How to Choose the Right Refrigeration Option for Your Home
At Designer Appliances, we understand that choosing your new refrigerator is a big decision. You want to pick one that not only looks great in your kitchen but will also stand the test of time. So, we’ve made a helpful guide to help you choose the right fridge based on the size and look you want.
Top Mount Fridge
With a smaller capacity than side-by-side or french door fridges, top-mounts are a favourite for those with smaller families.
With the freezer compartment at the top and fridge down the bottom, it is easy to store and keep produce fresh.
However, having the fridge section at the bottom of a top-mount fridge means having to bend down to reach the bottom shelves of the fridge.
Bottom Mount Fridge
Easy and functional, bottom-mount fridges give you easy access to the fridge compartment you would be using most often.
There is also more of a range of bottom-mount fridges in terms of style and colour than any other type of fridge, giving you the freedom to choose the option that best suits your needs.
For all their upsides, some models experience issues with the freezer section sometimes taking longer to chill items.
Side by Side Fridge
Stylish and convenient, side-by-side fridges work best for places that don’t have space for large opening doors, like where there’ll be foot traffic.
Offering features like ice and water dispensers, these fridges give you ample space for freezing and refrigerating.
There’s also easier freezer access compared to the bottom mount fridge.
The downside is these fridges are often large in width so can’t fit into the tight spaces top and bottom mount fridges can.
French Door Fridges
Perfect for larger families, the French-door fridge offers a larger capacity than the other types of fridges.
Often housing the freezer space on the bottom, the top refrigeration compartment gives you ample space to store all your groceries and bulkier plates and leftovers.
Like the side-by-side fridges, these also can take up a lot of space in your kitchen, but the flip side is the amount of space you have.
The also often have the added feature of an ice and water dispenser, allowing for you to have a refreshing drink at the push of a button.
Integrated Fridges
If a seamless look between cabinetry and fridge is what you’re looking for, an integrated refrigerator is for you.
Available in multiple configurations, these in-built fridges cater to the space and style you’re after.
A slight inconvenience with integrated refrigeration is you have to have a cabinet-maker fit the finishing to your fridge, but the result is often sleek, uninterrupted kitchen space that gives the illusion of more space.
Colour/Finish
Sleek and timeless, the classic Stainless-Steel finish looks great in any kitchen, and has the added bonus of being easy to wipe down and maintain.
White fridges have the benefit of fingerprints and smudges not showing as easily as on stainless steel. Not as popular as stainless steel, white also is often cheaper.
There’s a new trend of matte black and dark stainless-steel fridges sweeping the market. These have the added benefit of making a style statement in any kitchen while also being functional. Being just a trend, however, you’ll need to weigh up whether a dark stainless steel or black fridge is something you’ll still love in 5- or 10-years’ time.
With so many great fridge options to choose from your local Designer Appliances gallery, we've narrowed down the choices a little and chosen five of our favourite fridge options.
1. The Westinghouse 609 Litre French Door Refrigerator in Dark Stainless Steel boasts a FlexSpace Convertible Compartment that can be used as a freezer or fridge to give you greater flexibility, plus the ice and water dispenser provides extra convenience.
2. Similarly, the Electrolux 609 Litre French Door Refrigerator also comes in a a sleek, dark stainless steel exterior, as well as a FlexFresh entertainer's drawer to keep select items at the exact temperature you desire. Connect to the Electrolux Life app with your compatible device to get the most out of your fridge experience.
3. Offering a stylish, retro vibe the Smeg 270 Litre Retro Style Refrigerator offers ajustable shelving as well as a Life Plus drawer to give you a temperature controlled zone that's perfect for meat and dairy products.
4. Fisher & Paykel also pull out all the stops with this 538 Litre Quad-Door Refrigerator. With all the convenience of a four door fridge, the Variable Temperature Zones allow you to change each compartment to Chill, Fridge, Soft Freeze or Freezer so you can get the most out of your produce.
5. See the contents of your fridge easily thanks to the 637 Litre InstaView French Door Refrigerator from LG - simply knock on the window panel twice to illuminate the contents inside. With Surround Cooling produce in your fridge is cooled from the front and back for even, fresh results.
If you’re looking for a new fridge, the staff at your local Designer Appliances gallery would be happy to help. Along with all the latest bottom and top mount fridges, side-by-side fridges and French-door fridges from all the leading brands like Westinghouse, LG, Samsung, Smeg and more, we also boast a range of mini/bar fridges and wine fridges.
You can also browse our extensive range online.