The refrigerator is one of the most important appliances in the kitchen, and even if you cook and eat food on the day you buy it, you cannot do without a refrigerator. Well, unless you switch entirely to the restaurant menu, although in such cases a piece of cheese lying on the shelf in the refrigerator may unexpectedly come in handy.
Simply put, there should be a refrigerator in the kitchen! But it is very important to place it in such a way that it does not interfere with your being there, is convenient to use and even decorates the interior. We will tell you how to do all this in our article today, and the expert of the portal “From Hand to Hand” Regina Urm and interior designers from the agency “ArchDialog” Kira Shelmanova and Irina Fefelova will help us with this.
Where to put the refrigerator: general rules
Even if you've already carefully mapped out the creative design of your kitchen in your head, take a moment to think about the practicalities, such as the layout of the zones. There are two of them in the kitchen: wet And hot. They are often connected by a work surface to make cooking more ergonomic and less time-consuming.
Now analyze where you want to place the refrigerator: it is generally prohibited to place it next to the oven and hob, especially if you have chosen a high option. It's a good idea to place it close to the cutting table or even under the countertop itself so you don't have to cross the kitchen every time you need to cut something.
“The choice of location for installing a refrigerator is based on general safety rules. So, no matter how miniature the kitchen is, it is necessary to leave a distance of 3-5 cm from the walls to the refrigerator so that air can circulate freely, cooling the surface of the refrigerator. It is also impossible to be close to a gas or electric stove. These precautions are a guarantee of long years of service for the refrigerator.” - K. Sh.
Kitchen size
In modern meter realities, one can only dream of a large kitchen through which you will flutter like a goddess; accordingly, one should always proceed from practical considerations. For a small kitchen, it would be a good idea to place the refrigerator in a niche: this will help it fit well into the interior so that it does not look bulky. Also pay attention to narrow refrigerator models and compact options.
“One of the convenient places to place a refrigerator can be a niche, which is partially located in the room adjacent to the kitchen. For example, in the wall of a dressing room or hall. Then the refrigerator will “sink” without cluttering up the space, and if the niche is illuminated or decorated with decor, then it can also be an original art object.” - RU.
If your kitchen is very tiny, then we advise you not to use a classic tall refrigerator, but to “split” it into two chambers that can be hidden under the countertop. This is also a great idea for those whose freezer is empty most of the time, making it practically useless.
“All items and storage areas should be placed not just like that, but according to the laws of ergonomics. The housewife should not travel kilometers from the refrigerator to the sink or stove - this will make the cooking process long and tedious. If the kitchen is small, the refrigerator is often moved out into the hallway in order to save precious centimeters and not clutter up the space, but this is wrong. Try placing it under the main kitchen countertop, also add a separate freezer next to it, while maintaining both the size of the room and the volume of equipment.” - RU.
Decor question
If you intend to decorate your kitchen with a single artistic solution, and the appearance of any refrigerator will stand out from the general style, then the built-in option will be the solution. You can hide the refrigerator behind a wooden facade or disguise it so that it “mimics” a wall. Take a look at the photo below - you won’t immediately guess where the cache of food is!
The issue of design largely depends on the space. If the kitchen is large, then you can afford everything, even options for wood or vintage furniture. If the scale leaves much to be desired, then try to disguise your refrigerator as something useful, for example, a slate board. It’s so nice to write shopping lists on it and leave angry messages to your household!
“In my “Golden Classic” project, I decided to create uniformity in the kitchen and maintain proportions. To do this, I placed a built-in refrigerator with a height of 122 cm on the left side of the kitchen, and a freezer of the same height on the right. The amazing result of this arrangement is that I got an organic distribution of the heights of the kitchen unit and created a beautiful, stylish interior. In it, our usual perception of cuisine disappears due to the fact that beauty prevails.” - I.F.
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Photo: happymodern.ru,irinafefelova.ru
If you have a very small kitchen, you probably know firsthand how difficult it is to fit everything you need into a crowded space, and here it is beautiful and tasteful. But what beauty and style is there, you say, if most of the space is “eaten up” by the refrigerator?
