Looking to buy a fridge to fit a small kitchen. Suggestions?

September 16, 2014 3:26 PM

Our previous fridge was on the small side, but certainly not compact; still, even after taking a look at many well-reviewed models, I haven't been able to find any that would fit our kitchen. Could you help us find a moderately respectable smaller-ish fridge? Kitchen space dimensions/etc. inside.

The maximum dimensions that could fit our refrigerator space are approximately: H <=69" L <=35" W ~30". This is a couple of inches less than what seems to be standard fridge size, and every model I've checked out and liked has been an inch or two too big in whatever direction. The minimum standard length, for example, seems to be around 36 inches.

It doesn't need to be a massive fridge - only three people live here and we aren't huge eaters - but compact size is too small. We'd prefer model suggestions to DIY fix-it advice (like cutting into cabinets, etc.) - unless there really aren't any decent options out there for the space we have.

Oh yeah. The spending limit is $1000, give or take. We're all about bang for the buck; as long as the fridge is reliable, the cheaper the better. Thanks, everyone.

posted by CottonCandyCapers to Home & Garden (16 answers total)

A search on Sears.com using your dimensions (I assume by length you mean depth?) gets these results. I admit, though, that I don't understand the length issue -- I think most refrigerators are no deeper than 34" or so. If you need something shallower than that, look for counter-depth refrigerators.

(Sears's appliance search is actually really useful, even if you don't buy there, because you can search by dimensions, that search actually works -- unlike Home Depot's by-dimensions search == and they generally list a lot more models than other retailers.)
posted by devinemissk at 3:32 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Can you explain what you mean by "length" versus "width"? I'm assuming that width means standard side-to-side dimensions, in which case 30" or smaller is a totally normal sized fridge, and the L means depth (how far out from the wall it goes), in which case again, 35" is tons of space, and no fridge is 69" tall... do you mean the other way around for L and W? but again, 30" for both of those measurements is super standard.

Here, for example, is a totally basic fridge available on HomeDepot.com. 28"W x 29.5"D x 62" H. There are a ton more in about that size, but you can limit by width on the site, and everything should be less than 35" deep.
posted by brainmouse at 3:35 PM on September 16, 2014

Lowe's also has a search by dimensions.
posted by ShooBoo at 3:35 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh, and once you've figured out which models are most likely to work for you, search for them on the Sears Outlet site, where you can get very steep discounts.
posted by devinemissk at 3:36 PM on September 16, 2014

Our landlord's recent purchase (three weeks ago? something like that) for us was a 30"w x 29"d x 68"h Frigidaire. Not sure if that's the right model, but it's close, anyway. So your measurements shouldn't be hard to find. Near Boston, in the U.S., if that helps.

Keep in mind that a lot of the installers will recommend an inch or two extra space around for airflow. Be sure you ask. They'll install it anyway but they'll tell you it won't last as long.
posted by clone boulevard at 3:47 PM on September 16, 2014

Okay, I know you don't want to hear it but I'm gonna say it: We had this problem when replacing our old, small fridge last year. We did ultimately hire a carpenter to shorten (is that the word? raise up the bottom?) the cabinet above the fridge slot, so we could purchase a taller fridge. The $200 we spent on the carpenter was offset by our ability then to pay less for a fridge -- having a standard size "fridge hole" meant we could comparaison shop multiple models/brands rather than just settling for the literally one or two models that would fit our old slot.
posted by BlahLaLa at 3:54 PM on September 16, 2014

Love the fridge so far, by the way. Holds tons of food. It was replacing a 70s-style "apartment" sized fridge, so it feels enormous to us.
posted by clone boulevard at 3:55 PM on September 16, 2014

I can't tell you how well it works yet, but I'm having this LG delivered on Thursday. Gets good reviews online.
posted by hwyengr at 4:01 PM on September 16, 2014

Response by poster: Okay, I done screwed up - width should be depth, and length should be width. I'm new to this stuff, sorry. So length isn't even used then? Whoops!

So: H 69" W 35" D 30" -ish.

And yeah... it seems like there's a lot more fridges for my size than I had thought. I was originally looking at the Consumer Reports top fridges list, which I think were all too big. The Best Buy Frigidaire looks nice. I'd love to hear other suggestions for well-reviewed fridges!
posted by CottonCandyCapers at 4:01 PM on September 16, 2014

I'm sort of with blahlala on this. My uncle redid his kitchen and seemingly didn't really think about this at all. The kitchen looks awesome, but it's a small house... and a small kitchen. He ended up with a hilariously narrow/odd shaped space for a fridge to go. They do sell fridges that size, which clearly the architect/whoever thought of, but he paid out the ass for a fridge that other than being stainless door is a pretty basic fridge.

I looked up a model similar to what he has(a decent LG), which fits within your size requirements and it was north of $2000.

Especially considering you want to get a decent fridge for a grand, you probably want to modify your space.

I also just went through this whole shuffle with my out of town landlord and my place when my fridge kerploded, and ended up with a stupid fridge i HATE because of the width requirement. I really wish they had just been willing to cut a couple inches off the counter or something so i could have gotten a normal fridge. I could have gotten a pretty nice normal sized fridge for what they paid for this stupid narrow fridge with its awful fridge/freezer ratio, which is basically the same story as above all over again.

Food for thought, i guess.
posted by emptythought at 4:20 PM on September 16, 2014

My landlord just replaced my fridge with a new Frigidaire that's 24x25x60. Model # FFPT10F3NW.
posted by Room 641-A at 4:49 PM on September 16, 2014

Hit post too soon. I'd check appliance stores that do business with apartment building owners/developers.
posted by Room 641-A at 4:50 PM on September 16, 2014

The AJ Madison site is fantastic for scouting out appliances and filtering results by any number of criteria. For example, I just plugged in some plausible values for you and got these results.
posted by maudlin at 7:17 PM on September 16, 2014

I very recently got a fridge that would fit in your unusually small space (and mine-- 1950s galley kitchen, sigh) from the Sears Outlet store for less than $700. After getting frustrated looking for stuff online I just went around to a couple of different local appliance stores with a tape measure, and found there were a lot more options than I was expecting-- just not very many with fancier features at good prices (I really wanted a freezer on the bottom style, but what are you gonna do). This is my new fridge. It is not fancy. It is not large. But it fits. And makes things cold.
posted by BlueJae at 7:38 PM on September 16, 2014

Oh and if you have your heart set on more modern features and are willing to blow your budget, you might also want to look into this one (which I was considering, but the reviews are mixed, and in my kitchen space which is even slightly smaller than yours, it would have been a verrrrry tight fit).
posted by BlueJae at 7:44 PM on September 16, 2014

Apologies for stepping in late. I have a not very tall and not very deep space in my kitchen, originally occupied by a 1986 fridge left to me by the previous owners. When I was fed up with that one, I went to PC Richard with a tape measure and started measuring. I found a Frigidaire Gallery top freezer which fit the bill (except for sticking out two inches past the counter). It's 30 W x 30 D x 65.5 H. And it wasn't super pricey, around $900. It was so worth it to have something that is more easily cleaned, keeps everything super cold and self-defrosts. The freezer even has a light!
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 9:49 AM on September 20, 2014