Australians are spending big bucks to hide their slender TV screens, with sets that look like artworks

DESIGN-OBSESSED Australians are going to extreme lengths to hide their home appliances in plain sight, investing up to $40,000 in slender, subtle TV screens and $10,000 in smart fridges that blend in with their decor. Two big-name brands launched new premium home technology this week, including a television that is almost indistinguishable from a painting, and slick appliances endorsed by influencers and aimed at the “ultra premium” set. Even the humble washer-dryer is not immune from the high-end, designer makeovers. Samsung fuelled the trend this week with its launch of a new 43-inch Frame television that can be disguised as an artwork, and will soon feature an option to show more than 1000 paintings from an online store. But LG took it a step further with the Australian launch of its Signature technology range, including a $39,999 77-inch television as thin as a coin and held to the wall with magnets, a smart refrigerator with stainless steel inside and out, and an almost silent washer-dryer that can send alerts to your smartphone. Interior designer and The Block judge Darren Palmer said investing in stylish appliances to match home’s look was wise, and the addition of smart technology could be “life-changing”. “If you’re creating a premium home and you’re spending money on everything else like beautiful furniture and a great piece of real estate, it makes sense,” he said. “And this is not just technology for technology’s sake. These appliances improve the way you live in your home and that’s what luxury looks like in the Australian home now.” Mr Palmer said being able to tap the front panel on the LG Signature fridge to see inside it, for example, make sense from practical and design standpoints. The trend towards super-slim televisions hung on the wall with magnets or disguised as paintings was also useful for interior designers, he said, who often sought to “find a way for (the television) to blend in”. “When I was looking at (this TV), I was struck by how painterly the art looks on it because the blacks are so dark and the colours are so bright, which is interesting for a TV as thin as a $2 coin,” he said. LG Electronics Australia marketing general director Angus Jones said the new style of televisions, dubbed the Wallpaper range for their tiny profiles, raised eyebrows with its design and price but was already finding a keen audience. “Who is going to buy this product? People who wouldn’t normally put a TV in their lounge room — that’s the response we’re getting,” Mr Jones said. “Admittedly, a lot of people see the price tag and think it’s a little more than they wanted to spend … but we’ve been very pleased, as have our retailers selling it.” The high-end technology was not for every renovator or even every appliance store, Mr Jones admitted, but it had already received praise from designers and architects at trade shows, where spending $10,000 on a fridge was not considered unusual. Mr Jones said LG’s internet-of-things platform, called SmartThinQ, had also been added across the premium range so its washing machine could send an alert to a phone when it had finished a cycle, and the fridge could be ordered to make more ice from afar.