A wine fridge is an increasingly popular addition in many modern homes, and an absolute must for connoisseurs and collectors everywhere. While originally conceived as a functional, stainless steel appliance, the wine fridge has become a feature that can offer a lot more when it comes to design.
We spoke with Matthew Gerard, founder of Grand Cru Wine Fridges, for his views on modern wine fridges and how to pick one that enhances, not diminishes, a space.
Features of form and function
Good design is balanced by form and function, a sentiment that is especially true for modern appliances, including wine fridges. That being the case, a good way to start your journey is to look for features that improve both aesthetics and usability.
These can be hard to identify for newcomers, but as Matthew explains, there are some features that make a marked difference.
“All of our products are designed so you only have to open the door 90 degrees. That means when you build a unit into the cabinetry, you don't have to leave the door proud of the cabinet. Some fridges need the doors to open fully before you can withdraw the shelves, which is a major flaw that almost renders the design component useless for designers who want the flush look.”
This example is a perfect illustration of something that impacts a wine fridge’s functionality and cohesive styling with respect to its environment. Matthew goes on to say that wine fridges that can’t be used at a door opening of 90 degrees have other limitations.
“If the door needs to be fully open for use, you can't put it next to a wall. The only solution is having a door that swings away from the wall, but that impacts usability, which is not ideal.”
Different approaches for seamless styling
Contemporary design trends are personified by seamless styling, which is essentially about incorporating products that blend into the design space. This can be done through colour coordination and matching, or by other means.
Matthew says Grand Cru Wine Fridges have always been cogniscent of this, which has often made them a trendsetter for the industry here in Australia.
“We were the first company to launch an all black wine fridge. Black was the way the market was heading, and now 9 out of 10 fridges sold are black. We’ve just released a white wine fridge to match that type of kitchen, so for us it’s about responding to the market.”
The alternative approach to colour matching with black or white wine fridges is to go for an integrated option — a choice that takes the idea of seamless aesthetics to the next level.
“We have a ‘panel ready’ range of wide fridges, which allow the user to attach their own cabinetry to the front of the door, whether that's a full piece or a frame around the door. This gives that extra customisation and personalisation, which fits in with the renovation or kitchen bar.”
The power of lighting
Another factor that has become increasingly important in wine fridge design is lighting. There’s more nuance to this than you might think, and part of the evolution from recent times has come as the result of direct feedback from the design community, as Matthew explains.
“One of the critical considerations is how the fridge looks with the lights turned on. We used to just have blue lights, but now we have white lights too because a lot of interior designers love white lighting.”
The incorporation of LED technology has also expanded the possibilities when it comes to colours.
“In a couple of our top-end Pro models, we have a multi-coloured LED light environment, so you can switch between one of seven different light colours depending on the look you want. We're the only company that has that colour variation at the moment.”
Lighting also plays an important functional role, bringing us back to our first point about prioritising features that enhance a product on multiple levels.
“A lot of our products now have strip lighting down the sides of the unit, so you do get a much better throw of lighting onto the wine bottles. Obviously, where you're displaying the wine labels, all of those bottles have really good LED strip lighting down the side.”
Highlighting your collection
From lighting, we can naturally segue to another approach that may appeal to many from a design perspective. This is the approach to make a feature of your wine collection, which can then become a visual and social focal point of a space.
Matthew says that there are models now designed specifically for this purpose.
“We have a really nice range of ‘label view’ models where you can see your bottles and the labels through the door, so you don't need to open it. That gives a real differential from up front, which delivers not just from a functional point of view, but also an aesthetic perspective.”
The allure and pedigree of a wine collection elevate a room’s ambience, and there are also other features that can help you do this.
“We also include display shelves in a number of our models. So if you want to display your wine and make it more of a showcase, that’s another way you can do that.”
Final tips, and the future
As mentioned in our introduction, balancing form and function is key to successfully choosing a wine fridge that aligns with your design vision. In wrapping up our conversation with Matthew, we asked if there were any other final tips worth mentioning.
“You've got to have a built-in unit, not a freestanding unit, because otherwise you need too much space around the fridge for ventilation. It creates an odd look when you've got a wine fridge in a cavity that's then got lots of space around. Our fridges only need 15mm around the sides and the top, which provides a nice frame around the unit, and it fits the cavity perfectly.”
To future-proof your choice, thinking about a fridge’s capacity is also important to ensuring the longevity and usefulness of your purchase.
“I would always recommend people go bigger than they think. Once they've got a wine fridge, inevitably, they try to fill it, and inevitably, they end up with more wine than the wine fridge will carry. So always go one size up from where you think you need to be.”
Finally, we asked Matthew if there were any future innovations on the horizon and what they would mean for wine fridges going forward.
“We will be first to market with Wi-Fi connected wine fridges, so you'll be able to control them from your Grand Cru smart app, which will give you control of the wine fridge from your phone or device. It will allow you to change the colour of the lighting more easily, the ability to change the temperature, and monitor the humidity. It'll tell you if the doors have been left open with a door alarm notification and allow you to be a little bit more flexible in what you do.”
Learn more about Grand Cru Wine Fridges and their great range of products