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Original poster

kitchen design advice - what would be less annoying..?

24 replies

brewhaha · 29/03/2011 16:31

...to have the big american fridge freezer in the utility room, just off the kitchen or to have it in a place that looks a bit wrong in the kitchen diner? The only sensible place for it is at the end of the L of units, which would put it in the dining half of the kitchen. I'm thinking that's going to look and feel wrong/too dominant. The other end of the L would be in the chimney breast, which is really crying out for the cooker.
So, does anyone have their fridge/freezer in a utility? Is it really annoying? Do you curse every time you need to put milk in your tea? Or should we get a little undercounter fridge as well (feels extravagant!).
Can't decide!

OP posts:

Fizzylemonade · 29/03/2011 16:57

The last house we were in the previous people had their fridge/freezer in their utility and unfortunately this didn't work for me. Drove me insane, constantly opening the door to the utility (had to shut it as washing machine was in there and ds1 liked pressing buttons)

We relocated the fridge freezer into the kitchen by removing some units. It wasn't great but then it wasn't our forever house, the one I'm in is.

Built in fridges that go under the counter are teeny, you could always have an undercounter fridge and a larger one in the utility.

Sorry not much help!

teta · 29/03/2011 21:46

We are doing the same as you and siteing our large, very ugly fridge in the utility.All our food storage is going to be in there as well.The door will be open all the time i guess and we still have a working triangle,albeit a rather elongated one.We have planned in an integrated fridge in the island as well though.We want the kitchen to just be a food preparation area and i don't want any high cupboards as i feel they are very oppressive [but this is probably due to our current kitchen being dark oak with old terracotta tiles].we also have very little natural light and 3 doors plus a wide entrance to a dining extension means there isn't enough space for the fridge.I really don't see why your idea won't work.

Ponks · 29/03/2011 21:56

We are having a new kitchen / diner extension and will have a utility room for the first time. We are going to have a small integrated undercounter fridge in the kitchen (for milk & butter etc) and a big fridge freezer in the utility. Yes extravagant but want as much worksurface and space in the kitchen bit as possible.

Original poster

brewhaha · 30/03/2011 00:10

interesting - thanks! maybe the FF will be consigned to the utility room after all! liking the idea of the small integrated fridge for milk etc.

OP posts:

mulranno · 04/04/2011 14:30

we have this arrangement ... the big fridge in the utility + small under counter fridge in kitchen hate it hate it hate it and I designed it (form over function - mistake)....just been to view another house as we are moving...it had this arrangement and it put me off....anyone know if you can have integrated style american FF?

titchy · 04/04/2011 14:41

You could have it towards the end of your L - but not right at the end. Have the FF built into an alcove with full height narrow larder units either side and plinth across the top so it looks bult in. i wouldn't have it in the utility - too inconvenient.

Original poster

brewhaha · 05/04/2011 08:21

Thanks! with my sensible hat on, I realise it's more important to get the layout right and get rid of the applianes that aren't going to work. I was hoping the ff would work in the utility as it would be a few steps from the cooker really, but I suppose it's a psychological gap!!

OP posts:

GrendelsMum · 05/04/2011 08:52

The inlaws have the 'little undercounter fridge' + 'big fridge in utility room' layout, and it doesn't work at all - you can't remember what you've put in where, so everyone is constantly looking in both , and losing track of how much cheese / milk / leftovers there actually is in the house. They would have been much better off just having the big fridge.

Original poster

brewhaha · 05/04/2011 09:12

yip, can imagine doing that! My current fridge is not exactly orderly!

OP posts:

mumonthenet · 05/04/2011 10:48

No, no, don't do it...it'll drive you nuts.

Take titchy's advice.

Deux · 05/04/2011 11:17

Could you ditch the American f/f idea? Then reconfigure your layout to have a tall built in fridge in your kitchen and put a freezer in the utility room.

From your post, your gut feel is that it will drive you mad to go in and out of your utility, so I think you should trust your instinct.

IHeartKingThistle · 05/04/2011 21:21

Our fridge is in the utility room. It's intensely annoying and I keep having to throw away milk as DH is too lazy to put it away.

We've only been in the house since December and thank goodness the kitchen is knackered enough to justify a redesign!

Original poster

brewhaha · 05/04/2011 21:24

Aaah, this is what I was fearing! I really love our big fridge freezer but really starting to think we'll have to ditch it!

Separate freezer in utility is fine, no?

OP posts:

Pannacotta · 05/04/2011 21:26

I like Deux's idea, get a large fridge and put the freezer in the utility.

domesticslattern · 05/04/2011 21:34

My BIL and SIL have a massive fridge outside their kitchen and it is a design disaster. Even when we are just visiting, it drives us bonkers having to make "special trips" to the fridge, then cursing when we forgot things and had to walk back for them.
Don't do it! If need be, have a smaller fridge in the kitchen and the freezer in the utility room.

Deux · 06/04/2011 13:14

I think you'd be fine with the freezer in your utility. How many times a day do you go to your freezer? And how many times to your fridge?

We are rennovating downstairs and I'm (currently!) planning to have a large fridge in the kitchen, integrated in a tall stack and then have a freezer in the utility room. I may get a tall fridge that has a small ice box that will take ice cubes, oven chips, fish fingers, peas as these seem to be the items I take out of the freezer the most [blush}.

Deux · 06/04/2011 13:14

WhereYouLeftIt · 06/04/2011 13:24

"The other end of the L would be in the chimney breast, which is really crying out for the cooker."

I had originally intended putting a range-style cooker in the chimney breast, but then changed my mind and put in two stacked ovens and a separate hob, and a big FF in the chimney-breast - works really well, nice small work triangle. Does your chimney breast really cry out for a cooker?

Original poster

brewhaha · 06/04/2011 14:21

mmm, could i lose the cooker in the chimney breast? Might free up the design a bit... I could have nice pan drawers underneath...

or I agree, just freezer in utility would be fine...

OP posts:

ilovemykitchenaid · 06/04/2011 15:33

if its a shared chimney in a semi you cannot use the chimney to vent your cooker extractor fan as it breaches building regulations.

I wanted to do the cooker in the chimney thing but because of this had the chimney breast taken out which gave me free reign over the layout

Original poster

brewhaha · 06/04/2011 19:27

you serious?

It's a semi and the other house has a chimney in the same place as us, but surely the chimneys are separate?

If you can't vent the extractor, I suppose we could just have one of those (pretty ineffective) grease filter type ones?

OP posts:

SummerRain · 06/04/2011 19:30

My friend has her big fridge freezer in the utility and it seems to work fine for them.

ChasingSquirrels · 06/04/2011 22:20

I have a fridge freezer (that we brought to the house with us) in the utility and a built-in fridge in the kitchen.
I don't have any problems with it at all.
Kitchen fridge has milk, butter, eggs, jam, spreads, ham, etc - stuff I use on a daily basis when making breakfast, packed lunches, snacks.
Utility fridge has drinks, fruit & veg, chocolate :). The fruit/veg I go and get when I am preparing a meal, and I would be going as the freezer is there anyway.
Works well for me.

OsbegaEthelwulf · 07/04/2011 09:15

our fridge freezer is in the utility and has been for last 12 years ; has never bothered me once in that time

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