How to Design Your Kitchen Around an American Style Fridge Freezer

Mother and daughter smiling in front of an LG American style fridge freezer

Kitchen inspiration for your American style fridge freezer

An American style fridge freezer is a striking feature in any home! It’s a large appliance that provides loads of storage space for busy families. If you’re redesigning your kitchen, I’m sure you’ll agree that your spacious new appliance deserves a place in the spotlight.


Where To Put an American Style Fridge Freezer

When it comes to your new American style fridge freezer, location is key. It’s important to consider how much space it’ll need. This includes providing enough space for the dimensions, a ventilation gap, and room to fully open the doors. This is why you should never put your large American style fridge freezer in the corner; you won’t be able to open it properly!

Additionally, if it’s boxed in, it’ll need to stick out just enough for the doors to be fully opened.

  • Do you need a gap around an American style fridge freezer?

Yes, a small gap is required around the sides, top, and back for ventilation.

Learn more about installing your American style fridge freezer here:

So, where exactly in your kitchen should your new American style fridge freezer go?

The answer to this will depend on the layout of your kitchen. However, we have a few great tips to help you find the perfect location!

  • Stay close to other food storage zones

By keeping your fridge freezer close to other areas you store food, such as your pantry or kitchen cabinets, you reduce the distance you’ll need to travel. This makes grabbing ingredients easier, and shortens the time it takes to put your groceries away!

  • Keep it near your food preparation space

Much of the ingredients that you take out of your fridge freezer will need to be prepared. Make your life easier by placing it right next to your food prep area! This will also help with the flow of cooking.

  • Consider the kitchen triangle

The kitchen triangle refers to the positioning of your fridge, sink, and oven. Used by kitchen designers for years, this is a tried and tested method that ensures unblocked and clear access between the most used areas in the kitchen.

Learn more about the kitchen triangle here:

  • Avoid high-traffic areas

It’s best to keep your fridge freezer away from high-traffic areas. As well as cooking, a kitchen is often used to entertain, or as a route to the garden. To avoid disrupting the usability of your kitchen, try placing your refrigerator away from the traffic, but still in an easily accessible area.

  • Keep it in an open area

An American style fridge freezer is a large appliance! This means it does best in a nice open area. This will give you plenty of room to open the doors up wide, whilst still being able to move about freely. It’ll also give you the chance to make a spectacle of your favourite appliance.


Will an American style fridge freezer look silly in a small kitchen?

Not at all – as long as there’s still enough space to open the doors more than 90 degrees!

Space is the most important aspect to consider when looking to purchase an American style fridge freezer. They appeal to many because of how much capacity they have inside. This makes them perfect for large, growing families!

However, not every family will have the required space. All hope isn’t lost though. If you’ve established that your kitchen isn’t equipped for an American style fridge freezer, there are other options out there. For example, you may instead benefit from a side by side fridge freezer layout, or a large fridge freezer that doesn’t require the doors to open more than 90 degrees.

If you need help deciding on what’s best for your kitchen, call our friendly appliance experts on 0115 965 1937. We’re always happy to help!

Black Fisher & Paykel American style fridge freezer in small kitchen

Family eating breakfast in front of Samsung American style fridge freezer

Could your home benefit from owning two fridges?

Many households are now deciding to have two fridges. There are a few great benefits to this!

Firstly, and most obviously, a second fridge will give you additional refrigeration space. If you have an American style fridge freezer, this additional space may not be needed for your groceries. However, a second fridge may still be helpful to keep snacks or drinks in.

Another benefit to a second fridge is improved flow and usability of your kitchen. If you have just one refrigerator, you may find that other (usually smaller) household members get in your way as they grab a snack or drink.

By keeping these things in a separate fridge, away from your cooking space, you’ll create a much more usable, and peaceful, environment.

Open fridge

Boxing in an American Style Fridge Freezer

Boxing in an American style fridge freezer is a popular way of integrating it into the design of a kitchen. Sometimes, having a standalone unit can disrupt this design.

Although this approach is easy to achieve, there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, as a bare minimum, you should have two tall units on either side, plus a top box.

One great way of getting the most out of your space is by installing slide out pantries on either side, and a wine rack over the top. Thus turning your fridge freezer into a one-stop shop for everything you need!

Or, if you’re serious about your wine, box it in with two tall wine racks!

As a reminder, it’s also important to allow enough room to fully open the doors. This will mean pulling it out slightly, so it’s not sitting flush against the surrounding units.

Black American style fridge freezer in grey housing

What Colour American Style Fridge Freezer Should You Choose?

Choosing the colour of such a large appliance can be a daunting task. Not only will it need to match the design of your kitchen, but it also needs to align with your aesthetic. Are you looking for something modern and sleek? Do you want it to blend in or stand out? Does the finish need to match your other appliances? There are a lot of little details that you should consider before you make that final decision.

Of course, American style fridge freezers are available in all classic finishes. These include stainless steel, black, and white. These are perfect for modern kitchens, and can easily be matched with other appliance finishes. They also allow you to blend your fridge freezer into your kitchen cabinetry, or use it to add a pop of contrast.

A stainless steel LG American style fridge freezer
Open fridge freezer in gunmetal finish

If you’d like to add a touch more sophistication to your kitchen, American style fridge freezers can also be bought in more luxurious finishes. These include options such as Black Steel, Gunmetal, or Ivory.

Whatever you decide in the end, our team are dedicated to making sure you find the perfect appliances for your kitchen. Take a look at our My Multibuy feature to get your hands on a personalised deal when buying multiple appliances!


Stunning Kitchens with American Style Fridge Freezers

Looking for some more inspiration? Check out these inspiring kitchen designs featuring American style fridge freezers:

LG Instaview fridge freezer in kitchen/diner
Samsung Family Hub fridge freezer in large kitchen
Black LG American style fridge freezer in kitchen
Woman standing next to Bosch American style fridge freezer
Fully open Bosch American style fridge freezer

Have you bought an American style fridge freezer from us? We’d love to feature it in this blog! Tag us in your picture on either Facebook or Instagram.

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