I believe nothing can prepare one for the big-ticket adult purchases that are neither fun nor exciting to buy. For example, the procrastinator in me had hoped that buying a refrigerator would be something I could put off until I had a home of my own, or at least until I felt like a real “grownup”. In any case, I wasn’t planning on saving up for a refrigerator in my mid-twenties. For us renters and non-renovators, these big bulky boxes are not the prettiest or most design-friendly items so our fate lies in what refrigerators the internet and/or retailers have in store for us.
Currently, the fridge my boyfriend and I have is a hand-me-down and it has definitely been through the wringer. It barely works and the temperature is always out of control. It’s warm in the front and freezing towards the back and also, very very small. After almost a year of dealing with it, I finally decided enough is enough. I can’t live like this! So I started my research and painstakingly scoured the internet for the right replacement. But we have some limitations:
- The height of the refrigerator must be under 68 inches
- Our budget is under $1000 or $2000 (with a payment plan available)
- I want to like the way it looks (a.k.a. I don’t want to spend $$ on something that is ugly).
In short, we don’t need anything super nice. We don’t need this to be our forever fridge, we just want one that is affordable, somewhat good looking, and actually works. Is that too much to ask? We’ll see…
So now you know my quest, it is only fair to divulge where this new addition will live. Behold, our kitchen:
This is what it looked like upon moving in, and it is not decorated yet (just a lot more cluttered) because I am trying very very hard to tackle one room at a time. The fridge will be our first and only big purchase for the kitchen until I finish the living and dining area. That said, I am prioritizing both function and style so my future self will have an easier time decorating and designing around it. Basically, I would hate to purchase a fridge and then despise how it looks later on. This means that I needed to have some clue as to what I eventually want the kitchen to feel like.
Kitchen Inspiration
I’ve always been a fan of rustic farmhouse kitchens. I think they make a home homier and bring out the country girl in me (I’ve always wanted to live on a farm and raise horses–something I remind my boyfriend Rocky of constantly). I plan to bring in some rustic elements through vintage art, color, and possibly by DIYing a wood countertop similar to what Jess did here. But because we will not be doing any real renovating (besides replacing the terrible track lighting), I think our style will be a combination of retro and rustic.
So, planning for a retro meets rustic style kitchen, here are my top refrigerator contenders:
Chambers Bottom Freezer Energy Star Refrigerator, $769
I am very impressed with the price of this model considering its size. It is 57′ high, 7 cubic feet, and has ample side door storage which I love. This seems like a decent option for two people because we don’t need a ton of space, but I do want one that will be easy to keep organized. The look is also great and I like both color options.
Unique Retro Bottom Freezer Refrigerator, $850
Similarly, this one by Unique is almost the same exact model but a little taller at 64″ high and 7 cu. ft. Basically, this one has more freezer space which is never a bad thing. Mint green is such a classic color for a retro-style refrigerator but because we are painting our dining area this dark green, the mint green might be a mistake. The black option however would work nicely and will allow me to keep the color scheme consistent.
Now for the more modern options. Of course, I think a retro-style fridge would be ideal design-wise, but I worry that those models won’t be as reliable and they don’t have as much storage as the modern options do.
Samsung French Door Refrigerator, $1,791 | KitchenAid French Door Refrigerator, $2,000
Option 5 is simple and sleek and I really like the all-black finish. I’ve imagined incorporating black accents in the kitchen since it is currently extremely white, so I think a black fridge like this one won’t clash with the vision I have for the kitchen.
Of course, option 6 is the most expensive because it is the modern option that I like most (Ms. expensive taste over here). It is essentially a slightly cheaper version of this but sans some of the bells and whistles. It does however come equipped with a water dispenser which is something of a dream come true for me. I am a closet water snob and am slightly repulsed by tap water. It’s a big shame of mine and my boyfriend will even try to trick me by filling water bottles up with the tap water but I always KNOW. So the idea of a built-in water filter feels like peak ~luxury~ but I am not sure it’s worth the price. Thoughts??
