Put the kitsch back into the kitchen

March 22nd, 2012

For fun’s sake, old is new – and delicious – again in the kitchen.

Cooking like a master chef doesn’t mean you have to make meals in a monotone, industrial looking kitchen.

All that stainless steel can be so serious, so boring! If cooking is a creative art you might be inadvertantly dulling your culinary craft.

What better way to get your creative mojo flowing than with a playful, fanciful kitchen.

A whimsical toaster perhaps, or a fabulous looking fridge will infinitely improve an otherwise sensible kitchen.

Pretty in pink, a Smeg dishwasher

You don’t need to go down to your local Salvos or Vinnies to pick up a quirky appliance. You don’t even need an appliance!

Checkered floors or benches, funky chairs and tabletops will add pizazz. Or try retro dishware, this you can pick up super cheap and authentic at an op-shop.

If you do opt for a bit of adventure, and if you think that your cooking is only as good as your appliances, then here are a few ideas.

Smeg and Morphy Richards are two brands that first come to mind.

They have invested in producing not only good looking, retro appliances, both large and small, but real quality appliances, too.

Morphy Richards have an Accents range with berry blue, cherry red and forest green retro-styled toasters and kettles.

While Smeg has a variety of colours including, blue, green, red and pink for their fridges, ovens and dishwashers.

Nespresso also has a curious looking Pixie coffee machine in a variety of colours.

Lots of other small appliance makers have bright pieces such as blenders and mixers.

Keri Algar

Having once had to sit on the washing machine to stop it from bouncing into oblivion, Keri is today delighted with the new (smoother running) technologies that make housework easier every day. A self-confessed lazy-bones, Keri seeks out quirky inventions that ease the human workload, such as the robotic vacuum cleaner (wow). And as soon as someone figures out a Jetsons-like self-cleaning house, she will happily lay her pen to rest and retire from appliance journalism. Until then, her pick is a fridge that will tell her smartphone when it's time to pick up more beer on the way home. Magic.