NOW CLOSED Tell Servis how you would design your own fridge and you could win a £100 voucher

[KatieBMumsnet]

We've been asked by the team at Servis to gather your ideas for what would make your perfect family fridge - share your top needs/ desires below and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 JL voucher.

So, what's the perfect design? What colour should it be? How many shelves? What special storage does it need? What else should it do? Is bigger always better? What about environmental factors?

Servis say: "We would love you to tell us how you would design your fridge, from a great piece or art to the outright crazy, let us hear how creative you can be! We look forward to reading your best ideas"

Servis are soon to be running a special competition on Facebook to win the fridge of your choice "giving you the opportunity to win a fridge exactly the way you like it. Fancy having your child's favourite drawing, your best photo or just a unique design...well you can. And don't worry, if you like our fridge freezers just the way they are then that's fine too" keep an eye out for more info.

Please note comments from this thread may well be used on the Servis pages on MN.

Thanks
MNHQ

Freezer

• top energy rating without the insulation being so thick that there's no room to put the food in
• removable drawers so I can get to the stuff that's slipped to the back without having to scrabble about on my knees
• freezer tupperwares that fit into the drawers efficiently supplied with the freezer

Fridge

• top energy rating
• easy to clean out - no awkward nooks and crannies for yucky stuff to build up in. Easy to clean seals round edge of door
• shelves that can be adjusted to different heights
• removable wine rack so can take it out
• removable egg tray so can take it out
• warning beeper if door left open too long, but button to turn beeper off while unloading shopping
• robust handle - seems to be the flimsiest bit often

I've often wondered if it would be a worthwhile energy saver to have an inner, transparent door, made of horizontal strips, so you could just open the (approximate) shelf you wanted rather than the whole fridge every time.
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Particularly useful for fridges which aren't full 100% of the time and have a comparatively large cool-air loss everytime the door is opened; and for families with gormless fridge-browsers.

i would like an additional wide shelf, in the door, for extra milk ect,maybe in a futuristic world. it will automatically fill it self, (no food bills), and , some adjustment, to the freezer draws

Why are the thermostats always marked 1-5? What on earth does that mean? Thermostats should be marked in degrees C.

I once saw the most amaaaazing fridge in someone's house. It was as wide as an American fridge, but with equal size doors, and it was all one fridge. It was shallow, so nothing ever got lost at the back! Yet still deep enough for a Christmas turkey, according to the owner. It was lovely. (So was he, but that's another matter entirely.)

I like my current fridge. unfortunately, it is now more insulated cupboard than fridge as the bloody thing has broken.

i would like a fridge that did not make horrible gurgling noises. and one that dies quietly rather than sounding like a badly loaded washing machine on a spin cycle, you are not supposed to be terrified of your fridge

an alarm or flashing light oo thermometer to show that the temperature has rrisen

easy to clean. my veg drawers had little crevices that were impossible to get clean, and leaked all over the floor/my feet when trying to wash them. mum's fridge drawers are one piece so do not have that problem.

I would like freezer drawers that do not fall out easily. 3 out of four are held together with duct tape.

adjustable shelves. easily adjustable. without having to empty the shelf below/above as well.

strong shelves that can take 8-12 pints of milk in bottles without collapsing. we get through at least 3 pints of milk a day.

afridge freezer that will work independently. if one half breaks the other will keep working so that you can continue to function whilst buying a new fridge freezer. you can keep going if you can freeze ice blocks to cool your fridge, or a fridge to keep your freezer stuff cool while you use it/cook it/ find somewhere else for it to go.

Had to buy 2 firdge-freezers in last 5 years.
First one couldn't cope with a room below 15 degrees. Like, y'know, most people's houses at night in the winter. The engineer confirmed that almost no UK fridges are guaranteed to work below perfectly normal temps, and this fact is the source of lots of abuse of fridge engineers.
Dual thermostats are a must - trying to circulate the coolness from the freezer to the fridge just leads to fridge death.

Big problem with new fridge was enough tall door space for milk bottles and juice cartons - many only allow pints in the bottom. Our new one can hold pints in another door shelf but the front that holds them in is rather low so if the door slams, a glass pint bottle lands on the floor. Also the two drawers at the bottom have no frame holding them straight, so you have to use two hands to close them properly so the door can close.

Seconding req for dials to be in degrees, not 1-5 - is 5 warmer because it's a bigger number, or is it more cooling so colder? The alarm when the door isn't shut properly has been amazingly useful. Handles need to be large and robust - the new friidge at work broke in a week.

Other than that, I really don't care, just economical and large capacity inside - it'll get covered in artwork and magnets soon enough.

I would like a half shelf to make a section where you can stand bottles upright. Small drawers in addition to the veg drawer would also be useful.

I am not bothered about wine holders and egg racks and have removed both from mine.

A temp gauge would be useful. I don't know if it is possible but thinking of the chorizo in click lock pot currently stinking my fridge out, some sort of sealed drawer or section for strong smelling products would be perfect!

Easy to clean - no tight corners. Moulded trays so that the corners are smooth to allow cleaning.