Alright, now you know what I am debating, but here are the others I seriously considered but ultimately did not make the cut for price or size reasons:
1. Sky Blue Counter Depth Top Freezer Refrigerator | 2. Retro 24 in. 12 cu. ft. Bottom Freezer Refrigerator in Champagne | 3. Counter-Depth French-Door Refrigerator | 4. Samsung – 21.8 Cu. Ft. French Door Refrigerator | 5. Smeg Full Size Refrigerator | 6. Smeg Two-Door Refrigerator | 7. French Door Refrigerator in Stainless Steel and Counter Depth | 8. Big Chill Original Fridge | 9. Bottom Freezer Refrigerator in Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel
I would love to hear what you all think and if you have experience with any of these brands/models, please spill all the deets. Questions, comments, and concerns all welcome. Let’s chat. xx
Opener Image Credit: Design by Velinda Hellen | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | from: Velinda’s Tiny Kitchen Makeover Takeover (With Tons of Smart Storage Hacks)
The retro ones are super cute, but built in water and ice are absolutely a must have for us. Is it worth $1000 to you??
Ahh it would be SO nice to have but I am not sure. I’ve made it this far without one and my Brita does work fine and when you put it that way $1000 extra for a water dispenser does feel silly – although it is an overall nicer fridge I think..
You may be fine without them now, but once you have built-in water and ice, you’ll never want to go back.
Our new house doesn’t have one. It’s been a year and I am DYING without it. I cannot wait for our kitchen renovation!
I love the look of the retro. Appliances are like cars. The more bells and whistles, the more likely the higher cost for repairs. Samsung has been noted for high repairs.
The added room you will get without the water and ice maker is a plus.
I do wonder how clean the water lines remain. If you do not clean your Brita, it will get mold. I would rather see where my water is coming from is clean!
A bottom freezer is the most efficient.
I am not a fan of the French door. If you want to get to the drawers you still have to open both doors. Friends who have French door refrigerators laughingly tell me their husband open both doors because they forget where the items are located.
I chose cute over an icemaker but it is nice to have. Garage fridge is my hope for that!
Something like 75% of the refrigerator maintenance problems are because of the water/ice dispenser. They always break down or stop working entirely at some point. My refrigerator doesn’t have either one and yet my life is still complete. 😉
It may worth more than 1000$ in some brands
If you like your ice maker to actually produce ice beyond the first year or two that you own it, do NOT get a Samsung. We love our French door Samsung (we have the one with the extra drawer between the freezer drawer and the French doors), EXCEPT for our discovery that ice maker problems are common for these. We ended up getting an Opal ice maker since our fridge is only three years old.
I second this :/
We just had a fridge repairman in since our fridge wasn’t holding temperature either – he says he is constantly fixing Samsung and LG fridges – even new, less than 3 year old ones. Our home warranty contact had the same thing to say about those brands. We went with a KitchenAid. Good luck!
I had a Samsung that broke and repairmen knew what the problem was after a brief description. I must have called about 10 repairmen and everyone refused to touch it with a 10 ft pole. They were all kind enough to tell me some things I could try myself to revive it but given the age of it (8 years), they all said I was better off buying a new one and not wasting money on repairing it. Samsung fridges have a lot of known issues.
Love French doors and freezer on the bottom, hate hate hate hate Samsung.
We’ve always been wary of water and ice through the door, as those seem to be features that need the most repairing.
Another note of caution against Samsung fridges! The door on ours broke after one year (repairable) and then the whole thing stopped working and needed to be replaced after two years. We also heard from our repair guy they are consistently unreliable.
Joining to say our samsung’s cooling element would freeze up, requiring us defrost the buildup with a hairdryer :**(, every 2 months till a repair person came out and truly just rigged something. He said it was super common in Samsungs and his tip was to get an old fridge! they used to last 30 years and now they last 10 if your lucky. Anyone buying an old house….. should consider taking the aesthetic hit and just keep what ain’t broke. It’s not like new appliances are all that good looking anyway 🙂
I am never buying a refrigerator from West Elm.
It’s not like West Elm made the fridge? It’s a SMEG.
Those retro inspired fridges are really quite small – can you find the size of you current fridge for comparison to make sure it really is a size you can live with?
A lot of spaces don’t have room for larger fridges – I have cabinets over my fridge like they do. Hard to find a “just right” size in a more “modern” fridge, especially if you want certain features or a certain look. I personally think having a smaller fridge is great and it’s definitely more energy efficient.
