The home bar fridge

My old 1950s fridge finally gave up the ghost. I have waited way to long to replace it. Getting it out from behind the bar will be like exhuming King Tut's sarcophagus from his tomb. I am thinking of buying an apartment size fridge. These are sized between a full size and the small dorm room ones. These mid size units have a separate freezer which is a plus. Does anyone have one of these? Pros or cons or any views on different options for a new fridge. This is what I am thinking about but in black.

Uncle T, What are the dimensions on these guys? I have a dorm size frig right now and it’s not close to being big enough. Don’t have room for even a small “full size”
Tanks,
Nui

Hi Nui. The apartment size fridges seem to be in this size range. Some are a bit smaller.

Dimensions & Specifications

Unit Height: 63"
Unit Width: 21 3/4"
Unit Depth: 24 1/2"
Weight: 118 lbs.
Capacity: 8.1 Cubic Feet

I have seen them priced as low as $200 on sale depending on the brand.

I've been on the look out for a fridge for my bar as well. I found this and think it would be great...has a real freezer which would be nice for ice compared to a mini fridge. Its only available in stainless however.

http://www.menards.com/main/kitchen-appliance-accessories/refrigerators/magic-cool-5-5-cu-ft-side-by-side-compact-refrigerator-freezer/p-2200537-c-7216.htm

But in my searches, I found this beer and wine fridge on craigslist for $50 and went with it instead. (If I need a freezer or ice, I will figure it out later...figured I couldn't go wrong for $50.)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-31-Bottle-Wine-Beverage-Center-in-Silver-GVS04BDWSS/100654746

BTW- I see you are in k-zoo. I'm near Lansing and in my craiglist searches last week, there was someone local with a similar fridge to what you are looking at for $125. But it was white...

http://lansing.craigslist.org/app/4538787660.html

I have no use for a freezer in the bar. I fill ice buckets from the house for the bar. That saves me a lot.

By having no freezer I get a lot more space. You can get a fridge without a freezer and thus a huge amount of extra space.

I use the door of the fridge as a speed rail. I keep honey, cinnamon syrup and lime juice on the bottom shelf, and soda, passionfruit syrup, cherries and pineapple juice cans on the top.

I use a lot of honey and cinnamon, so I have very tall glass bottles for that. they hold about 2 cups. That is the key to me. That door space has to hold my containers where I can get to them easily.

The next is the grapefruit juice which usually is a large bottle. That goes inside left for easy access.

My current fridge has no light. My last one had one and it was a nice plus.

whatever you get, I would pick it by the door shelves. How big of a container will it hold and how easy is it to get to. Those with built in can holders to me are worthless. We don't drink beer in the bar. My fridge is cocktail-centric. Everything I use out of it is in easy reach.

and BLACK! Must be invisible...

Hey Swanky,

Post a photo of the reefer with the door open.

-Longboard

Post what fridge you have too Swanky.

If I had the money I would go for one of the retro designed fridges. Actually a whole retro appliance kitchen would be awesome but $$$$$$

http://www.elmirastoveworks.com/northstar/refrigerators/
Flamingo Pink or Mint Green...both superb!!!

http://bigchill.com/#

that's sooooo cool, That's the fridge we are getting for our Atomic kitchen along with matching stove and oven top in the same blue!! gotta save my pennies though

Our home came with a Northstar Model 1950. It's less than 10 years old and is having problems with the fan icing over every year or so. I have to take apart the middle section that separates the fridge from the freezer and use a turkey baster with a bucket of hot water to melt the ice so the fan can spin again.

I would never spend $4k+ on a fridge that barely fits a pizza box, so I'm forced to learn how to be a refrigerator repairman to appease my wife. I figure, if I can rebuild motorcycles, how hard could a fridge be? Famous last words.

Wow...that is a bummer. It is sad that an expensive designer appliance has function issues. It seems all appliances these days do not have any longevity.

My wife's cousin purchased one new over five years ago and has not had a problem with hers. Might be worth the time to do an internet search on reviews on the model you are interested in.

