Sometimes don't you just think you'll fall asleep if you see another stainless steel kitchen appliance? Of course the greatest threat of such an acute and décor-triggered case of narcolepsy is hitting one's head on an equally ubiquitous granite counter top. Last month I had to replace my old refrigerator and found the choices wanting: black or white (which apparently in any other form I love) and of course good old stainless steel. It brought to mind the Eighties when I thought it was beyond stylish to have commercial grade stainless in the kitchen, especially glass-doored refrigeration units. Clearly a far cry from the dulled-silver hell that constitutes the American middle class kitchen of today.
Of course what I really wanted was a mustard yellow fridge: please do think sunny Provence and please do not think Harvest Gold - although we did just watch Super 8 and were charmed to see its inclusion in the period kitchen sets. (Still, I am short
a macramé owl hanging to really pull it off...) What I actually did end up getting was yet another stainless steel model - because, simply, neither black nor white worked with the existent scheme and the last thing I wanted to do was initiate a domino chain of kitchen redecorating. Stainless steel really is nothing if not neutral. Yawn...
I guess I just didn't know that what I really ought to have done was this: travel back in time and pick myself up a "Match Your Mood" number from Westinghouse!
I hope you enjoy this most compelling promotional film, one that vividly illustrates the decorative benefits of the company's "Complete Refrigerator," circa the late Sixties. You'll see it starts off slow and moody as Young Mrs. Homemaker contemplates the winter landscape. But then, like all groovy things, the electric organ kicks in. And although it's not documented in the film, perhaps she's paid a call to her M.D. on the way home, since from the looks of her abrupt bout of uncontrolled shake dancing and home decorating, I myself am led to believe she's just gotten a needle of B12 and speed in her butt. And then soon enough everyone's joining the party. You will have, too, before all is said and (re)done...
Well, it's a terrific blast from the past - great visual and musical fun. But on a realistic note, it's a good reminder of what Interior Design can and should be: a world of stimulating customization, a world of expression and license. Face it, no one gets into the trade for the thrill of spec'ing one of three standardized finishes. And I think this is one of the reasons I am so often keen on Sixties design - it really oozes optimism, possibility, and a certain kind of freshness and freedom - virtues which are always in style, if you ask me. And there's something that's definitely out for 2012, and that's neutrality.
And as a matter of fact, I really do want a Mrs. Robinson zebra-striped fridge to match my Mrs. Robinson zebra-striped shift. More than you know...
Enjoy! xo
Westinghouse ... "The Complete Refrigerator"
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