Fridge Art to be auctioned for Children’s Charity

Press Release
Tuesday January 20, 2015

Nikolai Sorensen’s Stunning Smeg Fridge Art to be auctioned for Children’s Charity

At 10am this morning, Smeg New Zealand is giving the public the opportunity to bid for a stunning Smeg FAB28 retro refrigerator which has received a stunning makeover by talented New Zealand designer Nikolai Sorensen.

Titled KNIT, this striking piece of contemporary design, one of four created for the 2014 Smeg Art Design Competition, is now being auctioned to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand, the New Zealand chapter of the philanthropic arm of the McDonalds Corporation.

KNIT utilises a traditional material, merino wool, in an innovative way. The knitted sleeve was created by the designer together with the Textile Design Lab at AUT using a 3-D printer, in a process normally reserved for garment making. The cover fits snugly over the fridge and the pattern represents icicles.

Smeg New Zealand Distributor and Managing Director Rachel Louie says that the 2014 Smeg Art Design Competition resulted in some truly original design work.

“It was a fantastic competition that allowed us to highlight the creative minds and innovative design work that exists out there in the market,” she says.

“We received dozens of entries and our panel of judges were hard pressed to select the finalists,” says Louie.

“The great thing is that while these fridges are unique one off designs and spectacular to look at, they are absolutely functional and utilise the best of Smeg technology” she says.

The four finalists Nikolai Sorensen (design: Knit), Julie Ashby (design: Eleganza), Matt Blackmore (design: Around the World) and Aleisha Stanton (design: The Direction of the Future) were handpicked by some of New Zealand’s most notable names in design including Tim Webber, Dave Sotogi, Kiri Nathan and Mal Corboy.

All funds raised through the auction process are going to Smeg’s charity of choice, the Ronald McDonald House. Wayne Howett of Ronald McDonald House Auckland says they are thrilled Smeg New Zealand would choose to donate all funds raised from the Trade Me auction to the charity.

“Here at Ronald McDonald House we say that our kitchens form the heart of our homes; they provide the space where families come together for comfort and nourishment after a long day on the hospital ward,” says Howett.

“This novel fundraising initiative is the perfect way to mark the start of our partnership with Smeg. The funds raised will go directly to our ongoing operations – ensuring our kitchens remain clean and stocked with staples and all the equipment our families would find in their own kitchens at home” he says.

The four FAB28 fridges are currently on display at Kitchen Things Auckland stores and are all being individually auctioned off through Trade Me (www.trademe.co.nz). The auction process begins today with Nikolai’s fantastic ‘KNIT’ design, then each fridge will go under the hammer for an extended 14 day period, each in succession of each other.

For all auction details visit the Smeg Art website (www.smegart.co.nz) or search ‘Smeg Art’ on Trade Me.

The four FAB28 fridges can be viewed at the following Kitchen Things store locations:

Nikolai Sorensen: KNIT
Kitchen Things
Mt Eden (439 Dominion Rd, Mt Eden, Auckland)
Online Auction: 20 Jan – 2 Feb

Julie Ashby: ELEGANZA
Kitchen Things
Constellation Drive (4/60 Constellation Drive, Rosedale, Auckland)
Online Auction: 3 Feb – 16 Feb

Matt Blackmore: AROUND THE WORLD
Kitchen Things
Mt Wellington (Apex Mega Centre, 383 Mt Wellington Highway, Mt Wellington, Auckland)
Online Auction: 17 Feb – 2 Mar

Aleisha Stanton: DIRECTION OF THE FUTURE
Kitchen Things
Newmarket (25 Kent Street, Newmarket, Auckland)
Online Auction: 3 Mar – 16 Mar

For a detailed overview of the designer FAB28 fridges, the auction process, the competition and judges’ comments head to www.smegart.co.nz

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