How to Know if a French Door Refrigerator Dimensions Fit My Kitchen?
So you’re thinking of purchasing or you have purchased a brand new French door refrigerator and you’re looking for a place in your home where it will be put to good use whilst also being out of the way.
One of the factors that you should take into account before purchasing this French door refrigerator is the size of it and the relative size of your kitchen, as you are going to want to fit in perfectly and without hassle.
If you have already made your purchase and are waiting on it to be delivered or you’re already in possession of it in your home then the job of getting it to fit may be a more difficult task than what was anticipated at the start.
Regardless, there is still much that can be done to ensure your purchase is not wasted and that you can have a great looking kitchen with an excellent looking French door refrigerator.
What can I do to measure the dimensions of my kitchen?
First are the actual dimensions of the kitchen, or otherwise a different location, which will be the main storage and usage, are of the new French door refrigerator.
There are many different methods that you can use to measure up and determine the size however it all boils down to the first step which is making the actual measures yourself with a handy tape measure and writing implements in order to record your results.
To break it down further, here are a number of different steps you can take to improve on the recording and designing of the placement of your French door refrigerator:
- Using a tape measure to record the results
- Creating a blueprint of your kitchen
- Using software to map out the area
As previously stated, the very first step that definitely should be taken is by manually conducting the dimension analysis on your own. You may decide to do the job yourself, or perhaps hire a professional (if you decide that you’d rather pay the extra money and get someone else to check for you). One thing that is for certain is that a measuring device such as a tape measure or even a ruler is required.
You will want to find the area that you’re going to place the French door refrigerator in your kitchen and measure up how much length, width and height you will have to place your refrigerator in. Making sure that these recorded figures are double and triple checked is a very important part of this step, as you can never be to certain at the specific dimensions; sometimes items can be off by a few inches.
After making the markings and calculations on your own, you may decide to leave it at that or to make other arrangements in order to give yourself more information. Making a mock blueprint of the kitchen area (after measuring the entire kitchen space) can give you a rough idea of how big it is, the proportions of the new French door refrigerator to the kitchen and where it will be placed.
Another step further would be to take that information and use one of the widely available software tools online that allows you to make a 3d render of your kitchen space and make adjustments as you see fit. You can also make a render of the French door refrigerator and place it in the render, so you can see in a 3d model how it will look and if it will fit.
Key Takeaway: Having the details of the refrigerator will make it easier to place in the rendering software. Hopefully with all of that information in mind, it should be a much simpler task when installing your French door refrigerator in your kitchen, with any possible flaws being prepared for and also minimized as a result of your measuring and preparation.
It is possible that certain things out your control may happen, so it is always best to prepare for the worst possible outcome.
What should I do if I can’t find the right fit?
One of the first steps you can take (or may have to take) would be to consider purchasing a much smaller French door refrigerator, so that there is enough room to fit it in.
What Should I Do If I Can’t Find The Right Fit?
If you are in dire need of a fridge that is a specific size, then you may want to consider customizing a refrigerator. You can do this at many ordinary appliance stores. Some include but are not limited to Lowes, Home Depot, and Sears. Just know that there are always options for your homeowner needs.
Is the Hassle Even Worth It?
French door refrigerators are the hip new thing in the cooling appliance industry. Their ease of use is the real selling point in its design. I mean, who wouldn’t want two doors to open and gaze at all your food items? It’s as if you’re looking through a mystical portal door that shows you all your delicious desires.
To sum things up, yes the hassle of finding the perfectly fitting French door fridge is worth all the trouble. How could it not be? They make your kitchen look incredibly sleek and modern.
French Door Fridges for Smaller Areas in Your Home
They may be small, but they are mighty. Although there is not as big a variety in the small-sized French door fridge market, there are still some viable options. Brands such as Whirlpool are a great manufacturer of this sort of product.
We would recommend the Whirlpool GE 30-inch French door model if you are trying to be conservative with your sizing. These smaller fridges would look great in any smaller house. Anything from a small studio apartment to a cozy cabin would be an excellent environment for this size French door fridge.
If the small size is causing you to lose interest, don’t walk away just yet. Although these fridges may be small in size, they end up giving you more freezer space.
Middle of the Road
Although the smaller models have their perks, the middle range sizing is what most people purchase when it comes to French door refrigerator buying. The average models come in a variety of sizes. Anything from 33 inches to 35 inches is considered average in size.
The larger sizes also have convenient features such as extra storage bins, larger freezers, and even flexible storage bins; you can rearrange them however you want.
The Whirlpool GE spacious model with French doors is what I would recommend for purchase if you would prefer an average-sized model fridge. These “middle of the road” fridges are larger, and they have higher tech inside of them. The Whirlpool mentioned above has fantastic features.
The newer models include LED lighting so you can always see what you’re grabbing. These French door refrigerators also incorporate adaptive defrost, which means that the freezer will automatically sense and then defrost only when necessary.
This is an energy saving feature, and you can be sure that your frozen foods will remain at the same temperature until you’re ready to use them.
The Largest of Them All
Finally, we have arrived at the largest of them all — the 36-inch behemoth rises above all the other French door fridges. This is none other than the Whirlpool four-door refrigerator. Yes, you read that correctly — it has a fourth door. Behind that fourth door you will find another section for frozen foods.
Now you will never have to aimlessly search through your old, musty fridge ever again. This new model has been designed to maximize your storage space. If you cook a lot, don’t worry. This 36-inch fridge has you covered. It will hold everything you need and more.
