An Airbnb-Inspired Fridge Obsession
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Hello there! Have you ever stayed an an Airbnb and obsessed over the fridges (or maybe even just online like I do)? It only took about two days after we purchased the Beach Cabin for the decision to be made that a Retro Fridge was a must for our on-the-small-side kitchen. While I took a minor break from refrigerator shopping to choose cabinet colors and paint them, my mind quickly returned to obsessing over the fridge.
For almost 6 months now (correction: close to a year) , I have had my heart set on a Retro Fridge. The problem- they are a bit costly. However, we did plan for it by doing cost-effective butcher’s block, painting the cabinets ourselves, installing cabinet pulls from Lowe’s, and using basic subway tile on one and a half of the walls only. Nonetheless, the Dutch girl in me kicks in and I feel guilty about drooling over such a nice fridge.
I went to a local kitchen design store that came highly recommended to check out the mid-size SMEG (if you are a local West Michigan reader, I was incredibly impressed with Lifestyle Kitchen Studio and would also definitely and highly recommend them) . It was wonderful to work with someone local without all of the hidden processing and shipping and handling fees. Everyone at Lifestyle Kitchen Studio was incredibly responsive, positive (even when heaving that heavy fridge up at least 20 steps), helpful, and had great insight and style. So, that is my soap box. If you are local and in the market for a SMEG, go to Lifestyle Kitchens Studio. [If you live in a place that does not have a local SMEG retailer, they are also available here. And Big Chill fridges can be purchased here. Or you can find the smaller Daewoo fridge here.] But back to our fridge process…
We had been debating the mid-size fridge because it isn’t counter depth, and we are also biased toward counter-depth refrigerators. However, if we wanted the counter-depth one, the price was even higher… And, since it is summer in Michigan and there are Farmer’s Markets almost every day of the week, I figure a smaller fridge will encourage us to eat local and fresh. The ice box is large enough for some popsicles and ice cream sandwiches so we don’t have to give up our summer sweets either. We will likely be purchasing a smaller fridge (retro also) for the entry level for juice boxes and adult beverages to grab on our way out the door to the beach.
Before I reveal my new love, let me show you some of the inspiration photos that only fanned the preoccupation with a Retro Refrigerator and all played a major role in our final decision making… Many thanks to @smeguk, @coralhouseharbourisland (a beautiful Aibnb rental here) and @sugarhousehomestead!
Without further ado, here she is…
My husband even accused me of loving the fridge more than him when I texted him right after it was delivered- haha!
And just so you get get an overall idea of the layout of the kitchen, here is one more photo. Once we have it styled a bit more and finish up with some wall art, I’ll have a post of the before/after of the kitchen.
Side note: @sugarhousehomestead has a book! It is all about their DIY of an old airstream. Check out the book here and their Instagram here. It looks amazing!
2 Comments
Eva Contreras
Hi, Marta!!! Such an amazing transformation, love what you’ve done with the kitchen!!! I like the cabinet colors and the butcher block … and that SMEG looks fantastic! I can totally understand why you obsessed over it 🙂
Mackinaw Road
Thank you so much, Eva! It was so fun to work on over the winter and to enjoy now that the nice weather has finally come back 🙂