However, not everything is as hopeless as it seems at first glance, and you can even place it on the refrigerator so that it looks stylish, modern, and there is still room for passage and other kitchen furniture and utensils. How? Find out from this article.
General principles for placing household appliances in a small kitchen
Someone will say: all small kitchens are equally small. However, they can have different shapes - narrow and elongated, rectangular and angular. Of course, to understand where to put a refrigerator in a small kitchen with a non-standard layout, you will have to think carefully, but some general principles for placing bulky furniture and household appliances here can be deduced:
- Replace the electric stove with built-in appliances, such as an oven. You ask, what about saving space? First of all, you can purchase a two-burner hob - this will increase your work surface. In addition, do not forget about the free space under the oven - you can install a drawer there where you can store various kitchen utensils.
- Skip the oven and invest in a convection microwave or multi-cooker for your small kitchen. At the same time, you will benefit both in free space and in price, because a multicooker or microwave oven costs much less than a bulky oven.
- But what about the refrigerator? Unfortunately, it is unlikely that anything will be able to replace it. But it is still possible to solve the problem of where to put the refrigerator in a small kitchen.
Where to find space in a small kitchen for a refrigerator
If the room is small, you need to take into account a lot of factors that can affect the final result.
So, first of all, do not install a refrigerator in a small kitchen next to an electric stove. Such a “neighborhood” can lead to damage to the device. It is also undesirable to place the refrigerator next to a heating radiator. The refrigerator must stand steadily - this will not cause such harm as the dangerous “neighborhood” of heating devices, but it can significantly reduce the service life of the device. And, of course, make sure that the device doors open and close freely.
Where to put a refrigerator in a small kitchen? There are several options here:
- Ditch the bulky refrigerator in favor of a free-standing freezer and refrigerator. This way you can place the refrigerator under the table, saving square meters, which are so in short supply. This option is especially suitable for you if you live alone or do not yet have children.
- Pay attention to built-in models. This refrigerator can be placed inside a cabinet or under a countertop.
- A fairly common solution to the problem of where to put the refrigerator in a small kitchen is to combine the loggia with the kitchen. True, this option is also not without its drawbacks, one of which is that now you will have to walk from the kitchen to the loggia to get groceries. But if this doesn’t bother you, feel free to move the refrigerator there, just don’t forget to first insulate the loggia, or better yet, install heating and electricity there.
- If your apartment has a pantry or built-in closet, you can “hide” the refrigerator there.
- If you still can't find a place to put the refrigerator in a small kitchen, why not move it outside? For example, in a corridor, hallway, adjacent room or corridor. Only in this case you will have to select a refrigerator to match the style of the room where it will be placed.
- Possible option with . So, for example, you can block the passage from the corridor with plasterboard and place the refrigerator against the resulting wall. The entrance to the kitchen can be made through the adjoining room.
- Experts recommend placing all large and bulky items in the corner. The distance from the window to the wall may vary, but here you will definitely not trip over the refrigerator. And if you choose a compact model, there will be enough space for passage.
- Another popular place to place a refrigerator is near the door. This way you can make the most optimal use of square meters and avoid creating gaps between cabinets and kitchen appliances.
A great option for a small kitchen is a built-in refrigerator. It can be \"hide\" in a built-in closet or kitchen unit, for example. Look at the photo to see how it might look.
Placing the refrigerator in a corner by the window is another popular option for small kitchens. If the room is very narrow, you can use an extended window sill as a miniature table. Here you can brew and drink tea, and at the same time admire the magnificent view of the courtyard.
When planning the design of a small kitchen, it is better not to deviate from the “triangle” rule: first install the refrigerator, then the sink, and only then the stove.
