If you’re embarking on a kitchen renovation, you’ve got a lot decisions in your future. Paint and stain colors. Styles and finishes of cabinet pulls and knobs. Tile. Countertops. Island configurations. And, of course…appliances. In fact, choosing appliances is usually one of the first steps in the process since their specific dimensions dictate cabinet sizes and placement and virtually all other layout decisions.
It used to be you picked a refrigerator, chose black or stainless, and called it a day. However, there are options available now that allow you to blend the refrigerator into your kitchen in a way that highlights your beautiful cabinetry and other finishes and minimizes those hulking silver giants. The two options we turn to most frequently are integrated and panel ready.
An integrated refrigerator is indistinguishable from your other cabinetry. No vents or spacing, no special hinges. It can be difficult to even pick out which cabinet is the refrigerator when you choose an integrated design. We love integrated appliances at Park & Oak for their seamless look and prefer to use them whenever possible to let other design elements play a starring role and help the cabinetry look like finished furniture.
Panel ready (sometimes called “built-in”) appliances are also an option if you don’t want your kitchen dominated by appliances. With a panel ready design, you can still cover the refrigerator with a cabinet panel that matches your kitchen. However, you’ll likely still have a visible vent and hinges and the refrigerator door can protrude past counter-depth. With a panel ready design, the refrigerator is more easily identifiable.
Integrated
Where’s Waldo?? Can you find the integrated refrigerators in the Park & Oak kitchens below?
Panel Ready
You can see in these kitchens that while the refrigerator is covered by matching cabinetry, it is more easily identifiable.
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