Column Confidential

Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.

00;00;02;26 – 00;00;19;13
Amy Chernoff
Welcome to AC appliance experts from AJ Madison Pro tackles the ins and outs of appliances making it often confusing and really technical topic approachable and dare we say, even fun. I’m Amy Chernoff, VP of Marketing here at AJ Madison.

00;00;19;13 – 00;00;49;15
Jessica Petrino-Ball
And I’m Jessica Petrino Ball editorial director at AJ Madison. We are the brand’s in-house experts and we’re on tap to interview installers, builders, renovation pros and other leaders in the field on all things appliances. All right, Amy, So today we’re going to talk about a topic that I’m really excited about and that is built in and column refrigeration built in and column refrigerators have come so far in the last several years.

00;00;49;26 – 00;00;55;07
Jessica Petrino-Ball
There are so many brands and options available and so many really exciting features.

00;00;55;20 – 00;01;38;22
Amy Chernoff
I mean, I personally think that column refrigerators are the superhero for refrigeration for a variety of reasons, and I think it offers so much flexibility. But the challenge is I think most consumers are used to seeing a very traditional refrigerator footprint, and they’re not even aware that this is an option. So, yeah, this is a great topic to really explore some of the innovation and advancements that have come around and also to kind of levels that every budget, literally every budget could incorporate column refrigeration if they wanted to.

00;01;39;21 – 00;02;09;13
Jessica Petrino-Ball
That’s really true, especially for small spaces and galley kitchens and city apartments. Those are actually some of the best spaces for column refrigeration, because the refrigerator can be really overwhelming in a small space. So incorporating a taller but narrower refrigerator, especially if you can incorporate a freezer in an icemaker into the unit, can really elevate the design even in a small footprint.

00;02;10;12 – 00;02;40;28
Amy Chernoff
I think also thinking back to the conversation that we had with the Finkelstein’s about historical homes and older home renovation, they typically have much narrower doorways, you know, to get product in and out of the house. And I think columns would be a great solution, especially when you’re thinking about panel ready, knowing that you could match the style of the cabinetry, for example, and also fit it into tighter spaces.

00;02;41;05 – 00;03;14;13
Amy Chernoff
But I have to say I think my favorite part about columns without digging into a specific features is the fact that you can have as much or as little of the type of refrigeration that you need in your own kitchen. It’s a more personalized, phased approach to refrigeration, meaning if your family goes to the farmer’s market or has a garden, uses a lot of fresh produce and maybe goes to the market a couple of times a week, you’re going to want more refrigeration space.

00;03;14;26 – 00;03;42;06
Amy Chernoff
If you’re a family that you know, maybe cooks a lot or relies a lot on frozen food, you’re going to want more freezer space. And then if you have a wine collection, imagine you can build a, you know, a wine storage column within this refrigeration approach. So I feel like it has a lot of flexibility. If you’re lucky enough to have a butler’s pantry, you know, it offers a lot of flexibility for that.

00;03;42;18 – 00;04;09;23
Jessica Petrino-Ball
The idea of modular column refrigeration is really cool because if you wanted to build the ultimate refrigerator, you can’t. You can make it whatever you want to be. Since I’ve been in this industry, the quantity of options available are really extensive and there are so many features and I’m really excited to dive into this deeper and to meet our guest, Wesley Moon.

00;04;10;04 – 00;04;30;06
Jessica Petrino-Ball
He is such a talented designer, has been at this for a really long time. He works with some really beautiful, luxurious spaces and he frequently specifies built in and column refrigeration. So I’m really excited to bring on Wesley Moon.

00;04;31;18 – 00;04;38;08
Wesley Moon
Hi, I’m Wesley Moon. I’m an interior designer based in Manhattan, but we do projects all over the country.

00;04;38;26 – 00;04;49;08
Amy Chernoff
Wesley, you’ve worked on hundreds of kitchens at this point in your career. Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences with column refrigeration?

00;04;50;17 – 00;05;11;07
Wesley Moon
I mean, I think I remember using my first column, Refrigeration appliances and a project probably six years ago is the first time it came up and it was in a New York apartment. So when you’re talking about challenges, that’s generally where you’re going to have them, right? Because not just New York, but any any time you have a small kitchen.

