If you could only have two tall units in the kitchen....

[MyCatHatesOtherCats]

...which combo would you pick?

It is likely we can only get two tall units into our new kitchen. Which of the following combos would you pick?

1. Fridge freezer and larder.
2. Full height fridge and full height freezer. Or try to get an eye level oven in there?

I really want all three but not convinced it’s going to be possible and am wondering about fridge freezer and larder with an additional under-counter freezer. Thoughts?

Have you got space for a freestanding fridge freezer elsewhere? Sounds like maybe not. So that's one unit.
If a double oven is important then use the tall space for that, if going for a single oven I would keep the tall unit as a larder with internal drawers and have a built under oven. Or a freestanding cooker.
Unless you are a very large family most people manage with a single fridge freezer.

Depends on size of family. 1 F/F prob ok for a couple/up to 2 small kids (but you know what you need). Where are you going to put your mop & broom? I've lived without a broom cupboard for years, & so happy that I will have one in the next move :)

I'd personally go for F/F and larder - and if you can get that under counter space in you can do another freezer.

OR can put a fridge freezer elsewhere (utility room?) then you could have an under counter fridge, a larder/with a space for brooms, and an eye level oven... if you cannot get all that you want in the kitchen, can you fulfill those purposes elsewhere in house to get kitchen you want?

Obviously only way to get oven in would be in kitchen but space under stairs etc could be an option for other 2

Some good ideas here - thank you.

There is nowhere else we can put any of this. The fridge-freezer is currently under the stairs and is tiny. That space will be turned into a larger broom cupboard when we extend. There won’t be space in the utility for an additional fridge or freezer. So it’s kitchen or bust!

We have two kids and it’s freezer space that I struggle with at the moment. We have 2.5 drawers and it is permanently rammed because as well as the usual fish fingers, I like to batch cook and also freeze bread. We could really do with a full height freezer.

We could probably manage with the fridge element of a proper fridge freezer (70/30) but we absolutely need more freezer space than we currently have. But I’m conscious that if we go for the full fridge and full freezer, we will have food in over-counter cupboards and I really want a larder! And we will lose counter space to an unreasonable degree if we try to fit any more tall units in.

I think I have to abandon my dream of the eye level oven.

Can't you have a fridge freezer and an under counter freezer if it's just extra freezer space you need? Then you can have the extra tall unit for either the larder or the double oven

I've got 4 drawers in my freezer, and there are a few with 5.
Have you got a garage? I recently got a small chest freezer which is in the garage, mainly has bread & milk, plus a few other bits, and means I don't have to do top up shops between main shops.

I was going to say what @muddledmidget said. I had an under counter fridge and freezer in my last house and they were fab.

Eye level oven every time. I used to burn my hands and forearms a lot, on the shelves of the (old) built under oven. An eye level oven sorted the problem completely. But you may be more dextrous....

No garage. Or outhouse. No other space in the house to fit in anything else like that!

I am considering an under-counter freezer. It feels weird but less annoying than an under-counter fridge.

That is my goal - to eliminate top-ups. I have no idea why we get through so much stuff when there’s four of us. The milk! Seriously, it’s insane. Last summer was bad enough with cold drinks and juggling but now the baby eats nearly as much as the five year old, God knows what will happen when they’re in their teens.

I really love my eye level oven

We have a built in fridge freezer and then an eye level oven with the cupboard above the eye level oven housing our microwave (just have to keep door open when using it) this meant that we could justify the eye level oven as we gained worktop space from where the microwave would have sat

What's your floor plan? Can you show us a pic?

Yy we need a floor plan!

This is unfashionable but if you can cope with a low level oven (we've never had anything else as it turned out) go for a freestanding one such as a Cannon or Hotpoint, they have a lot more useable oven space than built under ones - unless you have space for side by side.

Also I would get a freestanding fridge freezer, integrated ones lose capacity and performance. Just get the tallest one you can get in the door with a good 60-40 or even 50-50 split, or squeeze a 70cm wide one in. And be super organised with it.

Then you get to keep your larder too.
A high level oven is nice but it ties up a whole tall unit you can't do without. Likewise integrated appliances are nice but you have to weight up sweeping out a few crumbs every so often with losing space you need.

A larder unit for me is essential.

I would hate an eye level oven.

We also only have space for two full height units. I absolutely love my eye level oven in one and we have an integrated fridge freezer in the other. Solved the lack of freezer space with an under counter extra freezer.

Big freezer and either under counter fridge and larder storage.

Can you add some shelves in your broom cupboard for when you've bulk bought things like beans when they're on offer?

If you are extending do go back and challenge the floor plan, sometimes small changes of door and window positions can let you get another unit in. Or a built in cupboard tucked in somewhere.

Get a full height fridge freezer in one tall cabinet, then have a second freezer built into the cupboard under the eye level oven.

Agreed with @muddledmidget.
Fridge in one, eye-level oven in other. Under counter freezer.

I’d have an eye level oven and fridge/freezer

Your dilemma was identical to mine OP. I’ve gone for additional freezer space in an under countertop freezer and used the 2 full height spaces for fridge and a fairly slim larder unit. I decided to lose the eye level oven in order to keep the larder. Don’t regret my decision at all.

@MyCatHatesOtherCats

No garage. Or outhouse. No other space in the house to fit in anything else like that!

I am considering an under-counter freezer. It feels weird but less annoying than an under-counter fridge.

That is my goal - to eliminate top-ups. I have no idea why we get through so much stuff when there’s four of us. The milk! Seriously, it’s insane. Last summer was bad enough with cold drinks and juggling but now the baby eats nearly as much as the five year old, God knows what will happen when they’re in their teens.

Don’t worry, as they get older you can send them out to do the top up shops!

@NotMeNoNo raises a good point about non integrated appliances having more capacity- also cheaper to replace if they fail (My F/F failed after 5 years so something to consider)

Fridge/freezer and larder

We had a full height larder fridge in built and then a separate under counter freezer elsewhere in the kitchen. That worked really well for us.

If you are short on space in the kitchen I would have a wide larder and a freestanding fridge freezer with a built in cupboard over it on that wall. Freestanding fridge freezers have more internal space than built in ones.
Having a larder means that you will need less storage in the rest of the kitchen. Drawers are great instead of base cupboards to store your pots and pans and crockery.

I have a larder but when I look at it, 90% of the food is in the big drawers in the lower half of it. This works well for me as I’m short.

So if you are able to have quite a lot of under counter space, larder stuff can definitely go in drawers.

Under counter freezer is also fine IMO - get one that’s fully drawers inside (no shelves).