The door acts as a "Speed Rail". Most used stuff goes there, except the grapefruit juice which is the big bottle inside to the left.

Honey and Cinnamon syrup pour bottles hold about 2 cups. Then OXO bottle for lime juice, grenadine, and home made falernum bottle. Top door shelf has soda water, passion fruit syrup, cherries and pineapple juice if I have an open can.

Bottom of the fridge has GF, then fresh squeezed OJ, then the back-up lime juice in emergency and lemon juice. Shelf has the back stock of pineapple juice, soda water and canned GF.

Top shelf has limes lately. May also put coke or ginger beer there, etc.

Technically, you don't have to refrigerate some of this stuff like cinnamon syrup, but A) it is better to mix a cold mixer than a warm one I think, and B) it does help prevent mold, etc. to refrigerate. The bar gets hot when we are not using it. Better safe.

Also, don't tell my wife I posted this picture of a fridge that needs cleaning... And yes, I am out of falernum and cinnamon syrup right now. I only fill the lime pourer when expecting a crowd, otherwise I squeeze limes on the fly for drinks.

Announcing Swank Pad and Crazy Al's Molokai Maiden!

[ Edited by: Swanky 2014-09-11 07:59 ]

Thanks for all of the input everyone. I think I am going to go with the Haier apartment size refrigerator. I has a total capacity of 10.3 cubic feet. The unit measures 23-3/8" wide, 26-3/16" deep and 59-7/16" tall. The refrigerator also comes in black. A perfect size for my home bar. The separate freezer is a plus for me as I don't have an ice maker. This refrigerator has tons of good reviews as well and the price is reasonable.

Well the sarcophagus has been exhumed from it's place of honor since the late 50s. It was now small task. A big old fridge in a very tight spot. It worked great for the ten years I have been in the house until it finally gave up the ghost. A new fridge will be a welcomed addition to the lounge. I have had many requests to get back to mixing and a long overdue party will be going on in short order. Just have to have the new one delivered.

Wow...that was a beaut!!! I really just want to paint the one in my lounge.

Has anyone tried covering a fridge with bamboo matting to make it look more like a cabinet, maybe with some bamboo trim? Looking for an idea of lightweight panels to cover my fridge in my tiki bar.

Has anyone tried covering a fridge with bamboo matting to make it look more like a cabinet, maybe with some bamboo trim? Looking for an idea of lightweight panels to cover my fridge in my tiki bar.

I have wracked my brain for years to figure out how to cover the white fridge in my lounge. Recently I found fridge wraps and ordered the Dr Pepper one, waiting for my handyman to apply it. Check out this vendor, they have some really great wraps. I will take some pics when mine is done. Forgot to say, when you order you need to give them the size of your fridge and they will print it specifically to match your need.

http://rmwraps.com/refrigerator-wraps/

[ Edited by: VampiressRN 2016-05-30 14:53 ]

Well here's an update folks. The new fridge totally died after only a year and a half. Luckily I purchased an extended warranty. After a call to Lowe's I was told that no one in my area worked on the Haier brand of refrigerators. GREAT! I did receive a reimbursement for the total cost of the fridge though. Now I'm back on the hunt for a fridge that will fit in the small area behind my bar. Seems that folks have been having the same issues with this brand as of late. Just thought I'd pass that along

After looking through the website that Vamp used for her fridge wrap, I would be thrilled to use this one on a mini-fridge in a tiki bar.

I'd love to find an old-timey "shipping crate" to put my bar fridge into. (There were a couple of wraps I LOVED but I;d rather avoid the $$$.) Anyone know of any online plans for making such a crate?

Uncle Trav, have you thought of looking on craigslist for another 50s or 60s fridge? We're lucky enough to know a great appliance guy who can keep all our 50s appliances going strong. But they turn up around here at estate sales enough that there's plenty of great old appliances for everyone...

In our bar we don't have that much room and don't really need a big fridge -- we have a dorm fridge behind the bar that looks just like Swanky's