This is a paid partnership in collaboration with Big Chill
If you could go back in time, which era/country would you land in? Being greedy, I’ve got a few but one of them would definitely be 50s/60s America. When being a teenager was cool, you could go bowling and not feel naff followed by huge milkshakes in a day-glo diner. There are so many design elements from that era that never really went out of fashion and as US brand Big Chill launches into the UK market, there is if anything a growing appetite for bold colours and retro styles.
So just who are Big Chill? Founded in the US in 2001, co-founder Orion Creamer shared his passion for a unique decorating style as a student at their recent launch event as part of Focus19 at the Chelsea Design Centre. He would salvage vintage-style fridge doors and use them to decorate the walls of his apartment – certainly not something you see every day.
Encouraged by this love of 50s Americana, he founded the company with his uncle Thom Vernon based on a desire to give the everyday refrigerator a stylish yet vintage inspired update. We’re so used to wanting to hide appliances away either in cupboards or via integration but why can’t we use them to showcase our personalities, as a style statement in their own right?
Hearing from Migle Gre, interior designer for Christopher Peacock, she stated that the kitchen isn’t just the kitchen anymore, rather an extension of the other rooms in our home. And award winning blogger, Lisa Dawson who was also on the panel, furthered that by saying that if we love to dress shelves and hang art in our living rooms, hallways and bedrooms, we should be able to do the same with our kitchens. Yes they need to be a practical space of course but they can also be injected with warmth and finishing touches.
It’s interesting to consider the differences between US and European or even specifically British interior design. I would argue that when I watch US-based home and interiors programmes, the style can seem very traditional compared to what I’m used to seeing. Obviously they have a huge advantage in tending to have much bigger floorspace than our homes in most cases, which makes the Big Chill fridges an easy sell. However, Lisa explained that she sees so much of the same influences especially on social media that it’s only by looking to foreign markets and particularly the US that she can find alternative ideas.
Whilst it’s safe to say the Big Chill fridges wouldn’t fit in my teeny kitchen (rather, my teeny kitchen would fit inside the fridge!), they’re a real contender if you are in the market for a new appliance and have the space to accommodate. You could argue that cost may be prohibitive (they cost £2,995), however the capacity at 423 litres is hugely generous, they hold an A+ energy efficiency class and with powder coating and a steel frame are considerably more environmentally friendly than many other competitor models. Manufacture will take place in Europe for UK fridges so that they can be readily serviced if needed and don’t need to wait for delivery from the US
Currently on the UK market, 6 colours will be available – pink, blue, green, white, black and red which happens to be the most popular colour in California. One of my favourite colours that we saw on a slideshow (available in the US only for the timebeing) was what they described as red/beige – somewhere between a coral and pale pink, just gorgeous. It demonstrates that you could even have a relatively neutral kitchen but go all out on the statement fridge – the possibilities are endless. Sweetheart, I think we’re gonna need a bigger kitchen!
Thank you to Big Chill for inviting me to their UK launch event. As always, I only share brands and products I love and are in keeping with the themes of my blog.
Follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
