For several decades, the interior and design of the kitchen, aesthetic and ergonomic requirements. Modern tendencies in the design of residential premises require minimization, the unification of the kitchen and the room, the integration of furniture and household appliances into the walls.
Futuristic design and interior in hi-tech style does not provide for overloading the premises with practical, but ordinary elements.
Advantages and disadvantages of the built-in refrigerator
Separating a kitchen from a simple room where food is prepared is a concept that has been actively used in design for more than twenty years.
Minimalism and futurism, in which there is no place for technology
The refrigerator is the most oversized household appliance, so it must be hidden first. There are many variations of embedded models.
The decorated facade is able to completely "mask" household appliances
Mini-versions adapted for small shops in the apartment interior will not work. The main goal is to create an optimal design, household appliances should correspond to it, and not vice versa. To understand how to choose the right built-in refrigerator, you need to determine the types of installation, to develop the exact concept of the kitchen design.
The height of the household appliance does not matter, fully built-in refrigerators are invisible; they are hidden in depth behind special decor panels that match the style of the kitchen. Special panels of the laid on type hold on factory doors very strongly and esthetically: there are no backlashes and gaps. Devices (clamps) that are used are factory devices designed taking into account all the subtleties of furniture. Such refrigerators are called completely built-in, since the plane of the doors completely coincides with the plane of the wall. The only thing that the refrigerator will give itself out is the standard ventilation grille, however even it is easily decorated. The purpose of this design is not so much to hide a household appliance from view as to adapt the kitchen to your ideas without becoming attached to the axioms of home appliance design.
Built-in refrigerators as part of furniture
The built-in refrigerator has both pros and cons. If the device has one door, then the use of two-door systems of the furniture facade is allowed: one door corresponds to the refrigerator, the second - furniture. The headset can be attached in two ways:
- runners (the door slides along the guides);
- headset swivel mechanisms.
Not always there is free space and furniture allows you to place inside such a large-sized household appliance. Partially embedded models are provided for these cases. They are usually placed in special recesses; the front panel should not be decorated. Thus, even if the device is visible, it means it seems too narrow. But in such situations there is a way out: manufacturers offer a wide range of colors. There are both white and red, green patterns. The color palette is presented in unlimited variety. Choosing the most suitable color for the interior is quite simple. Red and black retro models stylized as mid-20th century devices complement the high-tech design perfectly.
Partially built-in models preserve the refrigerator visually, however, due to the furniture niche, the occupied volume is much less
This idea has both advantages and disadvantages.For example, the capacity of narrow models, which are specially selected for installation in shallow niches, is often much less than that of traditional large models. But here, manufacturers find a way out. For example, there are narrow refrigerators with a volume of about 500 liters, which are increased in width, while easily integrating into any niche.
Dimension line of built-in refrigerator
Everyone who chooses an ordinary refrigerator faces only questions of cost, design and functionality. If you decide to embed, you will have to work hard, because the criteria for choosing models are very much overlap. You often have to choose - either the design is suitable, or the volume is too small, or the number of cameras is not suitable.
However, the most important is the dimensional ruler. The dimensions of the provided niche for the built-in refrigerator, which is provided for by the design, are an important part. The niches used must be operated as productively as possible, space must be left for additional cabinets. They store accessories for cameras - wine coasters, containers for storing food, etc. The width of the device you want to embed varies from 250 mm. up to one and a half meters. Small models are also called wine cabinets; they often use classic 0.5-0.6 meter built-in refrigerators.
An example of maintaining a classic design without disguise
Criteria and selection rules. Examples
Increasingly, models with an electronic control system are on sale. If for a stationary, traditional household appliance such a system is innovative and successful, then for refrigerators that you plan to build in, an electronic system is not a good option. The reason for this is the control panel, because in units with electronic filling the panel is located on the doors, on the outside; “Masking” such a catchy detail is obviously impossible.
Therefore, it is believed that devices whose control is based on a mechanical principle are suitable for embedding. Such mechanisms are hidden deep inside the case. It is always necessary to remember that you need to find a balance between a beautiful appearance and aesthetic practicality.
The models you plan to build in are much more economical in terms of energy consumption. The optimal solution is class A refrigerators. Therefore, by integrating your unit into a niche, several issues are solved at once - both the issue of aesthetics and design, and the issue of energy saving. The refrigerator has become such a familiar household appliance that many simply ignore the issue of electricity consumption, focusing on color and ergonomics. However, it should be remembered that the refrigerator is one of the most energy-consuming devices in the house, because it works almost constantly.
Price is a very important factor, because, first of all, you need to try to ensure that household appliances and furniture are in the same class. And again, the advantages of built-in models are discovered - due to the “masking” of furniture sets, the influence of the appearance of a budget refrigerator on the overall kitchen interior can be completely eliminated.
Speaking of built-in household appliances, it is impossible not to mention the Liebherr FKUv 1662. This model is perfect for these purposes, fits perfectly into kitchen niches, its dimensions are optimal, the devices are completely invisible under the countertops. Liebherr FKUv 1662 has a very interesting and rare quality - its door is completely transparent and it does not contain freezers. Its total volume is about 140 liters, the dimensions are as follows: height - 83 cm., Depth - 61.5 cm. It belongs to the A ++ class, its average price varies in the region of a thousand dollars.
One, or even several, small refrigerators can easily replace one large
Ariston BDR 190 AAI is another small device that is often used in expensive hotels and kitchens with an extraordinary design.It is very low (only 83 centimeters), but its volume is simply amazing: the refrigerator is able to accommodate about 200 liters. It belongs to the class A + and costs about 900 dollars. Such devices are difficult to use as the main and only, however, paired with a freezer or a second refrigerator, it is possible to achieve any results that will fully comply with design decisions.
Sometimes the refrigerator can be so stylized as an interior that it no longer needs to be hidden
Mechanically controlled models are great for embedding. Many of them are spacious, economical, compact. Such devices are actively used both for full integration, and for partial. In the first case, the doors of household appliances are hidden by special furniture facades; in the second, niches are used that can visually reduce space.
Mini-refrigerators are suitable for installation: several copies are able to replace traditional equipment or create a wine bar in the kitchen.