00;05;11;07 – 00;05;33;29
Wesley Moon
But obviously in New York, even in very grand apartments or townhouses, you still end up having limited amount of space most of the time. So in this kitchen, we had actually taken what was an old galley kitchen and torn down a wall and made one larger kitchen space. So this client in particular, they do entertain a lot. They love to cook.

00;05;34;05 – 00;05;58;07
Wesley Moon
We made a, you know, a dining room that would seat 16 people. So for them, they needed a lot of refrigeration and they needed a lot of options. So that’s when we went in and we did columns and one column was all refrigerator, one was all freezer, one was just for wine. And that was kind of the first time I realized, wow, there’s a lot of benefits to this and a lot of ways that you can personalize it.

00;05;58;20 – 00;06;19;21
Wesley Moon
On another project, we had a client that loves to cook and they didn’t particularly want so much freezer space because they shop, they don’t stock up. They like to go buy things fresh. So they said, We need freezer space for like ice cream. You know, we were putting in an ice maker like we don’t really need a lot of freezer space.

00;06;20;02 – 00;06;43;29
Wesley Moon
So in that case, we were able to use a column refrigerator to maximize the refrigeration aspect. And then we just used a drawer freezer somewhere under the countertop. And that’s what for them worked. So column refrigeration has definitely worked in that way to be able to give you the ultimate amount of customization.

00;06;43;29 – 00;06;51;22
Amy Chernoff
I’m just super interested in what you think the must have. Elements of a beautiful and functional kitchen would be.

00;06;52;25 – 00;07;19;17
Wesley Moon
That’s a pretty challenging question only because to me the must haves are dictated by the client and their lifestyle. So must haves for me are integrated appliances that I can panel in any way that I want to get the esthetic I want. But it really just depends on what that project is, what the client needs, how they live in the space.

00;07;19;26 – 00;07;43;10
Wesley Moon
When it comes to two finishes, I use a lot of like court side just because it’s so durable. But not all clients need that durability and some clients are okay if there’s patina. So you know, when it comes to a must have in terms of appliances that’s really client driven. Everyone’s idea of a dream kitchen tends to vary and depends on how they live.

00;07;43;10 – 00;08;16;08
Wesley Moon
Function is what should lead the pack. But I like column because you’re not you’re not beholding to any certain seams, right? So for instance, if you’re looking at a regular, I’m going to say subzero refrigerator over freezer because they have a really great panel ready option there. But you’re still beholding to wear those horizontal seams for the drawers are underneath and you end up using that line to set other lines around the kitchen.

00;08;17;13 – 00;08;39;22
Wesley Moon
The good thing about the column is you’re not right. So you can choose to have that door look like anything you want and line up with any other cause I’ll do in my kitchens. I’ll often fake it all the time so I can make one whole column door still look like drawers. Like whatever you want to make it line up with what else is happening in the kitchen.

00;08;39;22 – 00;08;42;15
Wesley Moon
So I like that flexibility about it.

00;08;43;07 – 00;08;47;11
Amy Chernoff
How do you help clients specify built in and column refrigerator doors?

00;08;47;25 – 00;09;10;11
Wesley Moon
I see my job and in the kitchen design. And of course the whole project is to really figure out how my client lives right? So they’ll be a series of questions. I want to see their current kitchen situation. I want to know what works for them, what doesn’t, and just really to have a conversation and a kitchen is one of the places where you have the biggest amount of conversation.

00;09;10;11 – 00;09;32;11
Wesley Moon
You have a lot of conversation in the kitchen and around closets, right? Like these are places where you really have to customize for people, and especially again in New York City, where space is limited. So I’ll get in there and just really understand what they need and then I’ll make recommendations. But, you know, it’s such a personal thing, especially when people cook.

00;09;33;03 – 00;09;56;23
Wesley Moon
You need to take them to the showrooms. You need to let them see the brands, experience them. You know, so many of the showrooms here anyway in New York City offer demos. You can go and actually see how Cooktops work and touch and feel and see the options. And I just think that’s the education part, right? So it’s not particularly me ever saying to anyone, here’s what you should have.

