Integrated or not?

[Chinnyreckoning]

We are doing our first ever kitchen so need advice. What are the pros and cons of integrated appliances? We don't want to make any expensive mistakes! Thanks

I always have integrated in my kitchen. It looks better and gives the kitchen a more clean, sleek look.

We were going to have freestanding but then the kitchen designer pointed out that as we were having +++ appliances we'd basically have no cupboard doors! Which was pointless as we'd chosen doors we really liked. So all integrated here, looks a great but was a bit of a pain when the dishwasher leaked.

No real downside apart from having to carefully measure up and choose from a smaller range if you need replacements.

All built in here except washing machine and tumble dryer in laundry room. They are stacked in a purpose built housing.

You might prefer the look of integrated.

However integrated appliances cost more and you'll possibly not be able to (easily) fit a freestanding replacement later.

I can't stand guessing which appliance is hiding where either

We have freestanding.

much more expensive, so not being able to tolerate seeing appliance doors will cost you. Also much harder to fix, and when it fails you'll be paying for the new one to be fitted.

that said I may be forced into an integrated fridge as the only freestanding one of the size I want has some bad design features. But no way for dishwasher, washing machine and so on. Oven will show up anyway.

I always put crinolines round the legs of my tables. I don't want anyone to be able to see that tables have got legs.

Being able to see that a kitchen contains a fridge would be just as bad.

We have an integrated dishwasher.

Like a pp, washing machine and tumble dryer are not integrated but are stacked in a custom-built cupboard.

Then our American-style FF is technically freestanding, but fits within a housing with storage above and either side, sort of like this.

Integrated may look nicer if you are after a uniform look, but are more of a PITA to buy/fit/fix/replace. We are on our third dishwasher since fitting our kitchen, so I'm very glad indeed we went for freestanding.

I think it depends on the appliance. Fridge freezer and freestanding range can be a feature and give you more usable space for the width, depending on the style of your kitchen. But built-in ovens give you a lot more choice as to features and where they go.

Integrated dishwasher is just a freestanding one with a door on the front so easy to do . Washer and dryer you can usually hide freestanding ones behind doors.

I think it depends on the appliance and where it us. Our kitchen is u-shaped, we have our fridge freezer freestanding at the end of the U, but our dishwasher is integrated as it's basically slap bang in the middle so would really interrupt the run of units.

Yeah I'm leaning towards integrated. I am all stand alone at the moment and i hate the gaps etc

Buxbaum

What couloir is your kitchen and where is it from?

I hate having to get down on the floor to see into or clean the oven so I would always choose an eye-level built-in model for that reason.

I prefer freestanding to integrated but I think that's unusual, most people seem to prefer integrated

Sorry @worieddd, that’s not my actual kitchen - just a stock image from Google. Mine is a mid grey Shaker style from Howdens but if it helps their Skye colour is a similar sage green.

We went with integrated washing machine and dishwasher as our place is quite open plan and we didn’t want it to look too much like a utility room and we wanted a modern, streamlined look, see pic. We did get a freestanding fridge as the capacity is so much bigger.

Largely a matter of taste and budget. Some specifics:

• we've had a handleless integrated DW and it was a PITA. Hard to open without a proper handle. Also warmth, water and chipboard are not a happy combination.
• IMO if space is limited, a 60cm freestanding cooker is the most efficient way to get a decent size double oven in. If you have more space then you have various options with integrated ovens in taller units or 2 side by side, but if you only have space for 1x 60cm undercounter space for your oven, grill etc, for us the integrated doubles are all too small whereas a well chosen freestanding one is plenty.
• Similarly with WM etc, for us we go for a bigger freestanding one and take the hit on the look. Life's too short to run a smaller washing machine!

We have an integrated dishwasher and washer and drier are freestanding but hidden behind cabinet doors. I don’t want to be reminded of laundry! Also seems to reduce some of the noise. I don’t mind most other appliances freestanding.

Everything integrated except the range cooker. Makes it much easier to keep the floor clean as fewer nooks and crannies. It takes approximately 5 minutes to learn which appliance is behind which door.

When you live in a kitchen you do know where the alliances are! I have a dishwasher that opens up with internal lights coming on at the end of its wash cycle! I know where it is and I don’t have to open it. Luxury indeed!

I have an open plan kitchen/family room. In the kitchen the dishwasher is integrated. In the family room there is 1 full wall where the boiler is, plus a boxed in pipe for the bathroom water /toilet ( this is an oldish extension). So we had the same cupboard doors in a different shade and the fitter brought the carcasses out a bit and framed it so we could have a freestanding washer and separate dryer built in plus slim cupboards either side, with wall cupboards at either end. We fitted an mdf worktop and painted it the same colour as the doors. The TV sits on top. It looks very sleek, hides a multitude of sins, and was easy to do.

Here's the photos.

Like the colour of that! What is it