DESIGN
WHY EVERY HOME SHOULD HAVE A…
Each month, the HB team picks a design classic that we think you’ll love forever – this time, our style and interiors editor James Cunningham is chilling out
ICON
The design icon: The FAB retro-style refrigerator by Italian home appliance manufacturer Smeg. Who designed it: The piece was a collaborative effort by the brand’s in-house creative team. When & how: After a conversation between Smeg’s then-CEO and his son, designers set to work and the fridge launched in 1997.
WHY WE LOVE IT
Smeg is a family business where ideas are listened to. In the mid-1990s, Vittorio Bertazzoni (the brand’s current CEO and son of Roberto, the then-CEO) became obsessed with American design from the 1950s. His interest was sparked when a friend began importing old petrol pumps, retro furniture and automobile memorabilia to Italy from the US, and he suggested to his father the idea of a fridge in this Americana style. Roberto Bertazzoni didn’t need much convincing and set his design team to work. They were inspired by the chunky forms and streamlined chrome detailing prevalent in the era, and took their colour cues from the pastel shades of cars including the classic Cadillac. This research gives the fridge some serious design credentials that have clearly paid off – if you were to travel back in time to the 1950s and visit a diner in any American town, the FAB would fit right in beside the curved bar and checkerboard floor.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT FOREVER
While many people use cabinetry to conceal their dishwashers, washing machines and fridges, this is one a
