One of the most important considerations in any kitchen design project is the appliances. There’s no more important appliance in the house than the kitchen refrigerator.

For a long time, most kitchen fridges more or less did the same thing. That's no longer the case. Now, not all kitchen refrigerator styles, or models, are created equal. 

With various styles, widths, storage capacities, and features available, picking the right fridge for your kitchen might not be as simple as it sounds.

Thankfully, you’ve come to the right place. At Deslaurier Custom Cabinets, we specialize in all things kitchen cabinetry. In doing so, we know how important it is to make sure you get the right appliances to suit your unique kitchen design.

This article will go over five of the most popular kitchen refrigerator styles, so you have a better understanding of which fridge best suits your kitchen!

Design Your Kitchen with Appliances In Mind

If you’re starting a new build or planning a renovation, knowing where to start with your kitchen design process will be invaluable in the long run. 

One of the key elements of kitchen design is knowing how to adequately plan for your kitchen appliances, especially your fridge.

Make Sure Your Fridge Will Fit

Whether you’re designing a new kitchen or just updating your current one, it’s crucial that you ensure your new fridge will fit where, and how, it’s supposed to. 

Fridge sizes are so varied these days that a “standard” fridge no longer exists.

Even a two-door fridge that is 36” wide, might need unique side clearances for the doors to fully open. 

Why does this matter? One small oversight regarding side clearances can lead to a lifetime of inconvenience.

Understanding your appliance’s measurements and clearance needs is crucial to the practicality of your future kitchen.

Why not measure for yourself? Check out our article on how to measure your kitchen!

Built-In Kitchen Fridges

Fridges offer a great design opportunity with their ability to be built-in to your kitchen. 

There are two main ways to incorporate a built-in fridge within your kitchen design: applying basic overlay panelling or through full integration within the cabinets. 

An overlay panelled fridge has a custom-made cabinet door designed to fit on the front of the appliance and match the rest of your cabinetry design.

The key thing to know about overlay appliances is that the ventilation system remains exposed. That means that the fridge will still protrude slightly from the cabinets and parts of the chrome will stay visible.

As you can see in this kitchen, although the front overlay on the fridge matches the rest of the kitchen, it’s still obviously a fridge, as you can see a strip of metal around the edges.

Not hidden enough for your taste? Fully integrated fridges will take your kitchen’s overlay panelling to the next level! 

Integrated appliances use a matching custom panel, just like overlay appliances do, but the appliance is installed so that it’s completely flush and hidden within the cabinetry design. The ventilation system works differently so that it’s impossible to tell where the appliance is in the kitchen.

Here, you can see an integrated fridge that blends seamlessly with the rest of the surrounding cabinets:

With that, let’s take a look at the 5 most popular full-size kitchen fridge styles! 

1. Side-by-Side Fridges

The full-length, side-by-side refrigerator, and freezer has become one of the most popular fridges in recent decades.  

Split doors offer easy access to both the fridge and freezer. Meanwhile, the narrower width of the doors provides more room in a smaller kitchen as opposed to a wider, single-door style.  

Side-by-side doors are typically split equally between the freezer and fridge or will provide slightly more room for the refrigerator side.  

An added benefit of a full-length side-by-side unit is that both the fridge and freezer offer a multitude of door storage to get the most out of your available space. With multiple door shelves and compartments to store eggs, butter, and any condiments or dressings! 

Side-by-side fridges offer a range of traditional features such as freezer-door ice and water dispenser, multi-drawer storage, as well as smudge-proof and fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel doors. 

Higher-tier models also offer various smart technologies including wi-fi, voice-command, mobile compatibility, and some models even have built-in touch screens!

There are a number of appearance options with conventional stainless steel, black stainless steel, and traditional white or black. 

With all of these designs and technological options, the side-by-side fridge style has an option that will fit any kitchen.

2. French Door Fridges

The french door is the crème de la crème of refrigerator styles, and their heavier price point supports that.  

Their side-by-side fridge doors complement the convenience of a pull-out bottom freezer bin. Many French door fridges may also feature an additional pull-out drawer to store produce, maximizing the spacious upper fridge capacity.  

The french door style is noted for its size. It is generally larger and offers wider shelving storage for both fridge and freezer in comparison to the side-by-side style. This allows larger dishes and platters to be stored comfortably, as opposed to narrower side-by-side fridge space. 

French door fridges offer many of the same accessories and technological features of side-by-side fridges. As well, the french door style is one of the most popular fridges to integrate into your kitchen cabinets with overlay panelling!

All that being said, it is no wonder the french door fridge is routinely sought after as one of the most expensive styles. 

