Hello friends! It is no secret we have to live within a budget. So last year when our refrigerator died a slow, painful death, I had to find one that fit in our budget, but also one that would function for us as a family.
Add to that supply chain issues and availability, my choices were pretty slim. While you all know I don’t really like stainless steel, the best option I had was the LG bottom freezer/refrigerator I found at Lowes.
Turns out, this is the top-rated bottom freezer refrigerator, so I’m happy with that. There was nothing available in black, or slate, which I love, and white has never been an option. More on that later.
We still have the black stove and dishwasher, and I have always preferred black, but the search online for a fridge sure opened up options I’d never thought of.
I’ve always loved the look of vintage-style appliances, remembering the ads in magazines in the 1990s – can’t remember the name, but they looked like wood stoves, and were electric or gas. Maybe one of you can jog my memory!
Of course now there are many manufacturers of vintage-look appliances including Big Chill, Elmira Stoveworks, Unique Appliances and some other lesser-known brands.
I love everything from the wood-stove inspired looks to the 1950s looks and would love to have any of these in my kitchen.
At Elmira Stove Works, you can design your own kitchen picking out appliances, and here is how mine would look in the Antique line, minus my grey cabinet color. Of course the price tag for this package is $28,425.00.
My favorite option is the Northstar line of 1950s-inspired appliances, and in the Bisque color, my package would be around $14,825. So this is about as close to white appliances as I would get, and when I saw these in the vacation home kitchen of Jillian Harris, I fell in love with this color and vintage look. (**Click on link to see photos)
Here are the same appliances using the “Let’s Create Your Dream Kitchen” option.
These come in so many wonderful colors, and I for one am so happy to see something besides white, stainless or black.
I also love the Classic Collection at Big Chill, and they offer several beautiful colors as well.
The Retro Collection is my favorite, and look at all the colors!
If only I had the pink appliances my grandmother installed in her new 1960 kitchen!! The aluminum-edged countertops were also pink. And, in case you’re wondering why the stove is not centered, after a contractor mistake, they did cut out the bank of drawers to the right of the stove in this photo so it was centered in the cabinetry.
My parents do, however, still have grandmother’s wood stove from the old house, back right in this photo, so that treasure is still in the family as well as a very similar refrigerator☺️
These are just a few of my favorite vintage and retro-style appliances out there, and I know there are a few others as well.
These are not budget-friendly appliances, though, but having these kinds of options seems to be a growing trend.
Personally, I love the look of a vintage kitchen, and would LOVE to have the option of any of these over typical modern appliances available. It seems more and more are opting out of stainless steel and choosing different colors and styles, which reminds me of the avocado green appliances my mother had in the 1970s. I honestly loved them, and she almost bought a vintage model to use for canning I had found on marketplace. The vintage ones seem to sell pretty quickly as well and seem to be trending in many homes.
In any case, besides the functionality, appliances can really make a difference in the look and feel of a kitchen, so choosing wisely and for the future is important with such a big investment.
I’m curious what y’all like and what you have in your own kitchens. Would you buy any of these options above, and which ones? Be sure to let me know in the comments below!
Your new refrigerator looks great!! I prefer a 1950s kitchy kitchen in all red and white with a black and white tile floor. My favorite kitchen pieces would be the 1950s table and chairs. Don’t have any of it, just like it! I do love that candy red stove you show on the blog! Too bad it wouldn’t work here!
Author
Thanks Linda!! I too love a 1950s kitchen and have a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to 50s kitchens☺️ I especially love the pink and blue color appliances from back then, but really just love the whole style in any color☺️
Good morning Antia, You would of loved my kitchen in my last house. The only appliance you saw was my 1926 gas stove that I had to lit with a match. Everything else was built in to wainscot cabinets. The “ island” was an old store counter and my “ cabinets “ were old furniture like a 1860 stepback and a pie safe etc. Lighting was 1800’s oil lamps.
You can check it out @ hubcaphouse.blogspot.com
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Ah yes that sounds absolutely perfect❤️❤️❤️
I also love the vintage look appliances but sadly they are way out of my budget. I am not a stainless person either. I love black appliances. Right now I have the slate appliances by GE and I do like them. They do not show the fingerprints like stainless and have a matte finish. My mom also had the avocado appliances in our 1970s kitchen. I remember my Aunt’s neighbor had the turquoise appliances in her kitchen and I loved them. Your new fridge is nice.
Author
I do love the slate too!! Especially the finish. Luckily, my fridge does not show fingerprints so I’m very happy about that. If slate had been available here I’d definitely have gotten it because it would have been perfect with my cabinetry☺️
All beautiful but I adore that robin egg blue stove and the matching fridge. Velma Plemmons had that color in here entire kitchen long ago
I also loved the pink when the house was built. I still have the pink in the bathroom and it is still beautiful after all these years
Author
I love the blue too! The pink bathroom fixtures are worth a fortune for preservationists so thank goodness you still have them, and I wish you still had the sink☺️☺️
Hello Anita,
My favorite would be the Retro Robin egg color. I love red too. When i first got married we rented a home with the green avocado appliances. The bathroom had the matching colors as well. I hated it back then. Lol.
We moved again and went to Gold with orange shag carpet! Guess I’m really dating myself now.
As a little girl, I remember my grandmother had a new home built and put in baby blue bathroom pieces with pink tile. That was interesting!
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I love the blue too!! In fact, my kitchen was painted a blue shade from the old house here about 7-8 years ago, and I have thought about using that shade again. I’m also finding myself loving the green shag and avocado appliances my mother had too☺️ There was something so warm and happy about those 1970s colors for sure. My grandmother had the pink, so I’ve always loved those blue and pink colors as well☺️☺️
I think your new fridge looks lovely. It’s plain front gives it a vintage classy look. Thank goodness it doesn’t have those water features in the door. I had to get stainless for my vintage kitchen for the same reason. But they are plain so they blend right in allowing my vintage cabinets to take center stage. I love your home filled with vintage and antique memories. Comfy yet classy. You did good, girl! Love from a Christian sister in Michigan
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Thank you so much Lin!! Yes, I specifically didn’t want the water and ice in the front for just that reason☺️☺️
I appreciate your kind words so very much☺️☺️
Your new fridge looks great. I wish I could build a new kitchen in an old world style with a Lacanche range from France–in my favorite French blue of course. Marble countertops and built in fridge and dishwasher with wood cabinet doors.
Author
Oh that sounds wonderful!! I agree too – I originally wanted marble, but the cost was so high, and even quartz was high so we made our wormy chestnut counters☺️