A short guide to fridge styles

June 10th, 2014

Appliance Talk Fridges & Freezers

Can’t figure out what kind of fridge will be best for your kitchen?

Here’s a quick summary of the different fridge styles available and what kind of homes will likely suit them best:

Top Mount Fridges

Simple, classic, and energy efficient, a top mount fridge truly is A Fridge For All Seasons.

As one of the most versatile fridge designs, you should be able to find a top mount fridge in a size and style suitable to pretty much any kitchen concept.  And as the freezer is at the top, the cool air can fall through the fridge, reducing pressure on the compressor and saving more energy.

That said, compared to some other fridge designs, the freezer section of some top mount fridges can be a bit on the small size, so if you need a lot of long-term cold storage space, you might want to look into other options.

Ideal for:

• Students
• People living by themselves
• Small families
• Couples

Bottom Mount Fridges

Take a top-mount fridge, turn it upside down, and you’ve got yourself a bottom-mount fridge!  It’s that simple! (Seriously though, I’m just describing the design – do NOT actually turn a top mount fridge upside down.  Those things are big and heavy, and you’ll likely break the fridge and/or yourself doing so.)

The best thing about bottom mount fridges is that all of your everyday food and drink is at eye level, so you don’t need to bend over to access it.  For the frozen foods that most households use less often, they can be packed away on handy shelves or convenient sliding storage bins.

However, if you use your freezer more for temporary or short-term storage of frozen food rather than long-term bulk-buys and deep freezes, you may want to choose a fridge design with a freezer that’s easier to access.

Ideal for:

• Small to mid-size families
• Couples
• Room mates

Side By Side Fridges

These big fridges have been designed for family homes.  Some side by side fridges are sized to squeeze into spaces just slightly bigger than what would fit a typical single fridge, while others are truly massive and provide all the room a big family could need.

With both the fridge and freezer positioned alongside one another, it’s easy to access all of your fresh and frozen foods.  Larger side by side fridges sometimes include water and ice dispensers, offering even greater convenience to the family.

While a side by side fridge has a high overall volume, the amount of available space to store your foods and drinks can sometimes be a little narrow, depending on the size of the appliance.  This can mean your frozen pizzas can sometimes need to be stored on an angle or vertically rather than lying flat, and you may need to brush of your Tetris skills to squeeze everything inside.

Ideal for:

• Large-size families
• Anyone that needs more storage space but has a limited size kitchen

3 & 4 Door Fridges

3 & 4 door fridges are in many ways a crossbreed of bottom-mount and side by side fridges, on steroids.  With a double-door fridge at the top and a large freezer at the bottom with one or two doors, this is a great choice for a large family, or anyone who loves to entertain.

The wide designs of these fridges offers plenty of shelf space for large platters, allowing you to produce entire trays of food to serve your guests.  And the large freezer sections, whether comprising a single deep drawer or a series of shelves, also offers a great deal of space for your frozen goods, allowing you to shop in bulk.

As 3 & 4 door fridges are so large, they do tend to use more energy than other fridges, so if you’re investing in one, be mindful of the running costs.  And being so large, they can sometimes be a challenge to fit into compact kitchen designs – be sure to check that you’ve got enough room, including space at the sides and rear for ventilation, and space for the doors to open!

Ideal for:

• Big families
• People that like to host parties

Integrated Fridges

Ideal for a new or renovated kitchen, an integrated fridge is built right into your kitchen cabinetry.  With the addition of a matching front panel (talk to your cabinetmaker to get one cut), your fridge can be completely hidden from view, creating a very streamlined and subtle look and feel in your home.

Integrated fridges come in single, double, and bar fridge sizes, meaning there should be a model available to suit every home.  You can provide for your family’s needs and also create a great-looking kitchen space.

However, selecting an integrated fridge requires careful planning, with exact measurements being required to install one into your kitchen space.  And as they become a more or less permanent part of your home, you’ll want to be confident in the quality of your investment – make sure you buy the right type of fridge to suit your family!

Ideal for

• Designer kitchens
• Offices

Bar Fridges

Compact, convenient, and sometimes kind of cute, bar fridges have many different uses.  They can serve as a fun party fridge for your “special” beverages, or even serve as a useful backup to your main fridge, possibly in a spare room or garage.

The greatest strength of a bar fridge is its size.  They’re so small, they can be squeezed into all kinds of tight spaces, from under benches to garages, workshops, even studies, studio apartments and bedrooms!

However, a bar fridge’s size is also its greatest weakness – they’re simply not very big, and therefore can’t hold as much food or drink.  Many bar fridges don’t include a freezer section, and even in those that do, this tiny space is often only sufficient to chill drinks and make ice, not to properly preserve frozen food.

Ideal for:

• Studio apartments
• College dormitories
• Rumpus rooms
• Home bar areas
• Small Offices

Upright Fridges

Upright fridges are the size of a typical top or bottom mount fridge, but their space is entirely devoted to refrigeration, with no freezer.

These can serve as a great spare or backup fridge, and they’re ideal for when you need a LOT of refrigeration space.

However, ths lack of freezer space can also be a problem, depending on exactly how you plan to use your fridge.  However there is a handy solution to this problem… read on!

Ideal for:

• Large kitchens (when pigeon-paired)
• Garages/spare rooms

Pigeon Pair Fridges

Pigeon Pair fridges have nothing to do with feathered avians, but are actually upright fridges as described above that have been paired up with matching freezers.

This creates what is essentially a side by side fridge on steroids – with each side being a full-size dedicated single fridge or freezer in itself, it’ll be hard to run out of room, making this a great choice for anyone who bulk buys their groceries.

However, this arrangement does require a lot of space, often uses a fair amount of energy, and if you wanted to properly combine the two appliances into a single unit, you’ll require a joining kit.

Ideal for:

• Large families
• Spacious kitchens

Find the fridge that’s right for you:

If you need any help finding a fridge that’ll suit the your needs and those of your loved ones, contact the Appliances Online team on 1300 000 500 – our team of experts is available 24/7!