Tomohiko Sato
Unit Leader, Lead Designer
UX Design Department
Design Center
Hitachi's compact refrigerator, Chiiil, is designed to have a furniture-like appearance that fits in various interior spaces other than the kitchen. This new-concept refrigerator is modular and can be stacked or placed side by side. With ten different color options, it allows users to select a favorite style that best suits their interior and purpose.
The development of this refrigerator, something that seems to already exist but never has before, was initiated based on a different approach from typical product development. Designer Tomohiko Sato explains, “Hitachi has introduced vision-driven solution development for several products. It's a backcasting-based development process that identifies the concept for the next product by forecasting consumers' lifestyles and needs ten years in the future.
Through the vision-driven solution development process, this project recognized signs of an increase in remote workers due to diversified workstyles and longer time spent at home, even before the outbreak of COVID-19. Subsequently, the pandemic started, ironically proving the forecast was accurate—people spend longer time at home, and demand for cooking and eating at home has grown, resulting in dramatic changes in people's lifestyles. The new concept refrigerator suddenly became more realistic, and the development proceeded quickly.
The handle is placed on the top of the door to make it invisible from the front.
Recipient of the Good Design Gold Award 2022 (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award)
Through the vision-driven solution development process, this project recognized signs of an increase in remote workers due to diversified workstyles and longer time spent at home, even before the outbreak of COVID-19. Subsequently, the pandemic started, ironically proving the forecast was accurate—people spend longer time at home, and demand for cooking and eating at home has grown, resulting in dramatic changes in people's lifestyles. The new concept refrigerator suddenly became more realistic, and the development proceeded quickly.
Sample of different color options. Examined by placing them next to flooring samples.
The essence of this project was the pursuit of a new relationship with users by reconsidering the uses of a refrigerator. Naturally, it is typically placed in the kitchen, but Chiiil was designed by focusing on the value of new “experiences” arising from being placed in areas other than kitchens, such as living rooms, dining rooms, and workspaces.
A refrigerator that allows you to have a cold dessert while chatting in the living room or to get a drink during an online meeting in the study without going all the way to the kitchen—when envisioning such usage patterns, its design and style cannot be the same as general refrigerators. Therefore, Chiiil was designed like furniture rather than a home appliance. “We examined many different designs that would be in harmony with the space where it would be placed, and came up with a simple design mainly consisting of vertical and horizontal lines that would fit in with any interior,” says Sato.
The most challenging process was finding the optimal size. The capacity for storage definitely matters since it is a refrigerator. In order to determine the size that ensures the requisite capacity while harmoniously fitting in with the interior space, many mockups were made for fine adjustment. The usability and capacity for various settings were examined by testing them in different locations and by putting in or taking out plastic bottles and containers.
Furthermore, the body depth is minimized to blend in with furniture such as tables and cabinets. The heat radiator, usually on the backside, is placed at the bottom to enable the body to be placed up against a wall. This was how the dimensions that are uncommon for refrigerators—750 mm in height, 559 mm in width, and 420 mm in depth—were determined.
Another new experience value is “choice.” Chiiil is characterized by its modularity that enables users to choose different arrangements. It can match any type of interior space due to the wide range of color options. “In collaboration with ACTUS, an interior planning company, 10 colors were selected in relation to the material and color of the room flooring. Since Chiiil is short, it was designed to be compatible with flooring, in addition to walls,” Sato explains. Many of Chiiil's color options are uncommon for refrigerators, such as Nordic (a grayish color inspired by Nordic interior trends), Brick (rusty red), and Moss (moss green).
The position of the handle and the brand logo were also designed by considering “the appearance when multiple Chiiil units are placed together,” according to Sato. The handle was originally placed on the front of the door but moved to the top, so it is out of sight when viewed from the front, as the handles look crowded when multiple units are placed together. Likewise, the usually-metallic Hitachi logo is embossed and placed on the top of the door to make it as inconspicuous as possible.
Designed like furniture rather than a home appliance.
In this new attempt for Hitachi, Chiiil became the first crowdfunded home appliance for the company. Achieving seven times its goal amount and with 10 color options, it made a sensational debut. Since its launch in April 2022, Chiiil has been well-received among users, many of whom have found their own way of making good use of it in a favorite renovated living room, in a communication space at an office, and in a bathroom to refrigerate cosmetics.
By presenting diverse options and letting users find their own mode of use, Chiiil's new approach and concept were highly acclaimed, resulting in them winning the Good Design Gold Award (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award) by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion in 2022. “A recent trend of the Good Design Award winners has been in designs focusing on services and solutions. So, I think it was not easy to be recognized, even though we had introduced an innovative approach for a refrigerator, which is a rather mature product. We learned through this project that we can uncover new stories and needs by changing our point of view,” says Sato. As a successful example of the vision-driven development process, Hitachi will continue to expand and apply Chiiil's approach while exploiting the features of a modular refrigerator.
