Splurge

Posted on Thu, 28 Jan 2016 by KiM

Yesterday was a veeeeeery long day. I’m actually writing this last night after many hours of work and then many hours of dealing with a delivery of immense proportions. Having decent appliances is very important to me. On day 2 in our current house we bought a new washing machine because I was horrified at the age and condition of the machine that came with the place. The fridge and stove are another bone of contention. The stove is a cheap electric annoyance that takes forever to get the burners going (typical). The fridge was about as cheap as they come these days and one of the plastic shelves cracked after a couple of months in. I will even share a before photo taken not long after we moved in.

The other day I decided I had enough and the husband and I went to our favourite appliance store and picked out a new fridge, similar to the one I had bought when I renovated my last kitchen. 7 years later Fisher & Paykel appears to continue to be one of the few brands that sells streamlined, minimalist fridges that doesn’t cost a second mortgage. We went with a French door style (still not sure I’m into this but we’ll see) with water/ice dispenser and freezer drawer on the bottom.

I swear I wanted to burst into tears of delight when we pushed the fridge back and it fit PERFECTLY into the ridiculous alcove that a former owner built on the back porch. (That’s how small my kitchen is – it doesn’t even fit a fridge so it was relegated to the porch). We had a little hiccup when we plugged it in after 2 hours and tried sliding it back into place but couldn’t because the outlet was on the right side and the plug stuck out too much. Luckily I have a very handy husband who took off to the hardware store and came back with an inset outlet that worked like a charm. OMG I am dying over a freaking fridge! I LOOOVE IT!!! I cannot recommend Fish & Paykel fridges enough. Not only are they sweet looking on the outside, they are all counter-deep and have thin glass shelves. THIN! GLASS! SHELVES!

Sorry the photos are crap but it was late and all I could manage. In a couple of weeks our tile guy is FINALLY showing up to install the flooring in here and in the foyer and vestibule, and my little backsplash and fireplace tile. So once that’s done and we hopefully get gas hookup for the Jenn-Air range we found on Kijiji for $300 I will be able to take proper photos of the kitchen. As you can see, I went dark blue. More details on that to come. Now I need to get some sleep.

Jes says:

Nice choice on the fridge! We have the same one, but without the water dispenser, and we love it! I have a major beef with curved fronts on fridges, and like you was not looking to take out a second mortgage for a fridge. It's worked great and looks fantastic. We often get compliments on it.

Ruth says:

LOVE it! Just snipped that little brandname for my own wishlist, thank you. I'm curious where the garbage bin went… And I love the "before and after" kitties, too.

Ruth says:

oops. I see the garbage bin now. You tucked it back a bit against the counter.

KiM says:

@Axie – i don't even do the cooking anymore and I'm dying over this fridge 🙂
@Jes – we missed our last Fisher & Pakel so much. so glad to have one back in our lives.
@Ruth – we have to figure out how to deal with that corner. Ideally it needs to house the recycling bin (now an apple picking basket), a decent looking garbage can (that one is all broken at the bottom so we need to replace it eventually) and something for the cats to hop onto so they can launch themselves on the counter. I'm hoping my husband can maybe make us something out of wood for the recycling/cat step so it will all fit perfectly. The fridge is wider now so we have less room there. My beloved black leather Eames chair (swapped out the yellow since that first pic) needs to find a new room now.

Ruth says:

Kim, a client installed a salvaged potato bin for her recycling. Maybe something like that would work?
http://www.marcusdipietro.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=4&p=1

Axie says:

My beloved black leather Eames chair (swapped out the yellow since that first pic) needs to find a new room now.

Wishful thinking maybe, but my heart stepped up the pace a bit when I thought I read "needs to find a new home now." 🙂

ombia says:

Now i have to wonder what kind of shelves other fridge types have?
I always had glass, even when buying on a budget. Didn't know it could be a special.
Great fridge. Huge.
Would fit to a 7-persons-household in Europe.
Which energy level would it be? We have letters, I think you have stars.
For the garbage, maybe something like this?
http://tinyurl.com/cbaexl/I/41Kg3wJ7XuL._SY355_.jpg

I am shocked how much Liebherr or Miele cost overseas.

Emma Yates says:

F&P are a nz family company – so great to see they are in Canada! They use to be made here in NZ too but now overseas….we have one of their fridges too and my parents had a washing machine that lasted 20 years!

emma

KiM says:

@Ruth – that potato bin is awesome. Coincidentally I had told my husband a bin that opened forward (like that) would be perfect

figandthewasp says:

We have that model without the water dispenser as well. Absolutely love it! Nice to find a fridge with nice clean lines that's affordable!

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