A counter-depth refrigerator is a shallower type of refrigerator that will not stick out beyond your countertops and saves space in your kitchen.
A good kitchen layout is important for ensuring that your space looks great, is safe, and is functional for a variety of situations within your home.
A counter-depth refrigerator can help you maximise all of these elements because it mimics the appearance of a built-in refrigerator and saves space within the kitchen.
The importance of a good kitchen layout
The kitchens in most homes are multi-functional spaces where you can entertain, cook, prepare food, entertain, dine, and work.
In order for a kitchen space to be able to accommodate all of these different functions and purposes and to be safe and practical to prepare meals in, the layout of the space needs to be properly planned and well thought-out.
A kitchen’s layout is incredibly vital to ensure that storage and organisational elements can be maximised and that all the appliances are functional and, in a place where they can be used in a practical way, so that you can make the most of your kitchen space.
What is a counter-depth refrigerator?
Since the layout of a kitchen needs to be so well thought-out and be able to accommodate so many different appliances, you need to save space where you can.
Counter-depth refrigerators are a great way that you can do this without compromising the look and aesthetic design of your kitchen.
A counter-depth refrigerator is designed to line up with your kitchen counters. This means that a counter-depth refrigerator will have the same depth as that of your kitchen countertops and will not stick out beyond the counters from the side(s).
In this case, the depth of the refrigerator refers to the distance between the back walls or backsplash at the back of your kitchen counters, to the front of the counters.
In most counter-depth refrigerators, this distance is between 24 and 30 inches, which would be the same as most kitchen counters. Standard-depth refrigerators can be up to 36 inches deep and stick out about a foot beyond the face of your counters.
Aside from the fact that these kitchen-depth refrigerators can line up perfectly with your cabinets to give your kitchen a sleek and modern look and save you some much-needed floor space in your kitchen layout, you also need to take into account some of the drawbacks of this type of refrigerator. This can be the slightly reduced capacity and the wider profile.
It is also imperative that you know how to measure the precise space for your counter-depth refrigerator properly, because not all of these refrigerators have the same depth, width, and height.
What are the benefits of counter-depth refrigerators?
The reason why most people choose a counter-depth refrigerator over a standard-depth one is because it gives you the sleek look of a built-in fridge and additional space to manoeuvre and walk around in your kitchen.
Some of the other benefits that you can expect with a shallow refrigerator design like a counter-depth refrigerator include the following:
- If you choose a taller counter-depth refrigerator, you do not have to sacrifice on storage space within the appliance, even if it has a shallow depth
- It is easier to find and grab condiments and storage containers from a counter-depth refrigerator where there is more vertical space
- It is easier to open the doors of a counter-depth refrigerator fully
What are the drawbacks of a counter-depth refrigerator?
Once you know what a counter-depth refrigerator is, it is easy to understand why, in order to even out the storage capacity of counter-depth refrigerators compared to standard-depth ones, the counter-depth refrigerators tend to be wider and taller so that they can have the same amount of space inside.
There are some drawbacks associated with this that you should keep in mind, including:
- A smaller freezer compartment
- Less space in the crisper drawers
- More space needed to swing each individual door to open them fully
How to measure the space for your counter-depth refrigerator properly
When you understand what a counter-depth refrigerator is, it is also clear that, in the same way that not all counters are built the same. The counter-depth refrigerators also come in varying sizes, even though they are all the same type of refrigerator.
This is why it is important to use a tape measure to measure the space where the counter-depth refrigerator needs to go carefully, so that you can be sure that you get the desired appearance and functionality in your kitchen.
You need to measure:
- The depth of your countertops
- The width of the space between your counters
- The length of the space between the roof or upper cabinets and the floor