Will a freestanding fridge freezer look silly in our brand new kitchen?

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So we have finally decided on a design for our new kitchen and we have included a lovely tall freestanding fridge freezer which has housing around it. We decided on this because we didn’t think an integrated one would give enough space and there aren’t enough of us or enough space to justify an American one.

I’m having a wobble now though! Tell me it will look okay please? I’ve been trying to find Pinterest photos to reassure me but no luck

It will look fine. Make sure you account for some space between the sides and back of the fridge and the housing as there needs to be an air gap (the fridge specs will tell you how much). Personally though I would just ditch the housing altogether and go for a prettier fridge.

Actually I've decided I like the housing!

Not so keen on the black one.

If it’s a statement fridge freezer why are you putting it in a housing unit? I think they look better freestanding myself, as I think the pictures demonstrate, if it’s an ordinary fridge freezer I think they should be hidden completely as I don’t think they are attractive personally.

I think what carol has posted works well because they are American fridge freezers in bespoke units, an ordinary fridge freezer not so much. Can you post a picture of your fridge freezer?

They've decided against an American style fridge freezer. We have one but we're lucky enough to have the space. It's in an alcove with no cupboards around it - means you can get at the external filter without too much bother.

If the fridge is in a "tall wall" of high units, such as Larder, Cleaners and Oven housings, you can leave a gap and it will look fine. Or you can put a décor panel next to it so you don't see the side, and can't look behind it. They are (usually) available to match the doors, in a painted or veneered finish.

Or you can buy a piece of laminated chipboard made by Egger or one of the other companies (look at their website, they have a vast array, and most kitchens carcases made of them). Suppliers will post you a sample for about a pound each, Egger will send them free. There are numerous companies who will cut to size. It comes out much cheaper than a décor panel from the kitchen company. You can use a filler panel or a top-hinged door to fill the gap above the freezer.

I was thinking of using one in my own kitchen, but had a chippy working here who ran up a small partition wall in about a day, to be painted to match the walls. It goes up to the ceiling and you'd think it was part of the house.

Thanks all for the comments so far. I agree that the American one looks great but the big capacity one I want is a bit more boring! Definitely not a statement one.

Positioning wise it will be between the tall oven housing and a tall larder unit.

Hopefully I can show you the fridge freezer I was thinking of

doing the same here - no integrated units, waste of cash.and worse quality. no one ever blubbers about a visible oven.

Must admit it would not be my choice to have a non statement fridge freezer visible but it sounds as though the way you have designed the kitchen that it will be quite unobtrusive and fit in well along the run so I think it will look perfectly fine.

This is the closest I could find to a non American non statement fridge freezer in a housing unit, could you do something like this design perhaps?

statement kitchen appliances??????

good god.

We just have our fridge freezer - very similar to yours OP - against a wall. It looks fine.

Dsis has a "housing" unit - was part of the kitchen when she moved recently and she has to have her FF sticking out the front of it or she can't open it enough to get the shelves/drawers out to clean it.

Lots of kitchens have freestanding appliances which are just that - totally normal. It's a kitchen, you expect to find (and see) appliances in there.

Our new kitchen, going in next week, has the fridge freezer behind part of a structural wall, outside the kitchen area altogether. It's a plain silver one and will sit next to a run of bookcases. Yours will look fab, especially as it's actually IN your kitchen!

Oh, and we have a freestanding dishwasher going into the kitchen space. I really don't like integrated appliances apart from oven/hob!

If you have space for freestanding, I cannot see why you wouldn’t have built in. It’s just a more finished look and not so bitty. Easier to keep clean too as no gaps to worry about. Integrated are no smaller than free standing. I don’t understand why you think they are.

Bubbles the freestanding ones we are looking at have a capacity of more than 250l for the fridge and approx 130l for the freezer. The integrated ones I have found are loads less than that. Or am I missing something?

We also have a freestanding "normal" FF. The 70cm ones are the perfect size for us - I can't remember the stats but ours is significantly bigger than a 60cm integrated. Plus we love the water and ice dispenser.

Freestanding do look less streamlined but are practical, widely available and a completely mainstream choice.

Leibherr do lots of integrated ones around 235/250l capacity. Bigger too if you want. They are excellent and last forever! You can fit a freezer underneath. I think the two alliances together (or just the one) are too tall though: freestanding or built in. I would have the freezer built in separately rather than have one tall piece of equipment. Next to the oven isn’t great either.

I agree with the PP that said why not go integrated? Definitely a much better look. And you can get decent sized ones if you look hard enough.

Not everybody likes an identi-kitchen.

Built in kitchens are a bit like plain painted walls and beige carpets to me - lacking in character.

I like a butchers block, a big sink and a granite pastry counter and marble shelves in the pantry cupboard to keep stuff cool. Shelves and racks and pans hung above where they are used. A fridge against a wall looks just fine.

We did our kitchen last year and after much debate went with an integrated ff.

Fridge freezers aren't usually that attractive and as much as they are part of a working kitchen I'm pleased we decided to hide ours!

I've had the same dilemma and am going for freestanding - found that the integrated were expensive and didn't have the same size/efficiency that I wanted (especially going by Which? reviews)

I think the Leibherr ones are A+++. What more could you want? They are not cheap but they are superior. I actually have two Leibherr built in fridges and a freezer as I dislike the free standing American look. I think fridges tend to be ugly and you can have marble shelves, granite in abundance and even a big sink or two with built in! Lots of great design ideas go into the perfect kitchen but an ugly fridge isn’t up there in my view.

Anyone in a strict budget would think differently though. I get that.