Everyone’s familiar with the wonderfully retro Smeg Fab28 refrigerator, but perhaps not the brand’s $34,000 models. Yes, you read that number correctly. Why the hefty price tag? These units are not just refrigerators, but collectible works of art created in collaboration with Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.
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Part of Frigorifero d’Arte, the 100 limited-edition models were inspired by the traditional Sicilian carretto — an ornately decorated and colored horse- or donkey-drawn cart. Sicilian artists meticulously hand-painted every inch of each refrigerator’s exterior surface area with elaborate designs including regional folklore and scenes recalling troubadour tales, religious themes, mythology and Italian opera — from Charlemagne’s romanticized paladins to the legend of Saint George slaying a dragon. Geometric patterns and intricate floral motifs border and frame these retold stories.
The artists who participated include Alice Valenti, the Bevilacqua Brothers and Salvatore Sapienza, to name a few.
If you’re interested in an art refrigerator but on a budget, consider Smeg’s other whimsical Fab28 offerings that sport designs ranging from a Piet Mondrian-esque color grid and Paul Smith—like fashion stripes to the Union Jack and Italian flag.
