It Was Time to Get Rid of This Fridge! | Why One Small Change Can Make Your Whole Home Work Better

Hey Roomies!!

We need to talk about something that has been irritating me since practically the moment we moved into this house.

The refrigerator.

Yes. The refrigerator.

Dented. Dated. And somehow managing to take up plenty of space while still not having enough space for the things we actually use.

How does that even happen?

For five months, I looked at it. I opened it. I closed it. I rearranged it. I tried to make peace with it.

I did not make peace with it.

But instead of immediately running out and buying something new simply because the old refrigerator was getting on my nerves, I waited. I figured out what wasn't working, thought about what we actually needed, watched for the right sale, and finally said...

It's time for you to go.

And roomies, today is the day.

Come along for the refrigerator replacement—and the little design lesson hiding behind it—in today's video:

Watch Rooms By Roma: It Was Time to Replace This Refrigerator!

Pretty Is Wonderful. Functional Is Fabulous.

You know I love beautiful things.

I love beautiful rooms, gorgeous fabrics, fabulous lighting, incredible artwork, stunning finishes, and those little unexpected details that make you stop and say, “Ohhhh... now THAT is good.”

But here's something I've learned after years of designing homes:

Pretty doesn't mean much if it doesn't work.

Your kitchen can photograph beautifully, but if you're frustrated every single time you open a cabinet, something needs attention.

Your bedroom can look luxurious, but if you can't sleep comfortably in it, we have a problem.

And your refrigerator can look perfectly acceptable from across the room while making you question every life decision you've ever made each time you try to fit a takeout container inside.

Design is about beauty.

But great design is about beauty working for real life.

We Didn't Need the Fanciest Refrigerator

This wasn't about finding the biggest, most expensive, most technologically advanced refrigerator on the planet.

I didn't need the refrigerator to send me emails.

I didn't need it to become Alexa's tutor.

I didn't need it to tell me the weather.

I needed it to hold our food.

Apparently, I have very demanding standards.

But I wanted to be thoughtful about what we actually use.

We need room for bottled water.

We need space for leftovers.

We need grab-and-go food.

We need things to be easy to see and easy to reach.

And yes...

We need room for takeout.

Let's stop pretending every meal in a beautifully designed kitchen begins with someone casually chopping organic vegetables while wearing linen.

Sometimes dinner comes in a bag.

And that bag needs somewhere to go.

Design for the Life You Actually Live

This is one of my biggest philosophies about interior design.

Stop designing your home for your imaginary life.

Design it for your actual one.

If you entertain constantly, create spaces that make entertaining easier.

If you never use a formal dining room, maybe that room should serve another purpose.

If you have children, pets, family, friends, hobbies, collections, or routines that affect how you live, your home should acknowledge them.

And if your refrigerator mostly contains bottled water, leftovers, quick meals, and takeout?

Then choose a refrigerator that works beautifully for bottled water, leftovers, quick meals, and takeout.

That's not glamorous.

That's smart.

And smart can be very sexy in interior design.

Five Months of Waiting

Here's another important part of this story.

I waited five months.

Could I have replaced the refrigerator immediately?

Sure.

Did I want to?

Absolutely.

Was I giving it side-eye every time I walked through the kitchen?

You know I was.

But not every problem in a new home needs to be solved during the first week.

When we move into a house, there's this enormous temptation to fix everything immediately.

New furniture!

New paint!

New lighting!

New appliances!

New artwork!

New rugs!

New everything!

And suddenly you're exhausted, overwhelmed, and spending money on decisions you haven't had enough time to understand.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is live with the problem for a little while.

Not forever.

We're not saints.

But long enough to understand what the actual problem is.

Waiting Helped Me Understand What We Needed

Those five months gave me information.

Every time I opened the refrigerator, I learned something.

What were we storing?

What wasn't fitting?

Which areas weren't useful?

What did I wish were easier to access?

What features would actually improve our everyday lives?

That's the difference between replacing something because you're annoyed and replacing something because you understand what needs to be better.

And then I waited for the right sale.

Because roomies, good design does not require us to throw money at every problem.

Sometimes the fabulous decision is also the financially sensible one.

I love that combination.

Your Home Does Not Need to Be Finished Tomorrow

I think social media has created this strange expectation that when someone moves into a new home, three weeks later there should be a dramatic reveal where every room is completely furnished, styled, accessorized, photographed, and somehow nobody has a cardboard box anywhere.

Whose life is this?

Because it's not mine.

This house has been evolving.

We've moved things around.

We've reused furniture.

We've hung artwork.

We've invited people over before everything was finished.

We've figured out what works.

We've discovered what doesn't.

And now, five months later, we're replacing a refrigerator.

That's real life.

A home doesn't need to become perfect overnight.

Actually, I think homes become more interesting when we give them time.

Room by Room. One Change at a Time.

That's the Rooms By Roma way.

We're not racing toward some imaginary finish line.

We're creating a home.

There's a difference.

A finished room says:

“We're done.”

A home says:

“We're living.”

And living means things change.

Our routines change.

Our families change.

Our tastes change.

Our needs change.

Sometimes the furniture moves.

Sometimes the artwork moves.

Sometimes the pillows move.

And sometimes the refrigerator gets politely—or perhaps not so politely—shown the door.

Every change teaches us something about how we want to live.

Find the Thing That's Creating Friction

Here's a little challenge for you.

Walk through your home and ask yourself:

What is making my everyday life harder than it needs to be?

