A couple sits down at a meeting with their kitchen designer. The wife retrieves a sleek faucet from her handbag, looks at her husband, turns to the designer and then says, “Design a kitchen around this.”

Remember that commercial? The camera pans to the opposite side of the conference table and the commercial ends showing the designer with a puzzled expression on his face.

I had the same experience with a client who was in the process of a kitchen face lift project. She and her husband were no strangers to the renovation process, but needed a few ideas on incorporating a design element she’s always wanted–a candy apple red Big Chill Refrigerator.

[quote]”Design a kitchen around a throwback ‘fridge,” I asked.”It would be my pleasure!”[/quote]

It was a refreshing challenge and a welcomed departure from the stainless steel appliance craze. Eye-popping refrigerators, without a doubt, make a delicious statement in any kitchen. Wouldn’t you agree?

Here are three concepts I presented to clients using a kitchen elevation drawing of the wall where the new refrigerator would be installed:

Option #1: RUSTIC MODERN

The addition of reclaimed wood floating shelves bring an element of warmth into the kitchen and balances the coolness of their existing stainless steel appliances. Wood also provides another layer of interest in lieu of introducing another color. The Cherry Red “Big Chill” shares the spotlight as ‘statement piece’ along with the red high gloss built-in cabinetry (also proposed, but not shown in this drawing.)

Option #2: RETRO CONTEMPORARY

A combination of upper cabinets and floating shelves provides them with an attractive option for even more storage. Glass doors on the upper cabinets allow for closed storage without the visual weight of a solid door. Floating shelves fill in the balance of the wall and allow space for colorful kitschy décor accents.

Option #3: RETRO MODERN

A series of base cabinets and one upper cabinet keeps this kitchen elevation pretty minimal and clear of potential clutter. However, there’s room to have a bit of fun with some retro metal signage. When they tire of this look, they can replace the wall art with framed photos or other décor items for a different theme.

Which option do you think they chose? Would you be brave enough to add a major appliance with confectionery appeal?

sources: 1 / 2 / 3