I was so excited to see your choice of oven. It’s exactly what would fit in our small kitchen. I ordered June 2019. Never came. Company went out of business.
I love the slim 24” LG which is under $1000. I have owned it before and it’s great.
I recently did an exhaustive fridge search and was told multiple times in multiple places to stay away from Samsung. Ours is in a bit of a traffic zone and my family is constantly getting ice from the freezer. I decided our must have was water and ice on the outside. Not as sleek looking but hoping the convenience is worth it.
About a year ago in the dead of summer right after our A/C died, our freezer followed suit and the attached fridge was in line behind it. Having just spent a pretty penny on our A/C, we then battled the sticker shock and overwhelm that comes with having to spend real money on something that doesn’t have to be THE top of the line, but that you don’t want to buy again soon and don’t want to hate the appearance of. After rejecting all fridges with rounded arcs for handles. (What ARE those?) We landed on the Kitchenaid two-door, counter-depth fridge which looks a lot like the GE Cafe. It was just under $2k. Lowes does have a payment plan available. Surprised not to see it here. Interior water dispenser, sleek look, pretty handles, nice interior, wine rack & ice maker in the freezer (no door dispenser). Freezer drawer is a little small since I have a teenage boy in the house who cannot get full. Otherwise, no complaints! I hope this is somehow helpful and wish you good luck on your purchase!
Oops! It did get included … your fav #6. I just didn’t see it in the roundup at the bottom. For us it was a good purchase. Worth the price jump up from the $1ks. Not quite at the next level.
7 cuft is TINY. So, option 6 – go for it. Your food storage and water is priority and its a more standard size and color should you ever need to move it – it’ll fit aesthetic wise for future spots as well.
We prefer not to have in door water/ice bc it takes up too much space and I don’t like the way that feature looks. We have a french door LG that meets your height requirements but is likely to deep for your space. It works great! We’ve also had a french door Samsung (worked fine, but I would listen to the vast majority of folks who say they have issues) and we’ve had a Blomberg, which we loved. It’s narrow and on the smaller side and freezer is on the bottom. We bought it off Craigslist for $300 but I think new they are very expensive, especially for the size. Good luck!
Cute fridges! FYI that most of those retro fridges can barely, if at all, fit a gallon of milk. Not that you are necessarily drinking a lot of milk (lol) but I think that’s helpful for considering scale!
Good point! I really wish we could actually see these in person but covid is prohibiting that… Next step for us would be actually measuring it out in our space as best we can so I can get an okay sense of how big they would be.
I think west elm might have the SMEG on the floor… they used to. You’ll see how tiny it is. It’s not that much bigger than the big dorm refrigerators. It’s great for a den, screening room or family room more than an every day kitchen. It’s super cute, but little. Not enough room for dinner party prep🤣😂 On the water/ice make— the simpler the better. Water on the inside is a good option.
Just some info on the black stainless steel here.
2 years ago we got a super deal on a floor model LG stove in the black stainless steel option. We had a year old GE french door fridge with ice and water in the door – it was a dream fridge for me b/c I never had ice and water in the door before…yeah it’s heaven. Anyways, I trepidatiously sold dream fridge and bought the black stainless steel LG fridge to match my stove. I have to say the black stainless option is WAY easier to keep clean for some reason. No smudges or streaks – I never have to clean the front of that thing and I was ALWAYS polishing the regular stainless steel fridge.
I have a small kitchen and I got a white LG with top freezer. This was after 2 kenmore refrigerators that sounded like a motorcycle in my open small footprint. I think there were only 2 brand frigs that would fit height wise and this is so quiet that I can actually talk on the phone. With the 2 loud kenmores ( one freezer did not work and 2nd one sounded like a motorcycle)—I had to turn on my dishwasher to try and cancel the noise. I would look very carefully at return policies for some of your choices and consumer reports too. Good luck!
We have a KitchenAid, and we love it. (We also love our KitchenAid dishwasher.) The fridge is about 7 years old, and I don’t remember having any problems with it so far. The interior filtered water dispenser is something I never thought I would need, but now I’m hooked! I like option #6.
