Ten years ago it would have been unheard of for a toaster to be as visually-attractive as it is operational, but high-style is no longer reserved for the fashion runway. Design is creeping into all areas of people's lives, including the most basic of everyday items. From Michael Graves' recent venture designing cooking accessories to Bang & Olufsen's latest line of phones that more closely resemble artwork, consumers are increasingly drawn to products that are both aesthetically appealing and functional. This new way of thinking has companies re-evaluating how they design products across all industries and can help explain the recent flood of designers moving from the fashion world to the home products arena.

According to a recent Electrolux survey, 50 percent of Americans say that even a vacuum's design is important, especially since this same half admits to sometimes leaving their vacuum out in the open. Now Electrolux, a company that prides itself in designing products with consumers in mind, is placing more emphasis than ever before on designing innovative products that boast both form and function.

"We've always been a company that looks at consumers' needs when developing new products," said Randall Sandlin, director of industrial design for Electrolux. "Over the past few years, we've watched this trend in consumers wanting functional products to also have aesthetic appeal in the appliance sector, and now consumers are telling us they want it in their vacuums."

In response, Electrolux introduced a variety of vacuums that demonstrate the company is truly listening to consumers. "We actually went into consumers' homes and watched how they clean and live and applied it to our product designs," said Sandlin.

The Pronto 2-in-1 vacuum was developed with a design so stylish that it can be left out of the closet, and answers consumers' requests for a lightweight cleaning product that tackles multiple surfaces and is easy to use.

"Pronto has a beautifully unique design that can be displayed in the kitchen and also is a multitasking cleaning tool. The stick component can be used on hard floors, carpeting, delicate area rugs, and stairs, and the removable handheld unit can be used for cleaning everything from upholstery and furniture to car interiors and kitchen countertops," said Sandlin.

Another vacuum designed with consumers in mind is the Oxygen3. It features a 360-degree design that makes the back of the vacuum as aesthetically appealing as the front, with a rear compartment that hides the onboard tools out of sight and ensures they will not get lost.

"In watching consumers clean, we realized that it's both the front and the back of the vacuum they're seeing, so we designed it to be appealing to the eye, but still serve a purpose," said Sandlin.

Oxygen3 also makes vacuuming simpler with its "optimum" light that glows a tranquil blue when all systems are running smoothly. When the vacuum's bag or filter needs changing, the "optimum" light is replaced by a red light indicating what action should be taken. And consumers never have to bend down with fingertip controls on the handle that turn the vacuum on and off and allow adjustment of the cleaning nozzle to transition from carpets to hard surfaces.

"Consumers' needs are constantly changing. Our job is to discover what those needs are through in-home research and design products to make consumers' lives easier and more enjoyable," said Sandlin.