Apparently, disgusting roommates can make good things happen. Austrian student Stefan Buchberger was inspired by his filthy bedfellows to create a modular refrigerator—AKA the Flatshare Fridge. Buchberger entered his pieced refrigerator in the 2008 Electrolux Design Lab Competition, where it earned a finalist spot (one of only nine from over 600 entries). The 2008 competition asked undergraduate and graduate industrial design students the world over “to create appliance concepts for the internet generation.”

Flatshare Fridge. Designed by Stefan Buchberger for Electrolux’s Design Lab Competition.

Desiring his own clean space, Buchberger thought up Flatshare Fridge “because there is nothing more disgusting than a dirty fridge in a shared flat.” Buchberger, a student at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, claims to have been “living in such a flat!” This brings to mind roommates who are one stop short of Neanderthal status, such as the mayonnaise-eating slob from the movie Notting Hill. The Flatshare Fridge uses a base station, upon which one can stack up to four modules. Each person can then claim a personal, refrigerated space to do with what they will. Modules can include features like bottle openers and whiteboards, not to mention custom “colorful skins.” When you finally tire of those horrid flatmates, simply carry off your refrigerator module using the convenient handles on the sides: “If you move to a new flat, you can just transport your module like a suitcase,” Buchberger explains. There is a use for Flatshare Fridge even if you’re a confirmed recluse. Set each module to a different temperature; use different modules for beverages or fruits; you might even keep Kosher by separating meat from dairy.

I can find no further news from Electrolux regarding the fabrication and/or availability of this fabulous fridge. Similarly, Mr. Stefan Buchberger seems to have disappeared: he is absent from his former social networking sites, nowhere to be found in cyberspace. I’m guessing he tired of the very people who inspired the Flatshare Fridge and went to live under a rock in an undisclosed and remote location. Where in the world is Buchberger?