Is it worth it... Smeg fridge

How do you decide what makes a good fridge? Butter kept cold enough? Plenty of ice cubes? Most fridges can handle these simple requirements, but when you hanker after something extra special and it's what's on the outside that counts, take a look at the Smeg Fab30 fridge-freezer. It has Fifties-style rounded edges and a sturdy shape that's been combined with Nineties technology and comes in colours from vibrant red to pastel blue and beyond. Undoubtedly the best is the silver model, a gleaming obelisk that shines from the corner of your kitchen, hinting at Fifties space-age design.

Retailing for a hefty pounds 999 (depending where you go), it is money well spent if you have it. Fridges are not usually objects of desire, but Smeg has managed to transform nightmare whiteware into the best reason to have a kitchen party. It can update the look of your kitchen without you needing to refit the entire room, and you may find life in your house starts revolving around its magnetic good looks.

But the appeal is not just cosmetic. The door opens and closes with a satisfying clunk, revealing a space large enough to fit a family's groceries with room to spare (a massive 270 litres - compare that to Bosch's pounds 900 fridge-freezer at 170 litres). And there are so many compartments the neat-freaks can spend happy hours arranging their jars of tapenade and separating their dairy from their meat and veg.

Of course, it isn't going to suit every house. Unmodernised Seventies kitchens will scream if you put it anywhere near, and you might feel it doesn't quite suit your country cottage. Still, these fridges are reaching cult status. "They sell like ice creams on a hot day," says the man from Smeg. Looks like we're in for a long summer.