this fridge just screams "pretentious" to me.. not because of the fridge itself.. but because of the shopping list. "organic sugar".. really? If you *use* organic sugar then you wouldn't write that down for your own benefit but only to impress people who read your fridge ..

You are so right. I do like that they used the classic green instead of black though. I'd like it better if it was covered with little kids' doodles.

"bottled water"
*ick*

If I had an old one I hated and couldn't afford a new one, I would do this in a heartbeat. I have small chillens and they would keep busy with it. Nice part is that when having company you could just erase instead of having to take magnets, photos, drawings down for a clean facade.

I agree, great idea for doodles and reminders, but kind of silly for a grocery list. Isn't the point of the list to bring it to the store with you?

I'm sure the grocery list is just the photo stylist's made up random grocery list items. I doubt Danny Seo would buy bottled water. But what I don't like is the idea of all that stray chalk dust around my food.

When I was young I remember my mom and dad painting our fridge from Harvest Gold to White with appliance spray paint. I remember they masked everything off, pulled it out from the wall a bit and put up paper all on the areas that could get backspray. It took a good handful of cans but after, no one could every have told it was painted. Looked like it was brand new and came that way. So yes, if you take the time and do it right, its pretty easy to paint your appliance. And for those not interested in chalkboard painting your fridge (I know I don't want to!) they sell kits or you could make your own for chalkboard panels that cover the front of your fridge. They aren't permanent but let you play.

The apartment we had for about a week before moving into the much larger one next door (lucky us!) had a very badly painted refrigerator. It was a bad paint job (streaks all over), a bad color (it looked perpetually dirty), and was chipping and turning to powder the moment anyone touched it. I was sorely disappointed in my landlord for allowing that monstrosity to stay.

We painted our old rusting fridge with black chalkboard paint and glued a thin wood border around it, and everyone loved to draw on it or sign it when they came over!
You can see it here

I once bought a good quality side by side refrigerator that was cheap because it was avocado green. I painted it white. It was one of my first painting attempts so it wasn't perfect, but it looked a lot better white than green. I had that fridge for many years and the paint job lasted without chipping or peeling. So I was pretty satisfied.

If it happened now, I might try using adhesive stainless like this:

http://www.fauxstainlesssteel.com/

mr nevernonsense and I are about to move out of a place with a painted stove. I have scrubbed, accidentally during cleaning, most of that wretched paint off over the last few years. it is white, and the underneath is more almond, and all of it is the bane of my existence.

actually, there's a lot of banyness and janky fixes around this place, but we won't get into that. move day is coming soon!

I love the idea of a chalkboard fridge, but like others have said: right place, right time, right appliance. it would be delightful in a big kitchen with little ninos' drawings, that's for sure.

I have a JennAir which takes decorative panels, so I cut thin ply into 6" planks to match the planking on the walls, and painted it and installed it. Looks good in my rustic cabin, and was next door to free.

I think I would attempt this with an older fridge or a fridge that I didn't love but was the right bargain-basement price. I would use another color chalk paint than the run-of-the-mill green or black though. How about a pink chalkboard fridge?

So funny that everyone is annoyed by the fridge list. I noticed some of the same things and also that it is unlikely he would call out organic for the sugar but not for the plums, spring mix, lemons/limes or herbs...

Nevernonsense, I am sorry to laugh at your expense but your experience sounds hilarious.

We have just a little white board on our fridge, but I write my grocery list on it. I use my cell phone to take a picture of the grocery list. It's another Lazy Fix, but it works for me. My mother thinks it's ridiculous. I'd probably use the fridge the same way. :-)

haha. Parchment paper! Figs!

Here is my question about chalkboard paint. I think it is cute and fun. However--using it for the grocery list. I can't wrap my mind around that. I keep a pad of paper mounted on my fridge and use that for my grocery list. Then before I go shopping I tear off the paper and bring it with me. It is not very quaint but at least it is portable. What is the point in writing a grocery list on something you can't bring to the store with you?

haha. Just read the comment above. Smart about taking a photo of the list. Still seems like extra work though! Although it is admittedly greener than using up paper.

I recently have been doing research on exactly this! I decided that contact paper is a better option for my rental and there are numerous options now to choose from.

For the fridge, I'm planning on doing the black contact chalkboard paper. I'm a baker and cook a ton as well, so to have a space to play with the recipe is ideal for me. Keeping a grocery list that is ever runninglist, that can be played with, is also important. I don't have children, so doodles become irrelevant.

As for the stove, this one is still in the works. I'm afriad because it is not mine. However, they do make stainless contact sheets now, so it looks like that might work.

I would love to hear suggestions about using contact paper. Painting seems too concrete.

My husband and I helped his sister paint her fridge several years ago. Her almond fridge was starting to get rust spots and their was no budget for a replacement, so we sanded away the spots, primed with rustoleum, then painted it a bright tomato red. It was great! Suddenly it was the best thing in the kitchen.

kitten: Not really... we use organic sugar for one little thing: tea. If we didn't write "organic sugar" we wouldn't know which sugar to get, durr.

I've wanted to decoupage my refrigerator ever since I saw a stunning example of this in a book by the decoupage artist Durwin Rice ("The New Decoupage"). Unfortunately I couldn't find an image of it online to post.

maybe there is someone in this house who is 2 feet tall and really likes champagne? kudos on teaching a 2 year old to spell champagne, what with the silent G and all.

The Country Living link actually goes to a Southern Living link.

Thank you, tashamck! It's fixed now.

I love the chalkboard refrigerator, reminds me of a blog post I came across a few weeks ago for chalkboard painted mugs. Comicgeek has a good point though - the chalkboard dust can be an issue.

About 6 months ago I discovered that dry erase markers are GREAT on the 'fridge. They wipe off with ease.

Now I have my shopping list on my fridge-easy access-I no longer forget to write stuff down. And when it comes time to go to the store I just take a picture of it and off I go.
It's made me a much more efficient shopper.

Blech.

I've put together a round up of kitchen crafts on Craft Gossip today and included your project. :) You can see it here
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/9-cool-kitchen-craft-ideas/

So many questions. Do you have to unplug the fridge while you paint it. do you pick it up to put the drop cloth underneath. do you actually paint it in the kitchen and have to smell the fumes for a week or so.? I don't mind the smell of fumes but in a kitchen it does seem bad.

My kids would love this fridge! I'm all for painting appliances. I just painted my grandmother's old kitchenaide that I recently inherited. It was a boring white that was showing its age. Now it is a fabulous blend of a rather flourescent key lime green and berry pink (I call it Urban Graffiti Style). I love it so much! Can't wait to paint other appliances! If only I wasn't a renter...my whole kitchen would be getting an Urban Graffiti re-do. :)

There is an excellent how to, on painting appliances at Wikihow's website:
http://www.wikihow.com/Paint-a-Refrigerator. They talk about how to do it is 6 steps. And, yes, they say you have to unplug the frig. in addtion to discussing fumes.