What does the year 1950 suggest to you? Being a child of the 70s myself, my knowledge of the decade is based on the rather cheesy sitcom Happy Days, which means a schmaltzy mix of fixed gender roles, gee-whiz style simplicity, do-wop hairdos, and pop rock and roll. However, if their series of retro 50s-style refrigerators is any indication, manufacturer Northstar has a very different take on the era.

50’s Refrigerators with Integrated Beer Tap. Manufactured by Northstar.

Northstar’s Refrigerator/Beer Tap is a Long Tall Drink of Retro Chic

The collection of retro refrigerators would seem to suggest that the 50s trump the millennial age in regards to the cool factor. Northstar’s vintage fridge line features three models, each based on a specific year.

The 1950 and 1952 models are tall yet deceptively spacious, the perfectly symmetrical shelves of the interior having been updated for modern tastes and needs. These offer 18.6 and 18.2 cubic feet of storage respectively, while the 1951 number is a bit slimmer, holding exactly 11 cubic feet of comestibles and imbibements.

All three models are resplendently retro, featuring the curved edges and sparkling chrome details that could only have come from the era of Marilyn Monroe and Betty Paige, Truman Capote and Audrey Hepburn. In fact, I’d be surprised if that stunning interior from the Breakfast at Tiffany’s party scene didn’t harbor at least one of these beauties in the background (no doubt well-stocked with the requisite assortment of sweet vermouth and maraschino cherries).

On that score, Northstar’s 1950s line has recently incorporated a different brand of beverage, with a decided contemporary appeal: frosty, delicious tap beer. Northstar offers the built in taps as an option on the 50s series refrigerators—and a compelling one at that. For an additional 800 dollars, your vintage fridge will come equipped with a Brew Master Draft System, which includes a retro through-the-door tap dispenser, coupler, all connections, CO2 cylinder, and drip tray. Sounds (and looks) to me like an option the “Most Interesting Man in the World” might opt for—even if he “doesn’t always drink beer.“

Via BlessThisStuff.

About the Manufacturer: Northstar has tapped—if you’ll pardon the pun—into quite a niche market with their line of retro appliances offered to today’s happy hordes of aficionados of the Mid-Century look. The company offers an extensive line of ranges, hoods, dishwasher panels, microwaves, and refrigerators based on decades-old designs. They also offer custom creations to match the imaginative specs of your vintage inclinations: “Choose from nine colors—or create your own—in bright automotive finishes trimmed with lots of chrome… inside they’re the latest in twenty-first century tech.”