LG turns air conditioners into art form

The world's top white goods manufacturer is making mundane appliances a focal point in the home

With the mercury stuck at sweltering highs, the world's top producer of home air conditioners is selling more than heat relief: its appliances are pioneering a transformation of clunky household white goods into objets d'art.

'The old, ugly air con, with the grille on the front, does not match living room furniture or decor,' said Hwang Kyong-sok, chief global sales executive for air conditioners at South Korea's LG Electronics Digital Appliance.

'People don't want units to intrude, so we design air cons which blend in.'

LG's concept is to make appliances that are something to look at. White goods, it seems, are no longer white. The company's split-type air conditioners are the thinnest models on the market, at 139mm and 142mm.

The front surfaces of the Cool Art range come in distinct colours, or are branded with artwork by Van Gogh and Matisse, making them look like paintings rather than appliances. Images are designed to suit certain markets - an air con with a photo of Sydney Opera House is sold in Australia. Another with an image of Mecca is designed for Islamic markets, while a soccer design is aimed at Brazil.

Customisation is the next step. At several hundred LG stores internationally, customers can bring in their own images, such as a family photo, and staff will compress it on to the unit's acrylic resin. The result is a unique air con.

For the large, free-standing air conditioners popular in Asia, a hi-tech solution is offered. A liquid-crystal display set in the front surface of the unit can be programmed with images of the user's choice.

These visual innovations are being transferred across LG's lines to other appliances, such as refrigerators, so that in the near future families may be programming their children's art into display panels on their fridges, rather then taping them on the front of the units.

However, it is not just about aesthetics.

'We have been global No1 in air con sales for five years,' Mr Hwang said, noting that one in every six residential air conditioners in the world is an LG.

Air cons are a component of LG's ambition to seize a lead in the home-networking field, under which all appliances are connected through a home server and communicate with one another via wired or wireless internet.

In pilot flats across South Korea, users can - using mobile-phones - switch appliances on or off by remote.

In air-conditioning technology the flagship is the company's patented 'neo-plasma' system, which went on sale this year.

The technology removes dust, kills odour and sterilises air.

David Choi, manager of LG's air con product planning team, said: 'We use a nano-bio fusion filter, which captures bacteria, fungi and viruses then, using nano silver and enzymes, completely kills them. Conventional filters allow parts of bacteria to survive.'