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OK, so maybe I’m losing it… I woke up in the middle of the night thinking, “Why not adhere canvas to a magnet sheet, paint it and have a whole new refrigerator?”
Several years ago when we had the cabinets in our late 18th century kitchen built (there weren’t any to speak of when we first moved in), we were disappointed that the refrigerator stuck out like sore thumb.
We couldn’t afford to have beautiful custom cabinetry built to hide it, so we just covered it with photos, calendars and notes to ourselves until it was totally hidden… behind junk! A familiar drill? I suspect everyone has dealt with this problem at some point.
I found a source for sheet adhesive-backed magnet, measured my fridge, and adhered primed #8 canvas to three sheets of it. I painted the background color, washed the background with a blueish-green glaze and then went to work painting trompe-l’oeil beadboard on the side and lower panels. Then I painted the large panel to mimic the existing doors in our kitchen.
They slide right onto the fridge and peel right off so I could even make a whole series of these and change them whenever I feel like it. They’re finished with poly, so they can be scrubbed and kept clean. You can order your own ready-to-paint canvas-magnet panels right here.
The only drawback I can see so far is that magnets don’t stick very well on top of the canvas. Where will we put all that junk??
Here’s a shot showing the two doors in the kitchen. There’s another trick going on in this shot. Some more trompe-l’oeil. If you’ve been to our house, please don’t give the secret away. Can anyone guess what it is?
Now I’m thinking I could take this trompe l’oeil thing a little further. How about turning the refrigerator into, let’s see… a wine cabinet?
I’d love to hear your comments!
February 21st, 2008 at 7:49 am
please tell me the trick in your kitchen, showing your two doors.
Here’s a shot showing the two doors in the kitchen. There’s another trick going on in this shot. Some more trompe-l’oeil. If you’ve been to our house, please don’t give the secret away. Can anyone guess what it is?
February 21st, 2008 at 9:57 am
I absolutely love it! What a great idea Lisa..your creativity never ceases to amaze me.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:49 am
The wall beside the fridge? Painted wainscoting and chair rail. What’s the prize? Seriously — a wonderful idea, and I should think highly marketable! My husband builds custom cabinets, and I know what those custom refrigerator panels cost! Plus, they’re bulky, and I have doubts that they would work anywhere near as well with the fridge so close to the wall; there isn’t enough clearance to get the door open all the way. Nice!
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
How did you ever come up with that one? It’s a great idea! Can’t wait to see the real thing!
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Lisa,
That refrigerator looks so fantastic. I keep scrolling up and down because the room looks completely different with the refrigerator “as is” and with that remarkable finish you made. It changes the entire room! Clever, clever, clever!!
February 24th, 2008 at 8:55 am
What a fine use of trompe-l’oeil and it ties in so nicely with the painting in your dining area. Nice going! Now before that magnet stuff has you bridled … take your furry buddies out for a go in the snow…
February 26th, 2008 at 5:14 am
OK, here’s the secret:
The fireplace is not real. We made the mantel from old barn boards and I painted bricks and the inside of a fireplace on a piece of canvas mounted on masonite which fits inside the mantel. Even the people who come and sit at the table don’t notice that it’s not real! Faux is fun!
March 13th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Did you also paint the handle of your fridge? And does the magnetic paneling go around the side of the door, or is that a different piece?
March 13th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I have to confess that I fudged the photo a little where the handles are. The handles are currently off-white and what I’d like to do is see if the manufacturer has those handles in black and I’ll change them. Then they would go with the iron drawer pulls and hangers we have in the kitchen.
The edges of the doors are narrow pieces of the same magnetic-canvas, cut to fit. The nice thing is that you can take everything off if you get tired of it and you have the original fridge back!
March 13th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
What I really want to know is whee you got the sheets of adhesive backed magnet!
Your fridge is so lovely!
March 14th, 2008 at 4:18 am
There are tons of magnet companies. I don’t know where you are located,but try a local search and I bet you’ll find one. Good luck!
March 21st, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Is the firebox of the fireplace the other trick?
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Yup. You got it. Take a look at my Feb. 26th entry.
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I love this project. I’ve been wanting to do this To my ugly fridge, but not sure how! did you get the magnets on line? You are so talented! I love the trompe l’oiel!
Jen R
April 6th, 2008 at 7:51 am
What an awesome original idea!! I LOVE it!!