Yet another bright and colorful spot at KBIS 2016 was the Northstar Appliances display from Elmira Stove Works. In fact, even though the booth was tucked away against a back wall of the convention center, it was still a very popular spot. It was difficult for me to get pictures of the products because they were constantly surrounded by people oohing and aahing over their magnetic retro radiance.
Yes, right away we were drawn to these colorful, retro styled appliances. And such yummy colors! Robin’s Egg Blue, Buttercup Yellow and Candy Red — another great option for a vintage-style kitchen.
We liked the look of everything we saw at the booth, and made sure to inspect each piece. This Robin’s Egg Blue electric stove has a spacious interior and an easy-to-clean, flat cooktop.
The coordinating refrigerator reminded me of one that my grandmother had…
There’s the gas model of the stove in creamy Buttercup Yellow, sitting next to a lovely red Candy Red refrigerator.
Also on display, this French door retro style refrigerator with a bottom freezer for the vintage kitchen that needs some serious refrigerator space. It’s available in either a 24.8 or 19.8 cu. ft. total capacity, with loads of adjustable shelving and even an in refrigerator filtered water dispenser.
We also noticed that in part of the display, Elmira Stove Works used some fun modern laminate from Abet Laminati, finished with aluminum edging. (We can’t seem to find this colorway on the Abet Laminati site, but there are two others.)
As part of their display, there was also a bar-height round retro diner styled table next to the booth that used Vitro’s Red Glacier boomerang laminate. Way to accessorize!
Of course, we think that our Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart® boomerang laminates would look fantastic in a kitchen paired with some of these fun Northstar Appliances, too! Hey, they even have a nice “Mint Green” color that might be a good match to our ‘Delightful Jade’ … and what about a Flamingo Pink range with countertops finished in our ‘First Lady Pink’ boomerangs?
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can this laminate go around corners, for instance, on a refrigerator door?
Laminate can generally be “postformed” – that is, bent. But I don’t think you can do it yourself… not sure.
Yes, you can do it yourself with the thinner laminates. But you need to have really good handyperson skills. I wouldn’t put it on a refrigerator door.
This is my kind of kitchen appliances. Especially in the green color.
So totally awesome, but ove all of it. Style, class, and just all around fun and pretty.
Great…Now I have to save up money for 5 houses. One for each color!!!!!!!
i looked at northstar when i was renovating my cottage. Ultimately i bought a white kitchen aid fridge and took it to my local auto dealer and had it painted jadeite green. It was a more economical option for me.
Hello I read wear you had your own fridge painted at a car dealership. How is the paint holding up on it?
So proud to see a Canadian company in the retro space.
Can anyone comment on the handles and chrome on these appliances? Are they solid like the appliances of old or are they hollow like every new appliance I see with “metal” handles.
I called for catalogs from both Northstar and Big Chill. They’re both nice but Northstar is pricier. Also being made in Canada there’s probably a extra duty fee. I went with Big Chill for my stove and refrigerator. The only draw back with Big Chill is all their stoves are natural gas; no electric versions. Northstar has both versions. Anyway I converted from oil heat to gas heat and went from an electric stove to gas.
Any idea of price range? (No pun intended.) I know every dealer will set its own prices, but a rough idea would be good.
We renovated our kitchen to a 1950s look with Northstar in the cream color. Bought fridge, stove, microwave, dishwasher cover. LOVE them all and they bring many, many compliments. The kitchen has been on a kitchen walk and a house walk! We bought from a local dealer in the Chicago area — Lorenz Appliances — wonderful!
Thanks for showing all these beautiful retro new appliances….so beautiful!
These are definitely retro eye candy. 🙂
Note: A question came in overnight asking about the quality of these appliances compared to competitors.
Readers, please note that I don’t want this site to become a forum for quality reviews (so I did not approve the comment). There are other sites set up specifically for those kinds of reviews, so head there to look and/or start your own query. You can also try the Better Business Bureau; makers’ own websites if they host reviews; Amazon, if the product is sold there; the makers’ Facebook pages, etc. Even so: These may not be reliable statistical indicators. Ugh. Such a tough topic.
That said: I am a personal fan of Consumer Reports, which is the only entity that I know of that does neutral third-party testing. While these specialty appliances may not be in their test results, I am guessing that the specialty makers are using more mainstream brands for the “guts” of their appliances. So one idea: Ask them what brand/model the basics come from, then look on Consumer Reports to see how that brand compares. And of course, the warranty information offered by any manufacturer/retailer is important to know when weighing a purchase decision.
I’d love to see the inside of the french door fridge as well as inside the freezer
do any of these fridges come with icc maker and filtered water
Hi Maria, you need to check with the company directly.