A bonus is that LED light bulbs light this larger fridge, and it also has a filtered water feature. Your days of drinking from the tap are long gone with this new-age fridge. The controls are touch screen so you’ll feel as if you’re in a high-tech space ship.
There are just so many features that you can pack into such a large machine, and you can see why we are talking about it so much. It has an extra ice bucket, so you’ll always have enough ice for those hot summer days.
Aesthetics
This may not be a priority on your list of things you need in a refrigerator. Maybe you only care about the pure functionality of the machine you are interested in buying. If that is the case, you can skip over this section, but we would recommend skimming through it. Who knows, maybe you will change your opinion on aesthetics once you read this.
Aesthetics play a vital role in the visual elements of interior design. Although functionality is an essential thing, aesthetics comes in a close second. If a room is unappealing, you are likely to feel uncomfortable in it, so choosing the right fridge is important; it is the piece of furniture that ties the entire kitchen area together. This is why you have to think about not only the interior of a French door fridge but also the exterior.
Let’s consider this for a moment. Imagine you are a homeowner who has a beautifully decorated house. It is a lovely modern style of interior design. It would be perfect except for one glaring flaw sitting in the center of your kitchen: the French door refrigerator.
You accidentally chose the wrong color, and it does not match the all-white aesthetic of your kitchen, so now you will be acutely aware of the contrast whenever you even so much as look at that fridge. What were you thinking?
This is why you must consider everything when you buy a new fridge. Of course, if you are just worried about the dimensions of your fridge, there will not be nearly that much frustration in your color selection. We just wanted to stress how important this part of the process is. You should choose a fridge based on the size and also the looks.
Yes, a specific model of French door refrigerator may fit your exact dimensions, but you should not make such a substantial investment if you think the exterior will look too strange in the kitchen. Always remember that you have options, and you can customize a fridge or even wait until you find a French door fridge that meets all of your criteria.
Electrical Wiring
If the fridge you end up buying is smaller than the size you wanted, then you might run into a wiring problem. If the refrigerator is much smaller than the space you have set for it, you will either have to misalign the fridge from the kitchen counters next to it, and you will have to move it until it is almost flush against the wall.
Or you could keep it aligned with the counters, but run the risk of the wiring hanging out or not even reaching the wall in the first place. Both of these options have their pros and cons.
If you decide to move the fridge to become flush against the wall, then this will create an unbalanced feeling between the counters the fridge sits in between and the actual refrigerator. This is the option we would recommend, though, because this option eliminates the risk of having loose wiring hanging out of your kitchen wall.
The kitchen is the second worse place to have loose wiring (the first is naturally the bathroom). If you move your fridge against the wall, it may look a tad bit odd, but it is ultimately the safer option for a long-term solution. Now you will have zero risks of tripping or electrocuting yourself.
The second option is to keep your refrigerator in the location you want. This would mean that you will have to take some precautionary measures to protect yourself and the fridge’s wiring. I recommend carefully wrapping the wires into a neat loop, and then insulating this wire loop.
This will keep them safe, intact, and tangle-free and also help prevent any fluids from the French door refrigerator leaking onto the wires. This is the more aesthetically pleasing method but always consider your safety.
Location
A key element to this fridge buying process is deciding on a position to put your fridge. The majority of kitchens we’ve been in have a designated fridge place that makes it obvious what is supposed to go there.
This is usually denoted by wiring or pipe connections running from the wall, or by a hole in the countertop that is about the size of a fridge. This is the location that you will need to measure.
Of course, you never need to stick to the constraints the architecture of the house has put on you. Put the fridge in the attic if it makes you happy. Just be sure to measure the area properly and do the correct research first.
You wouldn’t want to go through this entire process only to end up with the wrong size fridge. As stated earlier, it is better to wait and get an item that will look great in your kitchen for years to come rather than to buy a mediocre French door fridge impulsively.
Key Points
Always remember to write down your measurements
Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to go all the way down to the appliance store only to forget your dimensions? You also don’t want to guess what your dimensions are. If you forgot them, always re-measure.
That old saying “measure twice cut once” applies to this situation. You can always measure a space again, but the act of buying and returning a piece of heavy machinery is much more complicated than that. Be smart and write down your dimensions, and then check your measurements again so you won’t have this problem in the first place.
When in doubt, hire a professional
There is no shame in getting a second opinion, and more often than not, they know more than you. They are professionals, after all. Get an electrician to give you a second opinion to a wiring situation, or even hire someone to measure your area for you if you are not confident in your own ability.
Choose a refrigerator that is right for you
Don’t choose one that will work. It is a part of your home, and you need to treat buying a French door refrigerator like buying a decoration for your home. You also need to consider the size of the fridge you want.
Maybe you should find another location for your fridge if it doesn’t fit the designated “refrigerator location” in your kitchen. Perhaps consider putting the French door fridge in your garage. You can always keep your older fridge in the kitchen, so then you have the ultimate fridge space.
Just know that in the end, it is your decision. However, as you likely realize, this is an expensive purchase, and you will want to get it right the first time around.
Conclusion
With all of these details in mind, another method might be to simply rearrange your kitchen to make the space. Hopefully if you’ve created a blueprint or used the rendering software, the task will be much simpler and set out with a clear end in view.
When all is said and done, you’ll have an excellent French door refrigerator just waiting for the chance to show you just how amazing these appliances are.