A kettle used to cook, clean and grow plants

A UK designer has created a kettle which doubles as an educational tool to teach children how to cook, clean and grow plants.

Jordan Martin has scooped first prize in the international Electrolux Design Lab 2015 competition, which this year was based around the theme Healthy Happy Kids.

Every year undergraduate and graduate design students vie for a €10,000 (£7,300) prize and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux Global Design Centre by responding to a design challenge with a theoretical solution.

Steam syphoned into pods

Martin’s design for Bloom channels wasted steam and hot water into three separate pods, designed for cooking, cleaning and growing plants.

Accompanying apps have been designed, to offer lessons, games and challenges.

Martin was inspired by watching the learning responses of his autistic brother.

He says: “When my brother was shown a task visually, instead of just verbally he was very capable and enjoyed being able to help out with everyday tasks.

“This gave me the idea for Bloom. To create a safe, entertaining and educational device for children to take part in cooking, cleaning and growing their own food.”

Designed to bring families together

The design also encourages families to spend more time together and it could be used as a teaching aid in schools.

“Bloom will bridge the gap between digital and practical education, teaching children about relatable processes occurring in the pod, for example, photosynthesis, the water cycle, germs and cooking,” says Martin.

Martin is the first UK designer to win the top prize.

This year’s £4,300 (€6,000) second prize goes to Dominykas Budinas from Lithuania for her Airshield baby stroller that creates a purified microclimate and a third prize of €4,000 has been awarded to Jeongbin Seo, from South Korea for QH, an all in one hula hoop and air purifier.

The winners were chosen by a judging panel including Electrolux senior vice president and head of design at Electrolux Lars Erikson, programme director of Helsinki Design Week Hanna Harris and design entrepreneur and chief executive of Roder Innovation Fredrik Magnusson.

Electrolux says there were more than 1,500 entries this year from 56 countries and that the People’s Choice award went to Larissa Trindade from Brazil who received 4,300 public votes for Weaver, a product which can repair clothes by fostering a bio-culture of green tea, sugar and bacteria.