We've heard lots of guff about the kitchen of the future, but French designer Antoine Lebrun takes the concept to the next level with Aion. His fanciful concept for the Fagor Brandt group works the way the earth does; this "multifunctional appliance" for a small kitchen 10 years in the future uses plants in its range hood to filter water and air.

When it's closed, it's in washing mode, using water filtered through those plants, along with an unspecified type of natural soap the plants produce. When the appliance is open, there's a cooktop on the left, and a sink/washing area on the right where you place all those dirty dishes. While the whole concept seems rather far-fetched, we like Aion's radical design, as well as the notion of plants in the kitchen, doing the work they've always done: cleaning and renewing the environment.

Antoine Lebrun, via Yanko Design