Not:

“What isn't trendy?”

Not:

“What would look better on Instagram?”

Not:

“What does my neighbor have that I don't?”

What actually isn't working?

Maybe it's your refrigerator.

Maybe it's the kitchen drawer that becomes a wrestling match every morning.

Maybe it's poor lighting.

Maybe your dining chairs are beautiful but incredibly uncomfortable.

Maybe your entryway becomes a dumping ground because nothing has a designated place.

Maybe you need better storage.

Maybe your bedroom furniture is arranged in a way that makes the room feel cramped.

Maybe your sofa has been uncomfortable for ten years and everyone in the family knows the one seat nobody wants.

That's where I would start.

Small Changes Can Have a Huge Impact

We often think transforming our homes requires huge renovations.

Sometimes it does.

But some of the best improvements are surprisingly ordinary.

A better lamp.

A more comfortable chair.

A drawer organizer.

Proper window treatments.

Moving a piece of furniture.

Adding storage.

Changing a mattress.

Replacing an appliance that doesn't work for your lifestyle.

These things might not create the dramatic before-and-after photograph that gets everyone's attention.

But they may improve your life every single day.

And isn't that what good interior design is supposed to do?

Luxury Isn't Always What You Think

I've talked about this before, but the older I get and the more homes I design, the more my definition of luxury continues to evolve.

Luxury isn't simply expensive things.

Luxury is opening your refrigerator and being able to find what you're looking for.

Luxury is a bedroom that lets you rest.

Luxury is lighting that makes you feel comfortable.

Luxury is having somewhere to put your things.

Luxury is a home that supports you instead of constantly fighting you.

Sometimes luxury is marble.

Sometimes luxury is custom cabinetry.

And sometimes...

Luxury is having enough room for last night's takeout.

We're complicated people.

Don't Replace Something Just Because It's Old

Now, before everybody starts throwing appliances out of the house, let me clarify something.

Old doesn't automatically mean bad.

I love pieces with history.

I love vintage furniture.

I love objects that have lived a life.

I love mixing old and new.

If something works beautifully for you, keep it.

The question isn't whether something is old.

The question is whether it still serves the way you live.

There's a big difference.

Replacing something simply because a newer version exists isn't intentional design.

Replacing something because you've identified a real problem and found a better solution?

That's thoughtful.

Let Your Home Evolve With You

One of the things I'm enjoying about this new house is watching it slowly become ours.

Not all at once.

Piece by piece.

Room by room.

Memory by memory.

Some things from our previous home have found completely new lives here.

Some things didn't make sense anymore.

Some rooms surprised me.

Some decisions changed after we lived with them.

And that's okay.

I don't think our homes should ever feel frozen in time.

Our homes should evolve because we evolve.

The goal isn't to create the perfect house and then never touch anything again.

Where's the fun in that?

The goal is to create a home that keeps supporting the person—and the family—you are becoming.

Roma's Rule: Fix What Bothers You Most

If you're overwhelmed by everything you'd like to change in your house, don't make a list of fifty things and stare at it until you want to move.

Pick one.

Just one.

What's driving you crazy?

What problem do you encounter every single day?

What small improvement would make your routine easier?

Start there.

Research it.

Set a budget.

Wait for the right opportunity if you need to.

Then fix it.

Enjoy the improvement before immediately looking for the next problem.

Because creating a beautiful home should bring joy.

It shouldn't become another source of pressure.

The Refrigerator Is New. The Kitchen Is Still Ours.

That's probably my favorite part of this entire project.

We didn't redesign the entire kitchen because one appliance wasn't working for us.

We fixed the problem.

That's it.

Sometimes interior design is knowing when to transform everything.

And sometimes it's having enough restraint to say:

“Nope. We just need a better refrigerator.”

Not every problem requires demolition.

Not every refresh requires a shopping spree.

Not every improvement needs to become a renovation.

Sometimes one thoughtful change can make an entire room work better.

Final Thoughts From Roma

Roomies, I want you to remember something as you're creating your own home.

You are allowed to take your time.

Your home doesn't need to be finished because someone else's is.

You don't need to replace everything.

You don't need to chase every trend.

And you certainly don't need to spend money simply because something new exists.

Pay attention to how your home makes you feel.

Pay attention to how it functions.

Notice the little frustrations you experience every day.

Then ask yourself whether one thoughtful change could make life a little easier.

That's what we're doing here.

We're not creating a showroom.

We're creating a life.

And sometimes creating that life means beautiful artwork, meaningful furniture, gorgeous lighting, and fabulous accessories.

Sometimes it means honoring memories and bringing pieces from the past into a new chapter.

And apparently, sometimes it means finally getting rid of the dented refrigerator you've been giving dirty looks to for five months.

She's had her moment.

It's time.

Watch today's video and come along as we finally replace the refrigerator and talk about designing a kitchen—and a home—for the way you actually live:

Watch Rooms By Roma: It Was Time to Get Rid of This Fridge!

For more interior design inspiration, kitchen design ideas, home improvement tips, decorating advice, and personalized interior design services, visit Rooms By Roma.

And now I want to know:

What is the ONE thing in your home that's driving you absolutely crazy right now?

The drawer?

The lighting?

The sofa?

The closet?

The refrigerator?

Choose one.

Your entire house doesn't need to change today.

Start there.

One problem. One solution. One room at a time.

That's how a house slowly becomes the home you actually want to live in.

And as always...

I look forward to creating with you.