show whatever you’re watching on television in the other room. Imagine never having to miss a ball of the cricket while you’re getting a beer and you start to see just how life-changing this thing could be.

There is, of course, still a food functionality to the Family Hub as well. Samsung has partnered with Woolworth’s to integrate its app, so you can add things to your shopping list just by talking to your fridge (it has voice software, which means you can also ask it to find you a recipe if you’re out of ideas, or to Google how to swear in Russian), and it will all be delivered.

And there really are three cameras in there, so you can see what’s inside without opening the door, or even being in the house.

• Related: Household items worth splashing some extra cash
• Related: Proof that high-end homeware can be practical
• Related: These bold objects will fix any bland living area

There will, of course, be even more amazing fridge features in the future.

“The next update to the software will also be able to suggest recipes based on what you have in your fridge, so if you’ve got eggs that are about to expire, it will come up with ways to use them,” Senior says.

Vitally, of course, while the screen sits in one door, the other side still has space for an ice maker and water dispenser.

Being an early adopter is never cheap, of course, and the Family Hub range starts from $5,999.

52a Lansell Road, Toorak is an appropriate setting for a seriously high-tech fridge. Photo: Supplied

But what if buying a Samsung Family Hub is not enough, and you simply must purchase a new property to house it? Well, 52a Lansell Road in Toorak may be just the ticket, for sale through Kay & Burton’s Nicole Gleeson for $6 million. ​

Indeed, the entertainer’s kitchen would surely be made only more jaw-droopingly wow-filled by the inclusion of a properly impressive fridge.

The Gaggenau appliances it already features might be impressive, but you can’t use them to watch Netflix, nor can they suggest recipes to cook in them.

The sleek, modern look of the kitchen certainly looks ready made for the fridge of the future.

See more of 52a Lansell Road here. Download the Domain app for more listings with stylish kitchens