“We don’t need this to be our forever fridge” ….???? You are considering accruing debt (payment plan is just a nice way to say DEBT) for something that you don’t intend to keep for its full lifecycle?
Hey S, thanks for your comment. I do intend to keep it for its full life cycle. I only meant to point out that I we are trying to find the most affordable but not totally cheap looking option so I don’t expect the fridge we do get to be the absolutely best option out there. We want the fridge to last as long as possible but I feel like cheaper options might not have the longest life unfortunately.
If you are considering buying a refrigerator on a payment plan, please consider figuring out what you are actually going to be paying for it once you include the interest that you will pay. If it’s one of those “deals” where you don’t pay interest for the first X number of months, make sure you can pay it off completely before that deadline bc otherwise you do end up with the interest. Have you considered just saving up for it? For those who are still employed, this is a great time to save money!
Maybe consider how long that would take you vs how long it would take to pay this purchase off. If you don’t have the fridge payments, maybe you could then move on to other savings goals.
We are really happy with ours https://www.homedepot.com/p/Galanz-10-0-cu-ft-Retro-Top-Freezer-Refrigerator-with-Dual-Door-True-Freezer-Frost-Free-in-Red-GLR10TRDEFR/308105337
I had a GE Cafe & it died after 7 years! Repair person said he could fix it $600 – $1500 depending upon how much was dead), but if it was his refrigerator, he would purchase a more reliable one. He did not make extra money that he could have, but instead provided great information on what makes a refrigerator reliable. Moral of the story for me – purchase what you can afford & is the most reliable, then the model I liked the best. He said most within the Whirlpool family of brands is going to last the longest. That led me to a Bosch that I purchased a month ago. In your price range, consider Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, or Amana. My fridge before the GE Cafe was an Amana that I loved.
Yes to all of this! I was actually told outright that new refrigerators are designed to have a lifespan of about 7 years, which infuriates me. It makes me sick to imagine them all going to the landfill. I’ve been told the same thing about Whirlpool lines being dependable. Oh, and I would really think about getting a fridge as tiny as 7 cu. Ft… I think you would regret that decision.
That is very interesting bc our LG just hit 7 years old and now the ice machine is dead, the temperature is never consistent and it’s dying despite costly repairs in year 5 & 6 of its life. I liked the ice on the outside when it worked, but the water is so slow to dispense we always end up opening the door and just using the Brita.
Having a very small kitchen myself, make sure you go for a true counter dept fridge. It is so worth it and will make your kitchen seem much bigger. I had a regular fridge for 9 years. replaced it last year with a counter depth builtin bosch fridge and my kitchen feels way bigger even though its still the galley kitchen it always was.
Hi, not sure where to put this comment, so I’ll just leave it here. Does Emily plan to write for the blog much anymore? I just scrolled back, and I only saw a couple of posts by her over the last month or so. Of course she should structure her business however she wants, but as a long-time reader, her absence is noticeable, and I miss her voice! No disrespect to the rest of the team who are writing the posts, but I was wondering if she was on a writing “sabbatical” or something that I missed an announcement for.
I am just glad there are alternatives to SMEG now! That word/label just bothers me for some reason, I guess the way some people are bothered by the word “moist” or “panties” lol!
Hahah I agree!
I love the retro looking fridges so much, however size does matter- especially if we have to keep spreading out our grocery runs in the times of covid. But if you do decide to go with the smaller size, something to consider – will the freezer fit a frozen pizza? I know, I know – who eats frozen pizza? Well, I have found it helps to have one or two in the freezer in case of an emergency, I’m feeling lazy and/or not in the mood to drop $20 on delivery. If you fit in this specific category, make sure it can fit a standard pizza box. I lived in a place a long time ago and was so disappointed the freezer was so tiny. Could barely fit a thing. Oh! And I’m water snob too (I think it’s an LA thing- sure the tap water is safe, but it still tastes super metallic) – so the included dispenser is a dream. However, they are a liability – some can have a tendency to spring a leak. So check reviews. Cheers!
FWIW, if you live in a hard-water area and don’t want to drink chemically softened water be aware that that skinny little water line will lime up quickly.
