That Kelvinator is keen...

Continuing with my online shopping spree, I love the simple design of these refrigerator magnets from Up To You.

They're basically just little leaves with magnets.

Nuff said.
But at $2.50 CAD a pop, me thinks a trip to the craft store for some supplies might be a little bit cheaper.

* * *

When you think about it, isn't the fridge one of the most boring appliances in the kitchen? They really are space-hogging eyesores, hidden beneath a cloak of doodled construction paper and report cards.

That is, unless, you've got some of these gems. I'm happy to see that classic is making a comeback.

My shopping spree continues...

The Boretti M-System Bombatino (€ 1.090)
This one's a coin flip. I can't figure out if I want the red Bombatino or the green Doppio. Both are wonderful Italian designs and excellent substitutions for those that can't afford a Ferrari, but want to spoil their beer.
The Aga Cordon Bleu Larder Refrigerator (price unspecified)
The fact that you can "test drive" these refrigerators before you buy them says something about their speculated price range, but no one can deny their good looks. And you want to talk about cradle to cradle, Aga is currently developing a system in which to operate their ranges on biofuels. So basically you could cook bacon, drain the grease into the stove, and then cook more bacon using the drained grease...or something like that.

Big Chill's Beach Cruiser Series (starting at $3500)
One of my personal favorite companies, Big Chill, specializes in the ultra ultra classic. With a wiiiiiiide arrange of colors to match your retro kitchen needs, Big Chill's refrigerators are just a couple of wings short of being mistaken for a T-bird. And why stop at just the fridge when you can have a matching oven? ($3700 and up)

Too plain? Then upgrade to their Lichtenstein-inspired architectural series.
Gorenje Retro Refrigerator (around $1000)
This UK-based company makes a retro model at a surprisingly low cost. A quick google-shop showed many different models hovering around the $1K price point. At that price, if it's big enough to hold a keg I'll need to add it to my man cave wish list.


The Bosch Classic Edition (price unspecified)
I'm really digging the stainless steel on black. This design came out around 2001 and won many awards, but I can't seem to find any for sale. If Sinatra had a fridge, this would be it.

Not only is the design great on the outside...

...but inside, as well. Ring-a-ding-ding.

And last but not least...

Classic Refrigerator.com (prices vary)
These guys were my original inspiration for a refrigerator/design post. If you want any of the aforementioned designs but claim yourself to be a purist, then you've found the right place.


The people at Classic Fridge actually restore old units into like-new chrome and steel beasts, living and breathing like the day they were born. Even the old names of the refrigerators sound great: Philco, Crosley Shelvador, Kelvinator.

I'm just wondering if you could update the old refrigerators with new technology, because while the designs are classic, their electric usage could use an update.

More communion, please....

Thisplaceis has an interesting post on sacred spaces. I found it interesting because my firm is currently prepping for our annual Principals' Meeting, a portion of which will be held at the recently opened Bar of Modern Art in Columbus, and I've always wondered about that rehab.


Developer Gary Gitlitz turned BoMA from an historic Baptist church into a bar/nightclub/100-seat dining room. Funny thing is....this is the Midwest....so I was fairly surprised when only I seemed to have reservations about the church-turned-into-house-o-sin metamorphosis.

Shin-pei Tsay, one of three contributors at Thisplaceis, brought up a location in New York that curbed my misgivings about sacred spaces in general (he also talked about absinthe, which gave me an instant flashback hangover). It's the New York City Marble Cemetery, a liger-like combination of somber reflection and socializing. Monday through Thursday it's your typical cemetery, but Friday through Sunday it's encouraged to be used as a park.

In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that I believe that burial, in itself, is a selfish act. To me, it signifies a desperate grab at immortality by peeing on a tree and claiming it yours for all of eternity...or in this case a 6' x 4' plot of land. As a result, I'm now torn on these Eco-Cemeteries that appear to be popping up (or down) all over the place.

Anyway, so while I'm not planning on holding a burial after my party is busted God's police, I do, however, retain a large amount of respect for the land the ground-sleepers have chosen as their final resting place (lack of couth with terms like ground-sleepers notwithstanding).

To each their own...may their God/next life treat them well.

So prior to this I had never considered the notion that a place like a cemetery could be predispositioned as a shared-use space. Although the New York Marble Cemetery had (apparently) evolved into its shared-usedness (my word), why not make them into places of gathering/celebration/familia.

Likewise, is there really a problem with a church-turned-nightclub conversion if the conversion, when finished, is done tastefully, without disrespect to the prior history of that space? Although some might argue that a bar-conversion for a Baptist church like BoMA might not be the best renovation possible, the end result is, in all honesty, quite nice. And isn't a church intended for celebration?

Thoughts? Sacrilege or preservation?

Check out thisspaceis for pictures of the New York Marble Cemetery.