00;09;57;04 – 00;10;12;29
Wesley Moon
But I’m saying based on what you’re telling me here, I think your best options and then you let them make the decision. I mean, I’m always concerned mostly about esthetics, right? I believe a kitchen can be both functional and beautiful, and there’s no reason to compromise on that.

00;10;14;00 – 00;10;27;12
Jessica Petrino-Ball
So in order to execute the designs and manage the business that you do and to be a resource for your clients, like how much studying do you do about home appliances?

00;10;27;12 – 00;10;49;23
Wesley Moon
You know, the technology is constantly changing. There’s always some new features there, always, you know, every year that they rework something. So I find with every project, I’ll go in and just see what’s new. I mean, I know the brands that I tend to like and so I’ll go to them first and be like, Here’s what I need, you know, what do you have?

00;10;49;23 – 00;11;08;09
Wesley Moon
What’s new? What’s changed? So I think it’s an evolving education, right? Like it’s not it’s never going to be static because there’s always going to be something new. So I think I know enough to be dangerous. And then I go in and try to figure out the details. I always would pre shop, though, before I go with clients.

00;11;08;09 – 00;11;25;15
Wesley Moon
That’s the thing. Like I got to go in there and make sure I know ahead of time that they’re going to have a solution for them. I think that’s always part of my job. And please tell me maybe this is something I’m going to have to educate myself on for for the next project. Where I get that request is, you know, what are the benefits of column refrigeration?

00;11;25;15 – 00;11;34;11
Wesley Moon
I mean, we’ve talked a little bit about the flexibility, but what are some other things that people would prefer column refrigeration for?

00;11;34;11 – 00;12;03;23
Amy Chernoff
Well, I personally think from a feature perspective is the size configuration. I think it makes it extremely flexible for any design project. And we’re finding a lot of customers asking for variable widths. So what does that mean? That means you can get a refrigerator column as narrow as 18 inches and as wide as 36 inches, depending on the brand.

00;12;03;23 – 00;12;38;10
Amy Chernoff
And same with freezer. So you can mix and match. You might want to have a 36 inch refrigerator column and then a 24 inch freezer column. Right. Depending on your family and how you like to live. More fresh food, more frozen food, you know, you can kind of customize it to yourself. Customers are asking for a variety of options and finishes, but there are lots of innovations around color and surface finish that you’re able to choose as well.

00;12;38;20 – 00;12;54;24
Amy Chernoff
Handle styles No handle panel ready has been popular for a very long time for columns so that it’ll blend into your kitchen and be seamless with the rest of your cabinetry. The refrigerator is hidden, so to speak.

00;12;55;05 – 00;13;06;22
Wesley Moon
I think that’s the idea with columns is that you want to be able to blend them. That to me, panel ready is the only way to go. I wish everything was panel ready, which most brands now offer, especially with columns.

00;13;06;22 – 00;13;39;24
Amy Chernoff
And I would have to say they’re also asking for technology. Some of the columns even have cameras inside, so you’ll know what food you have in your refrigerator or when you’re at the grocery store. One of the things that customers are looking for now besides smart features is really the very, very luxe interiors. Stainless interior, not plastic. This is definitely an upgrade from your more conventional refrigerator LED lighting, for example.

00;13;40;05 – 00;13;49;15
Amy Chernoff
So I think it’s across feature set. You know, you’re going to have glass shelves instead of plastic and glass front bins, for example, stainless interiors.

00;13;49;27 – 00;14;25;02
Jessica Petrino-Ball
Refrigerators are no longer that huge silver box with the white plastic interior sitting in the middle of your kitchen. The amount of variety across brands is really special. And I think, you know, I think that there are a couple of different products that call out really unique and compelling features. For example, Jenn-air recently came out with the cuts by Gen Air collection, where you can get these really beautiful limited edition leather panels to cover the front of their refrigerator.

00;14;25;09 – 00;14;35;01
Jessica Petrino-Ball
They drew inspiration from the luxury handbag market. When you open the door to that refrigerator, you’re actually greeted by an obsidian black metal interior.