Southern and central California water being what it is, we have opted for renting a reverse osmosis and water softener. It’s under $40. a month. We use potassium in the softener because it’s more environmentally friendly. Our kitchen is upstairs too, so I didn’t want another potential leak generator. Our fridge is a 17 year old Amana side by side. I wouldn’t buy another side by side, I don’t even think that they make them anymore, but it’s not ugly and it’s working, so we’re keeping it. We’re a family of 3 and we also have a garage mini fridge and a freezer… With a teenager, a husband who loves to eat and still has a teenager metabolism, and needing Covid/emergency capacity, I am a believer in maximum storage capacity. Also as someone who lived through the 80’s I would stay far away from black appliances. Visually, they become black holes.
Completely agree on black appliances, but especially the fridge and count that as one of my worst decor decisions (was trying to be fiscally prudent and match other existing kitchen appliances). Oh, and to make matters more aesthetically odious, it is not counter depth either😖! I am currently wishing I could swap out all my appliances. That said, our LG French door refrigerator just turned 15 and appears to be going strong. We opted for a smooth exterior and do not have a water/ice dispenser on the door. The ice maker inside the freezer works beautifully.
Girl, DO NOT buy that Samsung fridge without doing more “unfun” research such as reading Consumer Reports and other reviews. French door refrigerators have the highest rate of repairs. There’s nothing worse than having to spend another $1000 plus in repairs on your new appliance. Additionally, you should research what brands appliance repair companies work on in your area before buying a cute retro fridge. Your average repair company may not be able to servicd it. In our metropolitan area for example, there are ZERO repair companies who will work on LG refrigerators.
I bought a GE Artistry like 5 years ago for the retro look, but unfortunately, I don’t think they make it now. I’ve also thought before about getting vinyl custom cut to “color” appliances, like they did over at A Beautiful Mess. https://abeautifulmess.com/how-i-recolored-my-kitchen-appliances/
Although I care about looks, in the kitchen I’m definitely more function over form. My advice would to get the biggest fridge that fits your footprint and be sure to keep it counter depth. In our small kitchen, we’ve been happy 12 years with our KitchenAid side-by-side, water in door, counter-depth no big frills fridge.
Do not go anywhere near a Samsung appliance. I repeat. DO. NOT. We re-did our kitchen and put in Samsung appliances. The fridge had a loud buzzing that would not go away from the get-go (it might have been the exact one you linked except in SS) and Samsung ended up buying our range back from us 15 months after purchase when it failed catastrophically in a way that could have blown up our house if we hadn’t caught it. No joke.
Oh that’s so hard! I am the most drawn to the Smeg light blue color one but it also depends on how you’ll refinish the kitchen cabinets! I love a retro look but the kitchen aid one might be nice and crisp if that’s what you’re going for?
Before you buy anything online, just walk into your nearest Lowes and see what is available in store. Every time we have needed to make a major appliance purchase it was immediately before guests were due to arrive for some holiday, usually Christmas, and our fridge, stove, dishwasher, etc just died. Yay. We have gotten really lucky with some crazy markdowns on a great dishwasher and a very stylish workhorse of a stove. Our refrigerator was a special order/very expensive Fischer and Paykel that someone decided they didn’t want (brand new and clearance priced at $750) and it works great 5 yrs later. It doesn’t have an icemaker/water and I was worried about that, but I don’t miss it at all. I’m pretty sure that every one of our previous fridges’ troubles started with the icemaker.
Our fridge is a Fischer and Paykel (here when we moved in) and I love it. It’s at least 7-8 years old, counter depth, works like a champ, can hold a good amount of food w/ some organizational discipline. I know they are expensive, but if you can find one on sale like this commenter, I would say go for it!
We also have a Fisher and Paykel and love it – I think they also come in black stainless, ours is white
We also have a counter depth Fischer & Paykel. I really like it and it looks nice as well. We don’t have an ice maker because we didn’t want to plumb it, but it has a drawer that is perfect for ice, and comes with nice ice trays. It also has wheels on the bottom so it is easy to move to clean under.
Many years ago, my husband and I splurged on a Kitchenaid side-by-side refrigerator. It had all the “bells and whistles” to include a ice and water dispenser on the door. Guess what? The screws that held the cup receptacle were NOT stainless steel and they rusted because water ran across them. What a mess! We’ve also had a Kitchenaid dishwasher that was very noisy.
