Our £41k fridge uses Nasa technology and holds 150 wine bottles
KAREn JACKson, 34, works in education and lives in Great Baddow, Essex, with her husband Anthony, 41, owner of Arthur Anthony interiors, plus their sons Arthur 11, and Woody, six. she says:
OUR six-bedroom detached house is only 12 years old, but three years ago we did a £135,000 refurbishment so we could have the kitchen of our dreams. I reasoned it would be foolish not to tap into my husband’s expertise as a luxury kitchen designer. I wanted lots of storage that would also look attractive, including the refrigeration. A fridge wall seemed the perfect solution. We paid £41,000 for our luxury Sub-Zero fridge, freezer and wine cooler, which even includes a solid oak humidor — a humiditycontrolled box for storing cigars. While it was hugely expensive — and at 2.59m wide it dominates the kitchen — we see it as a great investment. It features some incredible space-age Nasa technology, including temperature regulation and an air purification system which filters out bacteria and the ethylene gases produced by food as it ages. This means that food remains fresher for longer, particularly salads, veg and soft fruits, so we generate significantly less waste than we used to and rarely have to throw things away. The shelves are a shallower depth than normal, so things never get pushed to the back and forgotten. Meanwhile, our wine cooler can hold up to 150 bottles and has two separate sections, each of them with their own temperature zones so that red and white wine can be stored at the same time. There’s also another section for champagne. And in the middle of the wine cooler is the humidor where we store a few cigars to offer to guests if we’re entertaining. I did worry that the stainless steel doors may be a nightmare to keep clean, especially with two young sons who like to leave fingerprints everywhere. But they’re surprisingly easy to maintain and have never lost their sheen. It’s a good thing too, because Anthony is a stickler for everything being in its place and likes the fridges to look neat and tidy inside, too. He keeps his coffee in the fridge — we also have a lovely Wolf coffee machine in our bespoke drinks pantry — and we both love chocolate so there’s usually a stash lurking inside. Every morning when I go downstairs, and I see the stunning clean lines of the stainless steel doors contrasting with the bespoke oak furniture made by Royal Warrant holders Stoneham, I know getting a fridge wall was the right decision.