Look at the elegance of this french door style fridge seamlessly integrated within the kitchen cabinetry: 

3. Top Freezer Fridges

A classic for decades, the top-freezer refrigerator style needs no introduction. In fact, you probably have one in your kitchen, garage, or basement right now! 

As such a cost-effective option, there’s no wonder the top-freezer cemented itself as the traditional fridge style.  

While it is a popular fridge, the design is restricted. The freezer portion generally has the smallest capacity of any refrigerator style. So, if you require a large amount of freezer space, this may not be the fridge for you.

In terms of standard functionality, you may run into a few practical issues when using top-mount fridges. Prepare to constantly be bending over while using the fridge portion. The design will also limit kids or shorter users from being able to access the entirety of the freezer compartment.

Moreover, top-freezer refrigerator features and accessories are extremely limited compared to other models, which is why they don’t typically offer high-end models like side by side or french door fridges. Touch screen, wi-fi, and even water dispensers are not available in this fridge design. 

Although they aren’t considered the fanciest of fridge styles, if you are looking for a reliable refrigerator option and don’t care about a multitude of accessories or extra features, the top-freezer will always be worthy of consideration. 

4. Bottom-Freezer Fridges

Bottom-freezer refrigerators are almost the exact same as top-freezer fridges, only reversed. The freezer is located at the bottom of the unit, while the fridge compartment allows quick and easy access without having to bend over. 

The bottom pull-out drawer freezer compartment allows for easy access to any items, as opposed to a top-freezer, which you would have to sift through in order to reach products in the back.  

Another added benefit of bottom-freezer refrigerators is that they are slightly bigger than their top-freezer counterparts. This is ideal if you require more available freezer space than the constrained top freezer model. 

Other than that, the bottom-freezer design has the same technological limitations as its top bunk cousin.  

5. Freezerless (Single Door) Fridges

Freezerless fridges are just that: freezerless. While most kitchen refrigerators have an adjoining freezer, single-door models maximize fridge space.

While freezerless fridges are the least common style on this list, they can still provide the optimal function for your kitchen needs. 

The dimensions can range anywhere from a standard 24” width all the way to 33”. This consists of exclusively refrigerator space!

Who might the freezerless fridge style be right for? While it is not the most practical option for every kitchen, it still provides some unique advantages. 

Smaller kitchens with limited space could benefit from the slim width of a freezerless fridge. Freezers take up valuable storage space, especially in an already restricted kitchen. The standard freezerless fridge size of 24 inches will fit into smaller spaces much easier than the traditional 30 to 36-inch units of fridge-freezer combos. 

Freezerless fridges could also be great for homeowners with a separate freezer in their pantry, basement, or garage. If your current freezer size suffices, perhaps a freezerless fridge could enhance your kitchen. 

They could also be ideal for people that cook often and have a lot of fresh food on hand. Their lifestyle may not require a bulky freezer and refrigeration may be all they need for their food storage.

Ultimately, the freezerless fridge is not for everyone. Based on the factors mentioned, you should be able to tell if this fridge style suits your kitchen and your lifestyle. 

How Much Do Fridges Cost?

Typically, french-door and side-by-side fridges will come with the highest price tags, especially when comparing the most basic models of each fridge style.

If you want an affordable, reliable option, consider a top-freezer or bottom-freezer style fridge. They’re reasonably priced and offer enough capacity for most households.

When it comes to high-end options, things can get tricky. Prices may fluctuate by thousands of dollars depending on how elaborate or technologically advanced the model is. Make sure you understand the features in each specific model, otherwise you might end up paying significantly more money for something you don’t even need. 

The most common kitchen refrigerator sizes range from 30” to 36” in width. Some manufacturers provide models all the way up to 48” and even larger. In terms of cost, we’ll focus our pricing ranges on popular sizes with widths of 30” to 36”, or 24” when it comes to the slimmer, freezerless fridges. 

These widths also vary in storage capacity, which is measured in cubic feet (cu. ft). Capacities can range anywhere from 18 cu.ft. to 32 cu.ft. and even larger. Similar to dimensions, we’ll focus our pricing ranges on the most common kitchen fridge capacities: 20-22 cubic feet and 24-26 cubic feet capacity. 

Design With Deslaurier Custom Cabinets

Wondering how to integrate the perfect fridge into your dream kitchen design? Work with a member of our talented team of designers! 

At Deslaurier Custom Cabinets, we have everything you need when it comes to kitchen designs. With over 40 years of experience to our name, we provide our clients with a fully customized design process.

Book a free consultation today and meet with one of our Deslaurier design experts in our Ottawa showroom!

Interested in becoming an authorized Deslaurier dealer? Visit our Become a Dealer page to learn more!