Great post! I related to your search, as recently I went through the same process. Like you, I had a crappy old fridge on its last legs, and was looking for new smeg-ish fridge at a lower price point. I bought the Unique classic in white. I’ve had it for two months now and am super happy with it. It’s the perfect size for a two-person home. Our place was built in 1952 and still has the original kitchen cabinets, and the fridge looks it belongs in the space. I’d highly recommend it.
Oh yay! I was secretly hoping someone would have good things to say about the Unique fridge because it is both stylish and more affordable 🙂
Our kitchen is tiny and required a refrigerator that is not a standard size. After reading online, etc., we decided to take a chance and purchased a Hisense refrigerator with bottom freezer from Lowes. It’s only 17 cuft and has no ice maker but so far so good!
I know you say it’s only the two of you, but I would go with option 5 or 6. You’re making a big purchase either way. Why not go with something that checks all of the boxes with plenty of storage?
I have a very small kitchen with white cabinetry built around the fridge opening. I missed out on buying a Fisher and Paytel (spelling?) which is highly, highly rated. I did purchase a Kitchen Aid which I like – it is white with updated looking stainless handles. It blends well with the white cabinetry but doesn’t read old.
Based on how long people have had their refrigerators, I feel like a dinosaur. I have had a stainless steel Amana two door bottom freezer that I purchased in 2005. I have never had to service it. Visitors think it is five years old from the outside to the inside. Someone mentioned Consumer report and I second this recommendation. I am a firm believer of measuring twice and cutting once. I have had Bosch washer/dryer front loads for 15 years and just now going to replace. My Bosch dishwasher was replaced at about 12 years. Knock on wood my dual fuel Wolf range goes for many more years before it needs service.
There is a saying that goes something like, “ You can go broke saving money.” Sometimes making a little more $ investment is the overall cheaper route to go.
Unfortunately I think appliances just aren’t made the way they used to be! I have a 1990s stacked waster/dryer that runs like a tank *knock on wood* and a new Maytag washer dryer set which required service less than one year after purchase. Someone mentioned that fridges aren’t meant to last as long anymore and that’s what I heard from several fridge repairmen too. Getting 10 years now is really good, anything beyond that is considered excellent/unheard of.
Another thing to consider with reliability and having to fix Samsung or LG is those brands are made overseas (Korea, I think) and therefore the replacement parts take a very long time to arrive. Factor in the Covid shipping delays we’re all experiencing now, and you could wait months for parts. Also, if you have filtered water in your fridge, you have to replace the filter periodically and they’re not cheap.
Just an fyi, ice/water dispensers also break pretty easily and the warranty usually doesn’t cover it. We found this out the hard way. :/
We just had a repairman out to replace our ice maker on our 5 year old kitchen aid French door ss fridge. The fridge has always worked great! He gave us tips for helping our fridge last longer. He said to clean the condenser coils in the front and back every 6-12 months, so the condenser doesn’t have to work so hard. He also recommended that we buy a surge protector. A power surge can kill the motherboard. I am now doing research on surge protectors specifically for a fridge, as well as, whole house surge protectors. He said the fridge is always on, so it’s most likely to be affected. Plus, if the fridge goes out while you’re gone, you lose all the food, and the melted ice may ruin your floors.
Check out out Beko fridges, pretty big in Europe and they make some smaller fridges that are still clean and modern looking. We adore our 4-door (bottom freezer is 2 doors) counter depth we ended up with, although it is too tall for your space they make some shorter ones. We opted not to do an in-door ice maker/water dispenser as we didn’t want to deal with potential maintenance issues.
I have the 2 door Beko fridge. It’s counter depth and virtually silent. I’ve only had it six months but so far it’s perfect for me.
We also have a tiny kitchen, thus, I bought the largest fridge I possibly could that would work well in the space because it’s awesome for food storage… we don’t have a pantry. I will echo what others have said about whirlpool brand being reliable, we love ours!
