It's no secret that I'm a sucker for insanely fun design around the home. Goofy kitchens are my favorite pet projects since most residential kitchens are designed not by visionary architects, but by beer swilling contractors only trying to ensure a quick sale.

Once upon a time a crazy cat named Tom Hendrick owned a hardware store frequented by Mennonite farmers that didn't believe in fancy things like gas ranges and electric cook tops. When it became difficult to find new wood burning ranges for his customers Tom bought the rights to an antique model and started making his own. Eventually the Elvira Stove Works started producing their antique-esque cook stoves with modern features for those of us not belonging to the Old Order.

The company eventually expanded their product offerings to include the Northstar line of fridges, stoves and range hoods inspired by iconic 1950's automobiles. All the modern conveniences are available, but with style that will stop traffic. The boss likes to joke, “We’ve updated our product line by 50 or a 100 years and we’re still 50 years out-of-date!"

The Northstar retro pieces come in seven classic auto paint colors, but sadly these are not the appliances that you'll be installing if the only goal is to cook on the cheap. Ranges and refrigerators start at $4,000, and the matching range hood is a cool $1,100. They've always priced themselves out of reach of most DIY renovators, but there's a price premium for boutique style, whether the object is a t-shirt or a cook stove.

(And on an extremely personal note...) Hey Developers, stainless appliances are only impressive status symbols if they're commercial grade equipment. Quit trying to trick the public into believing that a cheap silver veneer equals quality. Now that they've been installed in every new condo around the country, stainless steel appliances are on the way out, and it's time to look for unique designs to set new developments apart.