00;14;35;15 – 00;14;57;15
Wesley Moon
Yeah, I mean, I’m really impressed with the Jenn-air offering and what they’ve done with their brand to make it more design forward. And like you said, like their they really put an emphasis on design. That interior, the black interior is really beautiful. I mean, it’s crazy to think like, who cares what color the inside of your fridge is?

00;14;57;15 – 00;15;18;22
Wesley Moon
But when you open that fridge and it’s black and they have the most sexy lighting, I’m such a like, I’m so crazy about lighting in general. Like, people mess it up. They, you know, you can’t have these cold lights everywhere. And when you open that jenn-air fridge, it’s warm lights, it’s sexy, it’s a refrigerator, but it’s sexy, you know?

00;15;18;22 – 00;15;34;14
Wesley Moon
So that’s something I really admire. And then they have the track record to back up, you know? Yes, this is a new look for them, but they were making appliances forever. So, you know, they’re a good brand. So I’m really, really impressed with them.

00;15;34;16 – 00;16;00;27
Jessica Petrino-Ball
With the incredible selection of appliances we carry at AJ Madison. You know, we have access to about 150 brands and there are about 27 brands out there that produce built in column or what I would classify as luxury refrigeration. There’s a lot of brands doing obviously a stainless steel interior, which looks really beautiful, but also is really functional.

00;16;00;27 – 00;16;09;08
Jessica Petrino-Ball
So having a metal interior of the fridge really makes the temperature even on all the different shelves inside of the refrigerator.

00;16;09;25 – 00;16;57;04
Amy Chernoff
Decor is one of my favorites. From an innovation standpoint, I feel that they’ve really dialed up what column refrigeration could be from the inside out. Obviously, there’s a lot of flexibility and size configuration, you know, offering refrigeration, wine storage and freezer and a variety of widths. But, you know, to me, the shining star of their portfolio is really the interior you’re getting all of the technology that the Samsung family is known for into a column refrigeration built by decor, which is a, you know, made in the U.S. brand that’s been around for, I want to say, 75 years or so.

00;16;57;04 – 00;16;59;28
Amy Chernoff
It’s definitely been around for a very long time.

00;16;59;28 – 00;17;20;22
Jessica Petrino-Ball
Coming out this year, Monogram is releasing a designer collection of appliances with 96 inch tall floor to ceiling panels. So if someone is really looking for that maximalist, beautiful design element, it’s it’s going to be available.

00;17;20;22 – 00;17;34;20
Wesley Moon
So just maybe you can like fill us in on this. Like column refrigeration does tend to be on the more high end side like it’s a little more expensive than even just a regular refrigerator freezer unit. What’s the reason for that?

00;17;35;06 – 00;18;09;27
Jessica Petrino-Ball
The prices can look a little scary. You know, when you decide to commit to a built in or set of columns, you know, you really are making an investment in the value of your kitchen, in the value of your home. Recently, a Forbes study came out and said that you can get up to 35% increase in the value of your home by adding the word subzero to the listing, and you’re investing in better durability of the product and you’re investing in better design esthetics.

00;18;09;27 – 00;18;18;28
Jessica Petrino-Ball
Ultimately, you’re investing in a product that is going to offer better food preservation. So you’re going to be throwing out fewer groceries.

00;18;19;10 – 00;18;43;00
Amy Chernoff
So just you’ve mentioned that a couple of times about superior food preservation. And I mean, I think we all are spending an arm and a leg on groceries right now, especially fresh produce and and eggs, cheese. Pretty soon you’re going to be able to mortgage your house around the egg inventory that you have. But what what how does it do it?

00;18;43;00 – 00;18;51;28
Amy Chernoff
Why is a column refrigerator better for food preservation? Like what? What’s the you know, what’s the special sauce there, so to speak?

00;18;52;08 – 00;19;21;04
Jessica Petrino-Ball
Without getting too scientific, I’ll say that a traditional refrigerator has one motor with one compressor, one evaporator in that refrigerator essentially cycles air through the refrigerator compartment and through the freezer compartment. It’s the same air being cycled through the fridge in the freezer. When you move to a luxury refrigerator, whether it’s a built in unit or whether it’s separate columns, the refrigerator in the freezer have separate motors.