Are you running out of ideas on how to fit everything you need into a small kitchen space? Pay attention to children's toy kitchens. Believe me: real designers and professionals worked on them. Have you noticed how compactly all the elements of the kitchen are placed? Take note! The interior of a small kitchen with a refrigerator built into the cabinet. Everything ingenious is simple, and everything convenient is built-in, right?
You can't do without a large refrigerator, but you don't have room for a dining table? It can be replaced with a bar counter - and there will be a place for eating, and space will be saved. Many owners of small apartments and Khrushchev houses do this: they buy two refrigerators. One for storing the most necessary products. It can be placed in the kitchen, hidden in a built-in closet or under the countertop. And place the second refrigerator on the balcony and store frozen vegetables, fruits, berries, and semi-finished products there. The refrigerator is by the doorway - not a single meter wasted!
And finally - useful video material, from which you will learn how to functionally, and most importantly, compactly place furniture in a small kitchen of 6 square meters.
The dimensions of this unit are far from small, so we are often worried about the question - where to put the refrigerator in the kitchen? Everything is simple when your kitchen is spacious, but what if it is small in size?
In our article you will find several ways to solve this issue, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Owners of large kitchens will not be deprived of our attention either, as they will be able to get some good ideas for themselves.
You will see the most practical options for placing a refrigerator in a kitchen of any size in the photos below.
Correct installation of the refrigerator
It is important to know how to install a refrigerator correctly! Whatever type of kitchen you have, you should definitely consider the installation rules.
By following them, you will not only be able to comply with safety precautions, but also ensure that your refrigerator has a long service life. After all, you must admit, this is not an item that we buy every year.
When installing, consider the following factors:
- 1. Cooling products, refrigerator gives off heat, therefore the distance from it to the wall should be at least 10 cm. Moreover, the wall should also not be warm so as to create excessive heating of the device. If older models had rear ventilation - i.e. This rule concerned the location of the rear wall, but modern refrigerators have ventilated side walls, which greatly simplifies the installation situation.
- 2. For the reason mentioned above Do not place the refrigerator near heating devices– gas stove, oven or radiator. The recommended optimal distance is 50 cm. You should also avoid overheating the unit body - it is better not to expose it to direct sunlight. This is especially true if your kitchen is located on the sunny side.
- 3. Unlike a gas stove or sink, the refrigerator has greater freedom of “movement”, because it is tied only to the outlet. But there are some nuances here too:
- it is desirable that the connection be made directly, without extension cords and adapters;
- The refrigerator wire is usually not that long, so the outlet should be nearby;
- the socket should be installed away from the sink and stove;
- The possibility of grounding the connection is welcome.
The refrigerator must be installed on a flat floor, otherwise it will make unnecessary noise or not work correctly.
If you have a large kitchen
Well, that's wonderful! Your options are limitless! In particular, you can:
- choose traditional accommodation refrigerator, making it the main accent of your kitchen - a bright element of decor or the embodiment of your own creativity;
- place the refrigerator in the corner, giving the wall a more rounded shape and thereby following the rules of Feng Shui;
- divide the spaces of your kitchen into separate zones;
- if you live in a mansion or a two-story apartment, and your kitchen has stairs leading upstairs, you can install a refrigerator in the stairs, filling the empty space and thereby saving space;
- install a refrigerator in furniture, providing it with an appearance that is most in harmony with the kitchen set.
The photo shows modern interiors, illustrating how a refrigerator can be located in spacious kitchens.
There is one “but” - there are more and more necessary and very useful household appliances for the kitchen, and all of them need to be placed somehow, while using the space as rationally as possible. Therefore, you may need ideas for small kitchens.
The principle of convenience
In addition to following safety regulations, the location of the refrigerator is also important. It would be quite logical to place it closer to the table or to the sink, and for some, for example, to the microwave.
The bottom line is the same - no one wants to make extra circles, even within the confines of their own kitchen.
Of course, you shouldn’t sacrifice safety for the sake of convenience. We advise you to simply consider both factors, as well as the fact that some amenities may need to be given up.
