What Is a Built-In Refrigerator?
Buying Guide for Built-In Refrigerator
Types of Built-In Refrigerators
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If you are updating your kitchen or building a new home, then you might be considering going for a premium, high-end look. You’ve carefully thought out your kitchen layout, cabinetry, color scheme, and flooring. But what about appliances? Well, today we are going to look at one specific appliance that is essential to every home, a refrigerator. There are many types of refrigerators on the market, from free-standing, integrated, mini, built-in, and more.
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Built-In RefrigerationLet’s take a closer look at one specific type of refrigerator, and that is a built-in refrigerator. Built-in refrigerators are different from your standard freestanding or integrated fridge because as the name alludes to, they are built-in to your cabinetry and secured to the wall for a more permanent installation. Let’s look at the pros and cons of this specific type of refrigerator:
✔ Better quality: Because built-in refrigerators are integrated into your kitchen for a permanent amount of time, they are often built with higher quality materials, durable bins, shelving, and interior parts.
✔ Long Life Expectancy: Because of the higher quality materials, built-in refrigerators last around 2-3x longer than standard refrigerators.
✔ Various Size Options: While standard refrigerators are built in 24-40” widths, built-in refrigerators can range from widths of 24” up to 72”, depending on the style of refrigerator that you purchase.
✔ Streamlined Look: Because built-in refrigerators are made to fit cohesively with your cabinetry, they automatically give any kitchen a streamlined, beautiful look, without breaking up your cabinets with bulky appliances that stick out.
✔ Creates More Space in Your Kitchen: With a shallow depth of 24”, built-in refrigerators do not protrude out into your flooring, creating more space for your kitchen.
✔ Abundant Style Options: If you like the look of column refrigerators, French-door refrigerators, side-by-side, or even panel-ready refrigerators, then you don’t have to give that up when purchasing a built-in. You can choose from multiple types of configurations, materials, finishes, and textures.
✗ Built-In Refrigerators are Often More Expensive: Because of the special design, and heftier materials, built-in refrigerators are generally more expensive than standard refrigerators. But, because of the longer life expectancy, you will get your money back tenfold.
✗ Smaller Interior Capacities: The appliance depth can be considered a disadvantage to some homeowners because that takes away from the interior capacity that the fridge can hold. So, while they won’t be sticking out from your cabinetry, you may not be able to store as much food in built ins.
✗ Shorter Crispers and Drawers: Again, because of the smaller depth of built-ins, the drawers are often smaller in length, making it harder to store longer items like celery, carrots, or longer plastic containers.
Choosing which refrigerator is right for you comes down to a few simple steps, so let’s look at what you need to know before shopping.
Knowing the width, depth, and length of your cutout space is the first step in deciding what kind of refrigerator you can purchase. There is nothing worse than purchasing a new refrigerator, and getting it home, only to find that it doesn't fit in your space because it is either too small or too large.
Next, you will want to look at what style configuration will best suit your needs. If you desire a minimalist approach, choosing a column refrigerator can achieve that look, or if you desire something with a lot of space, a side-by-side or French-door refrigerator might be a good option. But, at the end of the day, you want your refrigerator to work perfectly for your space, so take this step into deep consideration.
Knowing your family type and how much food you bring home from the grocery store each time should be next on your list. Coupling with the configuration you choose should be the consideration of the interior capacity.
Next, what kind of features will you want in your refrigerator? Do you want a basic setup with crispers, an ice maker, and sturdy shelving? Or do you want to invest in a higher-tech appliance with voice control, Wi-Fi capabilities, or even infinity slide shelves? Knowing your needs and what is practical for your family will be the best factor in deciding on this step.
Finally, you want to decide which finish you will want. The traditional black and white finishes are not the only options anymore. You can choose from stainless steel, black stainless steel, fingerprint-resistant finishes, panel-ready, and so much more. Knowing how you want your refrigerator to integrate into your kitchen is the last and final step in choosing the perfect refrigerator.
Now that we’ve looked at the benefits and disadvantages of built-in refrigerators, let’s look at the different style configurations you can get, average prices, sizes available, as well as different finish options.
Built-in column refrigerators are a must for high-end or luxury kitchens, as they are minimal in appearance, but hefty in durability. These are full-size, single-purpose refrigerators that offer homeowners large food storage, integrated looks, and low-maintenance upkeep.
Shop this Bosch Benchmark Built-In Refrigerator
This Bosch built-in refrigerator gives all the minimalistic vibes with a sleek stainless steel finish, Optiflex® hinges, and bright LED interior lighting.