00;19;22;15 – 00;19;40;03
Jessica Petrino-Ball
They’re separate evaporators. And oftentimes they’re even going to have separate compressors so that the refrigerator air stays in the fridge, freezer section in the freezer, air stays in the freezer section. Ultimately, what that does is it keeps the temperature and humidity level optimal at all times within the unit.

00;19;40;13 – 00;19;43;10
Wesley Moon
You’re definitely educating me on a lot of those features.

00;19;43;12 – 00;20;18;08
Amy Chernoff
I think one of the big benefits of column is that it is working to refrigerate exclusively or it’s working to freeze exclusively, meaning the compressor does not have to do double duty as it would in a standard or more traditional refrigerator. And I think there’s gas. You mentioned earlier, 27 brands are offering columns. I even think for someone that’s trying to do a kitchen remodel on a budget Frigidaire gallery and also their sister brands.

00;20;18;08 – 00;20;55;24
Amy Chernoff
Electrolux offers the look of built in columns at 33 inches wide for refrigeration and 33 inches for freezer space. They only offer it in one configuration with a kit to have a grill at the top of it. So it really does look like, you know, a more expensive column set up for about $6,000. So it’s 66 inches of refrigeration and freezer space at a budget price point.

00;20;55;24 – 00;21;06;10
Amy Chernoff
And they’re well known for the reliability of their refrigeration as well. So it’s worth it. It’s worth your time to investigate what options are available.

00;21;06;15 – 00;21;37;22
Jessica Petrino-Ball
Just one more note on the idea of saving money. If you’re designing on behalf of a client who is more budget conscious, many of the higher end brands offer really, really substantial promotions and rebates that make it a lot more attainable and affordable to be able to get that package in. Sometimes the leap from doing a package with the standard refrigerator to the built in refrigerator isn’t as wild as you might think.

00;21;38;08 – 00;21;39;29
Jessica Petrino-Ball
You know, it’s definitely worth exploring.

00;21;40;05 – 00;22;07;21
Amy Chernoff
I mean, just that’s a really good point. I’m thinking of a couple of brands that if you actually choose column refrigeration and you buy two columns, often, they’ll give you an incentive that might be, you know, a dishwasher for free or, you know, money back based on that purchase. So there are a lot of incentives to consider additional options.

00;22;08;04 – 00;22;19;10
Wesley Moon
The next time a big kitchen project, I’m going to go right there to go check that stuff out and see if that’s something my client would be interested. It’s a big conversation when it comes to adding value to the overall house.

00;22;19;19 – 00;22;36;01
Amy Chernoff
Well, this has been super fun and we’ve covered one of my favorite topics today column refrigerators. Wesley, you’ve shared so much insight with us. It’s been great if people want to follow along with your projects and what’s going on in your world, where can they find you?

00;22;36;20 – 00;22;46;05
Wesley Moon
So please check me out on Instagram. It’s Wesley Moon in one Word, and my website is Wesley Moon dot com.

00;22;46;27 – 00;22;49;13
Amy Chernoff
Thanks so much for joining us today. It’s been awesome.

00;22;50;02 – 00;23;14;01
Jessica Petrino-Ball
You know at GE Madison were really here for blueprint installation definitely reference the specifications but you know if you want us to help you with this process we are here to do that. We have local showrooms in Brooklyn, New York, DC Metro and Miami area and you can definitely meet with an expert in person or get in touch with us via Zoom via phone.

00;23;14;17 – 00;23;26;07
Jessica Petrino-Ball
Send us a DM at AJ Madison or send us a message on Facebook. We are really here to help make sure that your project runs smoothly. For more info and tips, visit AJ Madison Dot com slash learn.

00;23;27;00 – 00;23;49;18
Amy Chernoff
Make sure you follow the show so you never miss an episode. AJ Madison is part of the Surround Podcast Network. Check out our show notes and discover other architecture and design shows at Surround Podcast. Scott That’s podcasts with and ‘S’.