If you have a small kitchen or the long-awaited 5 places
Somewhere, but in the kitchen in the Khrushchev-era building you definitely won’t be able to make circles! And the layout of apartments in new buildings tends to reduce kitchen space.
What can you do for a small kitchen? Here's what:
- 1. If there is absolutely not enough space for a refrigerator, consider whether it is possible place it in the corridor, closet or room, perhaps mounted in a closet, which will give it a more room-appropriate look.
Pros: an obvious advantage is the solution to the issue of placing the unit, and in some cases this, unfortunately, is the only option that allows you to gain at least some free space for movement.
Cons: if you are not afraid of making circles along the route corridor-kitchen or room-kitchen, then we must remind you that the refrigerator is a rather noisy device. Modern models generally tend to make very strange sounds, but what can we say about older models. Are you ready for these sounds to come to you from the corridor or become part of your room?
Another drawback. What do you associate a refrigerator with? That's right, with food, like everyone else. Will it not be an unnecessary reminder about food and a reason, for example, to eat unscheduled between lunch and dinner or to “sin” again and eat too much at night?
- 2. A more radical option might be seems to be a connection between the kitchen and the balcony or loggia. This also includes combining a kitchen with a room to create a studio room that is quite popular in modern interiors.
Pros: solution to the placement issue; it is possible to reduce the distance between the refrigerator and the kitchen table compared to the previous option.
Cons: in the case of a loggia, it would be nice if the refrigerator did not heat up in the sun all day - to avoid this, you can use curtains or blinds on the windows. Keep in mind that all kitchen smells and sounds will be present in your room. In the photo you can see examples of interiors where these recommendations were successfully applied.
- 3.
Sliding doors to the kitchen. In some cases, this completely resolves the situation, because you fill the non-functional space.
Pros: obvious.
Cons: dismantling the door, which is not always possible.
- 4. The simplest, but far from budget option - non-standard refrigerator sizes or him wall option. A narrow refrigerator can easily fit into a small cabinet; it can also be placed in a shallow niche. The facade of a wall-mounted refrigerator may be no different from the facade of kitchen furniture. And if you do not purchase a ready-made option that suits you externally, you can always decorate it yourself, since there are many quite accessible methods and materials. But the main goal, you see, will be achieved.
Pros: obvious.
Cons: high prices and possibly a long search for suitable sizes.
- 5. Similar solutions to the situation include separate modules for refrigerator and freezer(for example, there is a mini-freezer 85 cm high), which can be placed under kitchen furniture and work surfaces, designing their façade to match the kitchen furniture.
Pros: obvious.
Cons: as in the previous option: it will be expensive and time-consuming to find the perfect size.
We are glad that this article turned out to be informative for you, and even more so - it helped to bring comfort and beauty to the interior of your small or large kitchen.
In new apartment layouts you rarely see a small kitchen anymore. Apparently, the architects studied the list of household appliances necessary to ensure life and organized the appropriate space for this. However, until recently apartments were built according to a completely different principle. Meet here kitchens from 4 m2 .
When there is a lot of space, organizing it correctly is not so difficult - here you can place what is really important and add all sorts of modules and interesting details like a minibar, a cabinet for cookbooks and many built-in household appliances. But what if there is not enough space? Here you already have to set priorities, and put in the kitchen only what is really needed in everyday life. One such essential item is a refrigerator. Without it, food storage becomes almost impossible.
Let's look at how you can correctly fit a refrigerator into the interior of a small kitchen.
Custom size
Who said that a refrigerator must be 60 x 60 x 180? You may well purchase a non-standard model, thereby significantly reducing the area occupied by the dimensions of the refrigerator.
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How can you store items above the refrigerator?
A) standard built-in refrigerator - it is slightly smaller in volume than a free-standing one, but it makes it possible to use storage space in the same cabinet above the refrigerator itself. About 40 cm high and 60 cm deep, this is a fairly wide shelf that can accommodate many useful but infrequently used items;
b) low refrigerator — there are models even 140 cm high. They are quite capacious, and at the same time give you the opportunity to use about 80 cm more height for cabinets above the refrigerator itself.
