LG’s MoodUp is a fridge that’s as flashy on the outside as I feel on the inside

In case anyone is needing extra RGB lighting in their lives, LG’s new MoodUp fridge has you covered. The refrigerator, which the South Korean electronics giant announced this week at IFA in Berlin, has LED light panels on its front that can illuminate in over a dozen different colors (22 for the upper panel, 19 for the lower). There’s also a built-in Bluetooth speaker (I know).

You control the light panels through LG’s app, where there are a series of preset color schemes to match different seasons and moods. But of course, you can also take full control to create a gloriously ugly kitchen color scheme of your own devising. I was helpfully shown such an abomination during an in-person demonstration on the show floor, and it was quite something.

(For whatever reason, LG chose to display its MoodUp fridge demonstration with a mirror on either side at a 45-degree angle, which is why it looks like there are three refrigerators in the photograph below.)

Image: LG

Where things get really interesting is when you combine these light panels with the fridge’s Bluetooth speaker, where the panels are able to flash in time with the music. You know how everyone jokes that the best house parties always take place in the kitchen? Well, LG’s taking that quite literally.

From a more functional perspective, the MoodUp is loaded with sensors to flash if you accidentally leave one of its door’s open, or automatically illuminate to guide you toward a midnight snack.

It’s an interesting response to Samsung’s series of Bespoke refrigerators, which are available in a range of different colors to suit your home’s style. As of earlier this year, Samsung will also print custom images on the front of them for an even more personalized look. The nice thing about LG’s take on this colorful design is that you can change your fridge’s colors with a tap. When they’re not illuminated, LG says the fridge offers a combination of gray and white color schemes “for a more traditional look.”

Oh, and the LG MoodUp also works as a fridge, where LG promises “advanced refrigeration and smart technologies for better food freshness and enhanced convenience.” LG’s press images show MoodUp fridges that are either one or two-doors wide, and there’s also a model with a window in the fridge door that lets you see its contents from the outside. There’s no word on pricing or a release date, in case you’re actually interested in buying this thing.

Photography by Jon Porter / The Verge