A 1950's Fridge gets restored to provide weather and dust proof storage outdoors

[RococoPop]

At the end of May my husband and I launched a major overhaul of our garden and patio area. A lot of work went into the 9 week project as we reclaimed, reused, and recycled vintage furniture to suit our needs. This 1950's fridge is one of my proudest endeavors. I think it's a fun & funky  way to provide proper storage for my tableware and linens that I use in the out of doors.

Before being revitalized



Fortunately only the cabinet showed any signs of wear or weather. The inside of the fridge was pristine and complete.



Here are pics of my husband removing the rust, priming and painting the cabinet.





After







And here's a view of the entire patio project - complete.





I diaried the complete Patio Reclamation Project and Garden Refreshment on TeamSugar if you're interested. Really - It was so much work but I was so thrilled with the results that I couldn't help but submit it to CasaSugar's Summer Style Contest.  Even more exciting was the fact that I won one of two $500.00 Gift Cards to Crate and Barrel. Now I can't wait to go shopping!

Honestly, this is one of my grandest redesigns ever and we are so looking forward to next year when all we have to do is a bit of cleaning and mild sprucing to get our outdoor space ready for the summer.

[blushingbluegrass]

Congratulations! It looks amazing! I really love that fridge idea... It is the perfect idea to store things on hand.

[RococoPop]

Thanks so much BlushingBlueGrass. Over the course of 3 summers I was going crazy thinking about storage for this patio project. Then one day it hit me that a vintage fridge would be perfect because they are air and water tight. The problem was finding one in pristine and complete condition. Well - No sooner did I post a request on CraigsList when my husband called on his way home from the office. A lady had this thing sitting out on the street and she was really upset that the trash collectors wouldn't take it. She offered to pay us to take it away. Naturally, we refused her money because were so excited to find one in super condition. We also have a friend in the appliance business so we were able to properly dispose of the freon unit and have the motor recycled.

[mamafox]

FABULOUS!!!!!
The fridge alone earned that response...
the patio: no words!!!! 
great job!!

[Dawn Octopus]

Oh my gosh!!! You guys did a great job!


*THIS ROCKS*

[RococoPop]

Thanks so much! We're thrilled with it. Every night, after dinner, my husband goes out there and sits down and sighs, "I'm so happy we did this".  That makes it all worth it - really - because I had to displace a lot of his collected *stuff* and force him to store it or recycle it. That alone was a HUGE step forward.

[hyspirit]

wow, that looks super cool. How did you find all of that furniture?

[Suzanne84]

Wow this *ROCKS* You have done an amazing job. Well done!

[trashymeow]

The patio looks amazing!  I have always wanted a retro fridge, but knew it would hold enough food in my kitchen.  Now I am inspired to get one.  I just need to find a husband to refinish it for me...lol. 

[RococoPop]

wow, that looks super cool. How did you find all of that furniture?

Thanks so much hyspirit!
All of that furniture comes from various places. Except for the smoker, it's all authentic vintage that was reclaimed and resued.
The fridge was found on the street in Allentown, PA after the original owner could not dispose of it.
All of the rest of it was acquired at various auctions and most of it was a mess.
The little side table was given to me by someone who was goign to trash it. It didn't even have a top and it was a nasty-rusted mess.
For that I cut a piece of plywood, primed it, painted it, and sealed it, and fixed it to the frame with U-shaped clamps.
The dining table was the only thing purchased from an antique store. That too was a bit messy before I painted it and reupholstered the chairs