We bought a fisher and paykel from the scratch and dent section of our local appliance place (it had a couple of tiny dings). New Zealand company, GREAT customer service. LOVE the fridge. We had a very tight spot for it – narrow, short and shallow (1929 kitchen). It is smaller than our last fridge but feels bigger. Very simple, clean lines. I think it’s this one,(https://www.fisherpaykel.com/us/cooling/refrigeration/contemporary-refrigeration/freestanding-refrigerator-freezer-25in-13.5-cu-ft-rf135brpx6-n-25108.html)
but ours is white. We got a 50% discount for the dents. I prefer appliances with as few bells and whistles as possible – less goes wrong, and all the repair guys would say the same. Many condos are now requiring fridges without the ice/water despensers because they so often leak and cause so much damage.
oh and wanted to add…we’re a family of 6 and it works for us. PLUS the freezer and veggie draws GLIDE – the ‘drawer’ is just a clear bin that sits on top of the gliding shelf…so that you can easily lift the bin right out of the fridge for cleaning (or if you want to use that space for a large item if you are entertaining). no meat/cheese drawer but lots of door storage.
It just seems absolutely crazy to me to think of spending $2000 on a fridge!!!!
Depends on brand and life expectancy.
I expect my Liebherr (probably the highest quality cooling and freezing appliances there are) to stay reliable and energy efficient for the next 25+ years.
Totally willing to pay for high quality and function. I’d rather shell out a lot for Miele and Liebherr and be done with it once and for all than have to buy new appliances every 10 years.
Have you considered the cost per cu ft? It looks like the Kitchenaid is actually the least expensive option when you consider the size. Kitchenaid – $2000/25 cu ft = $80 per cu ft. Chambers – $770/7 cu ft = $110 per cu ft.
I always buy the 5 or 7 year extended warranty. I’m not sure it’s worth it but it does provide me with peace of mind.
Since I am in the middle of an appliance search, I found this very informative blog:
https://blog.yaleappliance.com/bid/52134/the-5-best-counter-depth-refrigerators
We have the Samsung in stainless ( came with the house) and I do NOT like it. Why? because it is very limiting in terms of how your stuff can be organized inside, especially tall stuff like gallon jugs and the like. The freezer drawer also doesn’t pull out fully so it always feels like you want it to come out another 3-4 inches, but nope. I say go with one of the retro looking ones ( the blk one was super cute) and when you move into your own home, you can take the fridge and either use it in the garage or pantry as backup entertaining fridge.
I have not had good luck with Samsung. Our’s broke just as quarantine set in and it would have cost more to fix than to buy a new one. Our repairman (also our brother in-law) said that that was typical of his experience with Samsung products. He recommended Whirlpool so that’s what we got. I should add that he is a small town repairman. He has no vested interest in any brand.
I vote for one of the retro fridges. (Your vintage house will thank you!) I know that they’re small but do you have room anywhere for a second fridge? We have a second fridge in our garage–I love having the extra space for beverages, etc.
same! we took in an office refrigerator to help with covid bulk shopping and now have a beverage refrigerator, something I thought only the wealthy had! It.Is.Wonderful.
I have had the Kitchenaid one for a couple of years and it’s great.
The water dispenser/ice maker only work when the filter is current so I suggest you keep them on auto supply.
I and numerous people I know, have Fisher & Paykel. Everyone loves them and they’re reliable and look good in all manner of design styles.
Do you have a seconds store in your area?? Work out a few models that you like and then call the store/s to see if they have any. Generally, there’s only tiny things such as a side scratch or even just no box! But you-save-a-da-money. Same new warranty too.
Another idea is to join uour local “Buy Nothing” online network. You’ll be pleasantly surprised what some people are giving away to a good home, and that doesn’t mean it’s even old.
If you do your research, the product SPECIFICATIONS normally give the inside capacity and even break it down for different sections such as veggie drawers, door shelves, etc. That’s what you need to compare apples with pears.
The less bells and whistles the better.
Fridges are a big yicket item, so good luck.
As for in-door water dispenser, I’m not a fan. It’s just one more thing to take up space and break. Instead, we have an under the sink filter that hooks up to the cold water faucet in the kitchen. It cost wayyyy less than 1K, filtered water problem solved!
As for size/price, have you thought of getting something the right size/shape first and thn using peel & stick wallpaper on it? I’ve seen people customize their fidges in the coolest ways. and then you have a lot more color options. As long as the fridge and freezer handles come off easily, you can change up the look of your fridge as often as you want.