How do people incorporate fridge freezers into new kitchens these days?

[Flump5]

Was planning on boxing in an American ff but reading the other thread worried about replacing in a short period of time and not finding a replacement that fits. Integrated just seems too small for our needs,free standing doesn’t look quite as streamlined….

No, no issues. They open in opposite directions, so fridge is hinged on left and freezer on right so if open together it just looks like a combined fridge freezer.

And takes no account of personal preference!
I would never have a freestanding dishwasher for a start. I like it to be behind a door which matches the kitchen. If my washing machine was in the kitchen that would be integrated too.

There's plenty of choice in integrated appliances. There doesn't need to be as much as freestanding as aesthetics don't come into it.
Yes, they are marginally more difficult to replace, but for something I only need to replace every 5/8/10 years I'm happy to have to unscrew a few more screws for a nicer look.

Integrated fridge freezers are where you do have a compromise. They have less space internally because of having to fit in the cabinet. But they're still the right choice in some kitchens.

Damn looks as if those two are too high.😭We weren’t going to have ceiling height cupboards which would be extra expense. But will look at other ones although I’m presuming all larder fridges will be the same height.

No not ceiling height, but kitchen is extension so not standard height I guess, much higher in places.
Kitchen was from Magnet.

I have just had a new kitchen, went for integrated dishwasher but free standing retro style fridge with small freezer - think cream, rounded corners etc. And a separate freezer in the new utility room alongside washing machine and dryer. Freezer used to be in garage.

Having said that I don't like too much uniformity so left space for open shelving and a separate cupboard alongside the fitted units. (More country kitchen look). If you want sleek and modern then integrated everything makes sense.

Ours is boxed in. Not integrated but cabinets either side and above it. I’m not too worried if we have to replace it as it’s a common size, 90cm wide.

The way our boxing in is done, the hole in the cabinets is quite a bit larger than the fridge and then there is a filler strip all the fridge to make it fit snugly. If a replacement was slightly larger we could take out the filler strip and cut it down a bit.

We have one full height fridge and one full height freezer right next to each other, both integrated so people just think they are cupboards like the rest until we open the fridge - works perfectly! A combined Fridge/freezer never has enough freezer space and we wanted everything integrated so ruled out American fridge from early on. We are glad we got one of each

I have two houses with two different set ups (yes, I know, I am the devil. For what it’s worth, I’ve paid for all of it myself) House 1 has an American style fridge freezer. House 2 has a full height fridge and a full height freezer, next to each other, integrated, opening opposite each other. House 2 set up works way better for us. More space in the fridge and freezer, looks “tidier” and I don’t spend far too much time trying to make the sodding (fingerproof but actually not - Fisher Paykel are liars!) fridge freezer look clean.

Out of interest are your cupboards ceiling height?It’s not the width that’s an issue but the height(and depth to some extent but aware it will stick out), both seem to vary a lot. We also need one that doesn’t need too big an opening circle. Good idea re the filler strip.

Wish the original designer had pointed this out at the beginning.😫 Never done a kitchen refit before, won’t be hurrying to do one again. Sooo many things to think of.

We have a boxed in American fridge freezer. Just replaced a 20 year old one, and found one that fits the gap. There were quite a few that would have fitted the gap - so this wasn't a concern of mine

if you box it in you need a lot of space at the back and possibly vents on top to allow air flow.

We have a freestanding american FF with cupboards built around and on top. The standard size (though you can get bigger/smaller ones than this) is about 1790X912/913). We recently replaced ours as it broke after 10 odd years and had no problem getting a replacement. We actually got the same brand but newer model. We didnt want an integrated appliance as we wanted the water/ice dispenser. We have a cupboard either side which we have no issues opening and a cupboard on top (there is a slight gap at the top which can only really be seen if the fridge doors are open and we were advised to have this for ventilation). The doors have some adjustment on them so when DH fitted the new one he just adjusted to open properly within the space its in

Also to say our cupboards are ceiling height. So we have two broom type cupboards with a narrow cupboard above like below

Yes, ventilation is important for longevity of your appliance and this is a potential issue with ceiling height cabinets.
Top boxes that go across the top of the FF are usually half depth so allow for ventilation at the back as long the ceiling does not block the gap at the back!

And looks tack tacky tacky

I have an integrated American with ice and water. It’s still on AO at around £1200 so very reasonable and cheap to replace if it fails.

We had the Samsung American one boxed in the gas started to leak at the back after 7 years so we bought the exact same one

We have a boxed in freestanding American style FF. One side is boxed only up to worktop height and the other side is a broom closet. It is worktop depth so it doesn’t jut out.

Ours is 12 years old, side-by-side and going strong. When it dies I hope to find one of the same dimensions but with a French door fridge on top and freezer below. Worst case, we can swap out the broom closet if necessary.

PS And cabinets over

Judgy judgy people

I like my free standing - I think it looks real and normal

We were recently looking for a new kitchen but abandoned it when we could not get a fridge and freezer suitable. I have looked at so many and the capacity is ridiculous unless you go very large. I was happy to go free standing . The size though really does not look good when everything else is integrated.

I tend to agree - integrated appliances are fine (if small) when your kitchen is newly fitted. But as they wear out and need repairs and replacement, they become an absolute headache. It is like signing a contract that limits your future options and will cost you time and money down the line.

I bought a house with integrated side by side under counter fridge and freezer and hate them. Not enough space in either, even though they have the largest capacity of any integrated ones on the market.

I will never ever ever get integrated white goods again. If they need repair or replacing it's an utter pita.