Side-by-Side refrigerators are essentially two separate compartments placed side-by-side, each with its separate door. One side is used as the refrigeration section, while the other side is used as the freezer section. Built-in side-by-side refrigerators are often better for food organization, create a sleek style, and require less room to allow the doors to open.
Shop this Monogram Built-In Refrigerator
Stay connected in this GE Monogram Built In Refrigerator with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Electronic sensors monitor temperature control, along with an upfront electronic digital display. This 36 built-in refrigerator boasts advanced climate control drawers, LED lighting, and a multi-shelf air tower.
In essence, a bottom-freezer refrigerator is a style of refrigeration that has a freezer section on the bottom, and a refrigerator section on the top. Oftentimes, larger families prefer a built-in bottom freezer refrigerator because they offer more storage and tend to offer more reliability than other styles of refrigeration.
Shop this Thermador Built-In Refrigerator
The Thermador Built In Refrigerator is something to awe at. With a premium stainless steel interior and professional handles, it is sure to make a statement in any kitchen. This built-in refrigerator panel ready has New All-Leg Leveling, Wi-Fi capabilities via the Home Connect App, and an improved water filtration system that removes up to 99% of sediments.
A built-in French door refrigerator is when you have two refrigerator compartments right beside each other that have individual doors and are then split down the middle interiorly. Most French-door refrigerators have a bottom freezer section and can also come with a smaller third freezer section. This style is great for storing large dinner platters, and oversized dishes, and offers the ability to store ample amounts of fresh food at one time.
Shop this Cafe Built-In Refrigerator
Achieve a perfect, cohesive look with this Cafe Built In Refrigerator. Enjoy the industrial design of the stainless steel finish and professional style handles, along with the genuine flush inset installation capabilities and hidden articulating hinges.
➝ Learn More: French Door Refrigerators Ranked: Price vs Features
Just as the name states, a counter-depth refrigerator is designed to sit flush with your counters. These types of refrigerators are built anywhere from 24-30” depths and are generally shallower than other styles of refrigerators. You can get counter-depth refrigerators in any style configuration you want, making it a versatile option for many homeowners. These are different from built-in refrigerators because they can be installed as a freestanding refrigerator, rather than being secured to your wall. There are still plenty of models that are built-in counter-depth refrigerators that give you the best of both worlds.
Shop this KitchenAid Built-In Refrigerator
This 42 built-in refrigerator has ample storage space, an under-shelf prep zone, and an ExtendFresh™ plus temperature management system. The PrintShield™ Finish on this Kitchenaid built-in refrigerator resists fingerprints, allowing you to keep your fridge always looking showroom ready.
➝ Learn More: What is a Counter Depth Refrigerator?
If you are a true wine connoisseur, then you might consider purchasing a built-in wine refrigerator. They are perfect for holding multiple bottles of wine at one time, keeping them at the perfect temperature while offering your space a sleek, modern feel.
Shop this Thermador Built-In Wine Cooler
With a UV-resistant tempered glass door and adjustable temperature zones, you can comfortably store up to 41 bottles of wine, knowing this Thermador® Freedom® 24" Stainless Steel Wine Cooler will keep your favorite wines at the perfect temperature.
The roots of this family business began as early as the pioneer settlement of Southern Utah. One descendant of those 1861 pioneers was Lester Wittwer. In 1928, he started a trucking business with other family members, delivering homegrown fruits and vegetables to many outlying areas. The story of BlvdHome began in 1974, when Lester’s son Tony decided to venture off into the furniture world - with two full-time employees and a small showroom of only 8,000 square feet. Today, BlvdHome has 5 retail locations with over 160,000 sq. ft. of showroom space, located in St. George, Utah, Hurricane, Utah, Cedar City, Utah, Mesquite, Nevada, and a new Las Vegas location. With over 230 amazing team members, BlvdHome continues to deliver on a commitment to customer service that started over 90 years ago.
At BlvdHome, we provide quality name-brand appliances, furniture, and mattresses for great prices. Shop refrigerators online or visit us today at one of our locations in Utah or Nevada. In the meantime, browse our website to shop BlvdHome Bargain Barn and check out our flooring selections to increase your home value. More available than ever, our experts at BlvdHome are always happy to help you find the right built-in refrigerator, whether you call us or use our online chat feature. Contact us today!
Learn More: 7 Extravagant Stainless Steel Appliances
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