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Two in one - this is not about us
Again, let's return to the standard refrigerator model and try to divide it into two separate devices: a refrigerator and a freezer. First, think about it: do you really need a freezer? Or do you eat only fresh food and one quick-freezing compartment in a regular refrigerator will be enough for you? If you still need a freezer, place it and the refrigerator under the countertop, in the cabinet area in the kitchen. The built-in equipment looks very neat and is completely invisible. But, in fairness, it is worth recognizing that the option with a very small refrigerator is suitable for 1-2 people. When a third person appears in the apartment, such a small refrigerator will clearly not be enough.
Another option for “studio” layouts, when the living room and kitchen form a single whole. If you can afford to buy such a wonderful little designer refrigerator, like any other with an interesting appearance, it can be placed in almost the most visible place - and, of course, in a convenient place.
Original, funny and very stylish, this refrigerator will become the highlight of your interior. As they say, “if you can’t get rid of your shortcomings, make them your strengths.” Perhaps it is a small kitchen that will help you create an unforgettable interior.
We use niches
If you started thinking about the location of the refrigerator long before the renovation, you probably have the opportunity to partially redesign it. It’s not necessary to tear down all the walls, but it wouldn’t hurt to make some sort of niche for tall and bulky items in the kitchen, such as a food cabinet or refrigerator, if the opportunity arises.
This way, you will practically hide large pieces of furniture from view and save yourself from a situation where you simply have to say goodbye to the idea of a large and spacious refrigerator that you actually need.
Storage pantry
A pantry or spacious closet next to the kitchen also provides you with good options. You use the refrigerator quite often, and it is completely inconvenient to move it to another room (and it is also unaesthetic - what will the sound and general appearance of such an “elegant cabinet” cost, say, in a narrow hallway. And most likely yours is really small, since the kitchen is also modest in size). But the freezer can very well be hidden in this kind of cabinet or small closet.
Refrigerator in the loggia
In many small apartments they practice combining a living room with a loggia. And this is a pretty reasonable decision - if the apartment has another balcony, then it is quite rational to add a few more square meters of space to the kitchen.
After demolishing the section of the wall in which the window and door block were installed, load-bearing columns remain on both sides of the opening that formed, which must never be dismantled. So, it is precisely behind these columns that there is enough space on the side of the loggia to hide the refrigerator behind them. And it’s not far from the kitchen, and the large object is not visible at all.
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Finally:
Looking through other tips on this matter, you can still often see the idea of "installing" a refrigerator in one of the passages or, even worse, living rooms. And before you decide to take this step, ask yourself a few questions. You will understand for yourself whether it is worth doing:
- How loud is my refrigerator? Will this sound in the room interfere with our rest?
— how much space will it take up and will it interfere with movement from room to room?
— does it look harmonious and fit into the interior of the room in which it is supposed to stand?
— won’t you be bothered by the smell that is present in the refrigerator anyway?
— won’t your family members gain excess weight, because they don’t even need to go to the kitchen anymore?
Perhaps the refrigerator is the largest and most necessary unit, without which you cannot live in the house. You can skip the microwave, toaster, or juicer, but perishable foods need to be stored somewhere anyway. It’s great if the task of fitting a refrigerator into the kitchen does not turn into a large-scale problem that occupies all our thoughts and energies.
But what to do when the kitchen area is 6-8, or even 4-5 square meters?
Which is not uncommon, unfortunately. And it is very difficult to find space for a unit with an average size of 60 by 70 centimeters and a height of 180 centimeters. This can take up a quarter of the entire kitchen area, leaving no room for family members.
We have analyzed all possible options for placing a refrigerator in the kitchen and are sharing them with our readers.
Of course, all small kitchens are equally small, but they can also have different shapes - narrow and elongated, square, rectangular, corner. Obviously, atypical options need to be dealt with individually, but the general principles of placing bulky items are the same for everyone.
