Refrigerator Shopping

Fridgidaire ad from 1965

My guy and I are currently shopping for a refrigerator for our new home. We're looking for an Energy Star compliant fridge but we're on a budget and we can't afford the lovely updated vintage style appliances available at Big Chill.

We've been disappointed with the limited options available at local retail outlets. We're forced to choose between white, beige, black or faux stainless steel refrigerators which are the only color options available in our price range. The lack of functional and appealing design combined with the lack of color options makes the experience of buying a refrigerator a frustrating experience and it's also limited our kitchen renovation plans.

In an effort to expand our options we've been looking at DIY refrigerator panels made by Frigo Design. They offer a variety of color finishes but most of them are really bold and bright primary colors without much subtly. In other words, they don't really have what we're looking for and the panels are not cheap.

Westinghouse used to be a leading manufacturer of home appliances and in 1968 they were incredibly forward thinking. Below is a commercial I found on Youtube for their "Match Your Mood" refrigerator panel options that allowed buyers to customize their home refrigerators to match any mood or environment. I really wish some smart company offered a similar option today.

Kitchens (1960-65)

This week I thought I'd continue my visual history of mid-century interior design and focus on the early '60s (1960-65).

The swinging '60s is my favorite decade mainly due to the films, music, art and cultural revolution that took place but I also love '60s design. Here's some examples of fabulous '60s era kitchens borrowed from old magazines.

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

If you'd like to see more pictures of late mid-century kitchens please see my '60s Kitchen Flickr Gallery.

Tomorrow... '60s bathrooms!

Kitchens (1956-59)

Today I'm posting some images of mid-century kitchens from 1956-59. As I've mentioned before, kitchens are one of my favorite rooms in any home and I love these designs. Hope you enjoy them to.

1956






1957





1958






1959





If you would like to see more images of mid-century kitchens from 1956-59 you can find them in my Flickr gallery. Tomorrow I'll be sharing images of bedrooms & livingrooms.

Early '50s Kitchen (1950-55)

This is a collection of images featuring kitchens from the early '50s (1950-55). All this week I'll be sharing images of early interior design from 1950-1955 here so if you're interested in the early half of the '50s check back often!

1950





1951





1952





1953







1954







1955







If you'd like to see more early '50s kitchens you'll find them in my Flickr Gallery.

Tomorrow, early '50s Bathrooms!

'40s Kitchens

This is a collection of images featuring kitchens from the '40s that I've recently scanned from old magazines. All this week I'll be featuring late '40s interior design here so if you're interested in the early half of the mid-century (roughly 1945-49) check back often!

Some of these kitchen designs are really neat and I love the occasional bold use of color (they sure loved green, blue and yellow!).'40s kitchens often seem to have a very cozy feel to them that I can appreciate.

1945





1946





1947





1948





1949





If you'd like to see more '40s kitchens you'll find them in my Flickr Gallery.

Tomorrow, '40s Bathrooms!