An internal thermometer would be really useful, as would a warning beep if the fridge gets too warm (I have one of these on my freezer).

A lockable/childproof bit would be useful for wine and chocolate.

Externally I think it would not be too difficult to design a "clip in" colour scheme, so that different external colours could be chosen.

Eggs don't go in the fridge so they don't need their own shelf and special holder.

I would like more flexibility in terms of moving shelves and door sections around easily.

I hate those rigid plastic drawers which so easily crack.

Make them easier to clean - shelves and drawers should come out easily and without cracking.

Internal thermometer.

Choice of colours other than white.

Not noisy. I have a new fridge freezer from John Lewis which just makes a little humming noise, so perhaps the noisy fridge is a thing of the past.

Why can't they go in colder areas any more - like the garage? Not so much for fridges I suppose, but it would be so useful to have a big freezer in the garage for all the stuff that doesn't fit in the small freezer in the kitchen.

Was going to say noticeboard on the front, but actually I love the idea of a blackboard from earlier in the thread.

I love my fridge/freezer and only thing I would change is having a water/ice dispenser that comes apart very easily to clean rather than one which entails me having to use a steamer on it to clean it properly.

A built in Ice Cream maker please.....

An in built mr whippy ice cream maker.

Definitely easily customised on the outside and different coloured shelves would be good too.
Finger print proof and not easily dented by passing trikes,

Water dispenser that can be locked.
A wine dispenser that can be locked.
Alarm, temperature and child lock adjustable from the outside.
The top should repel dust.

Inside I would like to have;
no egg storage
pull out shelves which are easily removed and can be split in half length or width ways so you can adjust the storage.
built in airtight boxes for cheese etc. They could be under shelves and slide out or could be attached inside the door.
A drawer for jars and yoghurts.
Things to stop cans and bottles from rolling around.
Raw meat section on the bottom.
Salad drawer easily cleaned and removable.
Some way to label or colour code the shelves so people put things back in the right places.

Freezer should have drawers that pull out and are easily removed.
The drawer fronts should pull off so the drawers can be used as shelves if needs be.
Must be frost free.
Ice maker or somewhere to store made up ice cubes.
Pizza storage.
Vodka storage
It should come with portion sized containers that fit perfectly in the drawers that can also be used for cooking.

Here is what I want in a fridge:

Self-cleaning

Rotating shelves, so i don't keep discovering old, suppurating packs of long-lost green beans at the back, and so putting new food in after a supermarket shop doesn't involve a wholesale re-org

Shelves marked for everything

Spare shelves/drawers for when they break due to overloading

Nice areas for keeping fruit like apples (also rotating)

Ice machine, water machine

In-built cheese box

Area that keeps butter cool yet soft enough to spread

Freezer to rotate also

Areas in freezer for staples (eg fish fingers)

Ice lolly makers built in to freezer

Little note pads (with pen) for shopping list for forgetful mums (me)

Pimms area of freezer in summer

Automatic re-ordering from freezer to Sainsburys online, so i never run out of staples such as fish fingers or oven chips

Freezer itself to suggest dinner ideas and slide them into oven when I have lost the will to live/cook one more meal

Thanks Servis, in advance!

OK, the competition seems to be relating to the outside decoration, so I would like the opportunity to be able to make some cling ons of my children's art work, but with the ability to change them as they grow. A choice of colours other than white would be nice too.

Really what I would like is more input into the interior. The ability to buy replacement door produce holders, trays and lids - or even better, ones that don't break in the first place. Glass shelves are much better than the wire ones, but are a bit too heavy for me when I take them out to clean and don't allow air flow (which I always thought was important in a fridge). Also, stupid 'defrost' valves at the back, that are not easily accessible and block up and then spill onto the floor - inconvenient and a slip risk. Please get rid of the rubbish drawers in upright freezers, or even worse drop-down flaps. The plastic goes brittle a breaks in less than 2 years every time. Not only have I been buying and using fridges and freezers for the last 30 years, I have also worked in catering and home care throughout that time, so have used and cleaned many different models.

Could you also make a chilled water/ice dispenser with filters that cost less than £50?! Shall not be buying one of those models again.

My Bosch fridge is pretty good (sorry!). The fridge is cleverly designed so it can be placed tight against a wall but you can still open the door toward the wall and access/remove all the drawers and shelves. The doors are reversible, we reversed them for the new kitchen layout.

The worst thing is dents and tired white paint.
It wouldn't be good to do a recolouring pack of a few trims and spray paint and then a perfectly functioning but dated fridge could be face lifted. Stick with a smaller range of models so the spares are kept available. A nice timeless styling or a contemporary/retro alternative. Truly I think so many appliances are ditched to landfill because they are out of fashion which far outweighs any carbon saving of running costs.

Also please built in child locks as we damaged the doors on ours with some awful stick on thing.

