Photos by Christina Stoever
What was the inspiration behind the Rocco Super Smart Drinks Fridge?
Even though we had more drink options than ever before, there wasn’t a good place to keep them. Kitchen fridges are chaotic. They’re impossible to keep organized, usually filled with leftovers, wilted herbs, and unidentifiable smells. Cans end up rolling around on their sides or stuffed in a produce drawer. Kitchen fridges were designed for food, so drinks became an afterthought.
Beyond the kitchen fridge, wine fridges just hold wine even though we drink so much more than that. And bar carts don’t keep anything cold.
We wanted to create somewhere where all drinks could be delightfully organized in one place to elevate the ritual of getting a cold drink at the end of a long day. Somewhere away from the leftovers. Somewhere you’d feel confident saying ‘help yourself’ when a friend comes over.
.png)
Tell us about how the fridge was designed.
Drink/wine fridges had traditionally been big bulky boxes of steel without soul. We worked with an industrial designer in Milan, Italy because we wanted Rocco to blur the lines between a collectible piece of furniture and a high-end appliance. That’s why we paired a wavy glass door, a tubular handle, and a custom serving tray with the same powerful compression technology as Sub-Zero.
It was also important to us that Rocco didn’t feel like it was particular to a specific design era or dwelling so that whether you fill your home with mid-century or modern furniture, neutrals or pops of color, or have a small space or big space, it seamlessly fits in.
We thought of every detail whether it was designing the top to double as a bar cart, making the metal 3x thicker than anything on the market for durability, or adding a ‘whisper quiet’ mode, we wanted this to look, feel, and function like the crème de la crème of drink fridges.
What’s your favorite part about the New York creative community?
The best part about the New York creative community is that there’s no such thing as a “no.” Even when I ask a designer if they can take on a project and they can’t, it’s never “no.” It’s “I have these 3 other people who are free and can do a better job than me.” When the budget is too small or the set is too complicated or the shot list is too long, it’s never “no” and the shoot still comes out perfect. We work together to find ways to make things happen that no one else can, and that’s what makes creativity in New York so much more special than anywhere else.
What was the inspiration behind making this the first inclusive drinks fridge, with space for non-alcoholic beverages instead of just wine?
Alyse: I haven’t drank alcohol in 5+ years, but somehow I have more drinks than anyone I know. I drink cold brew in the morning, a Blood Orange San Pellegrino or Sour Blueberry United Soda in the afternoon, and a non-alcoholic spritz with dinner. My partner has his own collection of Pineapple Spindrifts and IPAs. Then we have all the drinks we keep for when friends come over – wine, mocktail/cocktail ingredients, more beer. We like to make sure we have something for everyone.
The first few years that I didn’t drink I used to hide it. Most of the time my friends didn’t have non-alcoholic options for me so I’d pour myself a drink-drink and not touch it. That’s changed over the years, but I still wanted to help create more inclusive gatherings for people who don’t drink and make sure Rocco reflected what people drink today, which is rarely just wine.
Do you have a favorite non-alcoholic beverage at the moment?
Ghia Berry. I like it even better than the original!
Follow Along: