Some Cool Refrigerator Ideas (Pun Intended)

By Gale

I follow Houzz.com for some of the best ideas for inside and outside the house. One issue had a compelling article by Susan Serra, CKD about “Refrigerator Nation – Creative Built-In Ideas” She talked about how the refrigerator takes up so much room as the largest appliance in the kitchen. Yet her caption for this image notes “Dual refrigeration designed with a rectilinear motif to emulate the upper glass doors”.

In my wildest dreams, I would have two refrigerators dueling it out for space, but now that the family size has diminished, there seems to be no need for two. I do like the idea of disguising the refrigerator front so it does disappear. The problem with most refrigerators is that they do not come with a trim kit, which allows a panel that matches your cabinets to hide in place. Only at the very high end of the luxury refrigerators is this possible. What’s a regular person to do?

Log onto Frigo.com, a company that realizes you may not like stainless steel all the time and gives you the tools to change your mind. Their install-it-yourself panels come in a wide variety of options. I like the chalkboard alternative, but you may like their bright color panels or even the option to support your favorite sports team. These work for side-by side styles or top-mount refrigerators.

If you are really creative, Frigo has a clear plastic panel which could be transformed into a giant picture frame for all the current family photos. The cost for this runs from $300 to $500, and that is much less than buying a new refrigerator.

Alternative ideas are available at the CabinetDoorShop.com, TheKitchenSource.com (they stock chalkboard panels for both dishwashers and refrigerators and Vincon.com. The latter has removable decorative panels on magnets, which sound like fun.

One last alternative is to paint the front of your refrigerator. Buy paint that is specially formulated to be used on appliances. You need to purchase appliance paint because it is designed to hold up to heat and cold without cracking and peeling. This may be called a specialty appliance epoxy. This type of paint is available as a spray type or in a can where you use a brush to apply it. Before you start to paint, clean the outside door thoroughly in order for the paint to adhere to the surface. Practice before you start to apply the paint to make sure you have the technique down pat.