In a twist on one of my ongoing "What's in your fridge?" columns, where we take a journey through the shelves of some poor sot's... I mean some interesting character's fridge, I tip the idea on its head and ask this: what is your fridge?
It all stems from an intriguing package I received in the mail recently from a loyal reader. No, it wasn't my mom and, yes, Canada Post still matters, and not just to pensioners who are mailed their cheques, despite tweets and digital chatter to the contrary.
After reading my latest "What's in your fridge?" column that featured the "what-the-hell fridge" of Grant and Hilarie Cousar - an intrusive thing partially covered in green wood panelling that protrudes into their kitchen like a monolith, causing friends to comment, what the hell...? - Jean-Louis Brussac of Coquitlam, also known as JL, bundled up a bunch of photos of kitchens from around the world along with a nice letter. JL, who is a long-time visitor to Whistler and a regular reader of Pique Newsmagazine , had such a cool take on things, I phoned him for a chat, too.
Ever since he was a kid drawing houses, both interior and exterior spaces, JL has spent his whole life thinking about homes and how we use them; what works and what doesn't. He regularly visits real estate open houses, and has also worked in the Dordogne region of France, building and renovating homes.
"I enjoy reading your column," he started off in his letter, which, of course, got my attention, "even though I'm not much of a cook..." which grabbed it even more because my food column is dedicated to people who aren't cooks, and lord knows there are millions of us.
"But what made me laugh," he went on, "was the mention of the monster fridge with doors covered by wood panels matching the kitchen cupboards."
JL went on to explain that he is originally from Europe - Bordeaux, actually - where it's common to hide fridges with panelling that matches the kitchen cupboards. This creates an interesting effect: instead of the fridge dominating the room, as is so common in Canadian kitchens, the most visually arresting thing is the oven - the "hearth," that ancient archetype, symbol of all things warm and comforting.
"This [covering the fridge] is especially pleasing to homeowners who like a minimalist style or those at the other end of the style scale, who are nostalgic for their grandparents' kitchens," he writes. "There is no such thing as the style of the year, no matter what the designers try to flog.
"Unlike in B.C., where it seems that every condo and/or single family home built by company X has the same kitchen and bathroom, etc. as everyone else that year, in Europe, Australia and Japan etc. people still have lots of choices."
To whit, JL enclosed photos of fridges and kitchens from European and Japanese magazines to prove same. (To be clear, Grant Cousar and I were having a bit of fun with his fridge, not necessarily decrying the idea of panelling, per se, but the nature and colour of his and the way in which his "monster" fridge stuck out into the room.)
For starters, let's look at one of JL's photos, one of a fridge made by Sharp in Japan. Picture a fridge as tall as you, or a bit taller, and almost the same width as your shoulders; a fridge every bit as versatile and handy as you are on your handiest, most versatile day.
The whole fridge has an elegant presence: it's only 24 inches wide and 24 inches deep so it sits flush with counters and cabinets in most apartments. On the top is a door accessing what we would normally think of as the actual refrigerator part with shelves. This takes up only about half the fridge.
Below that sits a big drawer - the chiller or cooler, which you can program to a different temperature than the main fridge. Below that are two smaller drawers you can also program individually for fruits and vegetables or whatever. Below these is a fourth drawer - the freezer.
Note that none of these drawers are covered or hidden by a door you have to open first to access them. Think about that for a minute, and this is exactly what JL wants us to do, think about things critically, look for new ideas. Wouldn't it be nice, when you want a slice of ham, say, or some lettuce for your sandwich, if you didn't first have to open the whole darn fridge door, letting out all the cold air, just to get one or two measly items?
Many European models are also like this Sharp fridge with separate drawers, but here's the real enchilada: the Sharp fridge door - the door on top - has two handles, one on the left and one on the right, so you can open it from either side, anytime, depending on which side of the fridge you happen to be standing on.
That's right, a dual opening system - what a concept! Imagine how handy that would be in a galley kitchen where an open fridge door blocks the whole space.
How does it work?
"I don't know!" JL laughs. "Every time I go to Japan I go to an appliance store that has a Sharp fridge and I study it. You can see the hinge is on both sides, but how they move from one to the other, I don't know."
And here's another brave new idea that came about when JL and his fellow dwellers designed the kitchens for their new co-op housing project when it was being built in Vancouver.
They all agreed that the preferred kitchen design was the one usually used for people who are physically challenged. The sink, fridge and stove are all in a line, rather than at right angles or across from each other, to minimize inefficiencies, such as carrying a bowl of dripping, freshly washed vegetables across the aisle to a pot on the stove.
"When you look at a modern kitchen here in a brand-new condo, the fridge is so bulky and sticks out from the elements, the stove is so bulky and sticks out from the elements, and the layout is usually not at all practical," says JL. "And it's so strange!"
I agree. Strange is good, just not in a kitchen.
Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning freelance writer who welcomes your new ideas: glendabartosh.ca.
