Does this ruin my new kitchen?

[KitchenLayoutHelp]

We are moving into a new house, there was an integrated fridge freezer included that was too small for us, we already own an American fridge freezer we wanted to bring with us.

This isn't our kitchen, ours isn't finished yet but this is the same size and lay out. I have (badly) edited the kitchen like ours to show where our American fridge freezer is going and where the breakfast bar is being shortened to to allow extra room to pass by it.

It just looks a bit rubbish. I love how big open and bright the room looks in the first pic. I know we need to prioritise storage over looks but I'm worried it looks really bad and out of place. Does it?

Yes sorry looks cramped having it in the opening to the kitchen and like you’ll have to squeeze in to the space

I still think you would be better paying for it to be encased with matching surround to the kitchen units if it has to stay. A carpenter could do that and match the paint of the other units.
It’s the best option if you are keeping.

It’s not great but as above get a panel made so that it looks more fitted and in keeping with the kitchen and it will look less bolted on to the edge. Hope you’re happy in your new home.

Two ideas to try and soften the look of it:

1 Ask a carpenter to build some bespoke panelled sides and over the top cupboards so that the fridge freeze looks more of an integrated piece

2 Buy a plant and a really nice pot for it, and put it on a three foot or so high pot stand this side of the fridge freezer. The green will soften the size and look of the fridge freezer

It will be fine. We have a similar layout and the peninsula opposite the fridge is very handy when stocking the fridge / rifling through for ingredients.

The ideas of panelling around the fridge or adding a partition wall are both brilliant. A large fridge freezer central to your kitchen is well worth accommodating with a big family.

You can definitely style this out, op. Your new home will be lovely

Lots of cross posts whilst I was reading the thread!

Yes the kitchen is ordered through our developer but from a local company who can fit a unit around it. We wouldn't be able to afford that this year but it's an option for down the line if it looks awful.

As much as I wish we stuck with the integrated we do need the space so I think I just have to suck it up

It'll be fine, when I moved into my house it had an under counter fridge and freezer side by side, after a few years I got rid of them and replaced with a large American style fridge freezer, as the kitchen is fitted it had to standalone, it looked huge to begin with and I was unsure about it but now I don't even notice it. The undercoated space now has my dishwasher which was in the utility room and racks for veg etc. Enjoy your new house, the kitchen will be lovely and you'll be glad of the big fridge.

I think it looks unbalanced and the integrated fridge is too big for the kitchen. With a family of five someone is always going to be squeezing behind whoever is at the fridge (which with kids is semi-permanently!).

Well that’s ok then from your update. You have a future solution when money allows. But a carpenter would do it cheaper for you. Just something to bear in mind.

It won't be a squeeze to walk through or to open the fridge, the fridge is edited on via paint and my line at where we've cut the breakfast bar is just a guess, nothing is too scale here. It has been measured about by the developers and is a comfortable fit. Lots of comments mentioning that so just to clarify

It’s ok, really it is - wait till the handy breakfast bar is covered with all sorts of crappy stuff people leave behind and not just the artful fruit bowl and glass of wine you are imagining.

Presume you’d be able to open the fridge doors 🤔

Cant it be closer to the camera or offset from the breakfast bar ?

@Mustreadabook

Cant it be closer to the camera or offset from the breakfast bar ?

It then eats into the dining half of the room leaving us with an out of place looking fridge and no dining table.

@BrummyMum1

It’s too late to rearrange the kitchen and it sounds like it’s all planned out to work. The thing that I couldn’t live with is seeing the side of a massive fridge. I would build a small partition wall on the dining room side of the fridge/freezer (cheap and easy to do).

This is a good idea. I think you’ll be happy with the bigger fridge freezer space when you move in. We have a tiny built in one and the freezer is ridiculous. Can you make it a feature? So say an indoor planter with a piece of trellis and some icy up or something?

Found this on pinterest which the kids would love 😂

What @WellTidy said 😂

Oh that’s a great find OP! Definitely do that!
I really think when you move in you’ll be so grateful of the extra fridge space and cupboard for the integrated.

As I said, all you actually need is a shallower fridge freezer.

It looks as though the angle you took the picture is the worst possible angle so it looks as bad as possible but I recon it isn't really that bad. I think you should do the Pinterest blackboard. I made a sign for my wedding using blackboard paint so it might be easier to create than you think. Once the room is dressed I'm sure it'll look lovely.

I think it's going to look great and you'll be glad you've got your lovely big fridge. Stick some fridge magnets to hold children's art work, bookcase for cook books and a trailing plant on top and it will look lovely and homely. Don't worry, and don't let it spoil the excitement of your new home!

I would say a large american fridge freezer for a family of 5 far out weighs the aesthetics of it all. I would much rather have a large fridge freezer with ice etc. You will make it work :)

@Nomorepies

Um yes, it's too big for a kitchen of that size. Can you move the breakfast bar? Even then the American style ones are just huge and only suit big kitchens. Can you look for a similar style slimline one?.

We can look for a slimmer one yes but a fridge to fit food for a family of 5 plus 2 spoilt pooches who's fancy food needs refrigerating probably can't be much smaller. I also don't think dh wants to give up his ice cube/filtered water dispenser.

I thought my new kitchen was quite big until I read these comments. 2 seats at breakfast bar and can fit a 6 seater table. I was quite pleased