Your fridge freezers are pretty perfect - but always scope for new ideas. I would like the draws of the freezer to have tops which hold ice cubes. One smaller draw for holding frozen treats to be only opened by mum - maybe finger print activated? And also finger print activated draw in fridge section too to keep my chocolate and kids rationed treats. If I decide to go on a diet perhaps programme it not to open for me past 7pm - my danger time. Definitely variable shelves height in fridge for parties! Maybe a divider in freezer draw which can be slid across depending on how you want to organise it. An alarm which alerts you if doors are left open. Obviously uses hardly any energy and while we are at it a device which discreetly removes the unwanted children's art after a few weeks and keeps my favourite pieces. Let me know when its ready :-)

Earlier in the week I saw pictures of a chilled drawer - looks just like a rather large kitchen drawer but pulled out it was like a mini fridge right at worktop/drawer height. Having a few of those would likely have the same storage as a fridge with each one you could have at a different temperature for meats and things or just one or two for things you really need to keep to hand often with less used stuff in the fridge. As I'm disabled, I was dreaming about not having to bend down or reach up to things or have to do the back and forth as we do now (with my tiny kitchen, the fridge/freezer is actually in the next room) and the chilled drawers looked amazing for us.

Not sure about freezers, I dislike using ours as, like other have said even as a frostfree it sticks with frost and the front of the drawers comes off. My partner wants a massive chest one so he can ransack massive deals, but the digging into one would be hard. Very frustrating things.

Outside

• integrated chalk board bit for shopping lists
• integrated digital photo frame
• temperature gauge
• lockable

Inside

• door pockets that don't fall out and break bottles of gin (still bitter three years on)
• extra shelves so if you need lots of short shelves you can
• drawers that don't break
• drawers on proper easy-glide wheels so that they go in and out without breaking
• split shelves so you can put taller things in without losing a whole shelf
• good lighting not just in one area but all over so that it is not easily blocked rendering the fridge dark

Oh god, I dream about my fridge ideals.

My current fridge freezer is built in - too high - to our kitchen.

So, primarily, any fridge I can reach into is good.

My biggest, BIGGEST issue with fridges is the inconvenience of having to pull stuff out to get stuff in. You know, when you need the ham out quick to make a packed lunch at 8.35am because you had a couple of glasses of wine on a school night and couldn't be naffed with making the sandwiches the night before? Then the petit filous come out with the ham (which has frozen to the back of the fridge) and break and spill all over the squidgy plastic grooves that keep it airtight. I so don't look forward to cleaning that up at 7pm when I get home.

So, that's a few things. I appreciate that my fridge may not be the most technologically modern, but something to stop stuff freezing to the back.

Larder style shelves that pull out could be good.

Ultra flexible shelving.

Enough door space and flexibility to store milk cartons, butter, annoying tomato puree tubes and small pots of stuff like mustard, as well as jumbo sized mayonnaise containers.

Nobody needs an egg rack. Ever.

I like those fridges that have drawers - clear plastic ones - so you can just chuck everything in like you do in the veg drawers and still feel vaguely organised.

A narrow drawer for parma ham and smoked salmon and things.

Variable humidity sort of arrangements so that cheese and things are okay.

I don't care what colour so long as not 'trendy' because these things look crap by the time I can afford to 'update'.

I do like Smeg fridges but they are the exception to the above.

No freezer in a fridge freezer is ever big ENOUGH. all freezers should have enough space to store a Barbie ice cream cake until serving - i.e. tall shelf space when required.

Note to Freezer designer: Aunt Bessie's Yorkshire puddings and fish fingers tend to fall out of packets unless you are sensible enough to properly seal the original bag or box. I'm not, so wire basket drawers cause 'accidents'.

I do not EVER want to have to defrost anything that isn't food. So, though I'm sure this is the norm these days, self-defrosting freezers are essential.

I could go on, but I won't.

I would like : wine/ bottle racks that are remove able, a quiet fridge, different height options (we have extra high ceilings, but. I appreciate some do not), a better way of keeping salad and veg than the conventional drawer system, easily replaceable parts, different colour ways.

I'd like a drinks dispenser. I think on a thread on here recently someone had the bright idea of filling this with gin!

I'd like lots of shelves, and for these to be flexible, with boxes, shelves, drink bottle holders etc of all different shapes and sizes that you could switch around like a jigsaw.

The shelves on the door need to be deep enough to fit several 4pint milk cartons in.

I do not want one of those silly, pointless egg holders.

Maybe one of the drawers or boxes should be alarmed - so if the kids are sneaking into the treat box I'll know about it.

I do not keep my eggs in the fridge, so no need for egg storage.

The facility to be able to move the shelves around to accommodate larger items.

No fiddly corners and edges in the drawers that make them difficult to clean.

Wine bottle hangers

A flexible system of shelves & holders in the door. I need a separate compartment to store my husband's medication, but in my fridge it has to share space with the butter!

Not stupid freezer compartment in the fridge! It wastes space.

Also, it bugs me that the salad crisper is at the bottom of my fridge, i know why it's there, but i dont want it there. In my old job, the fridges were fruit/veg at the top, then dairy, then cooked meat, then raw meat at the bottom as it's more hyge ic that way. It boils my piss that my current (stupid) fridge doesn't help me set it up like that.

Four shelves at least, for the four groups mentioned above.