All show and no show

Fridge-freezers: discreetly concealed or displayed in all their glory? Built-ins and blockbusters might just have to cool off and agree to disagree.

Some like it hot and out in the open and others like it cool and more discreet. People like to be different and the Brits are especially good at it. As a top designer recently said: “British consumers don’t like being told what to do. You can’t impose a style of living on them and expect them all to like it.”
It’s a valid point. How many people walk on the grass until someone puts a sign up telling them they can’t?
The top end and middle sectors of the sprawling UK cooling market are currently a perfect example of different strokes for different folks.
This year’s Eurocucina exhibition in Milan offered all sorts of great ideas on how to tastefully conceal built-in appliances to create a flowing kitchen that blends seamlessly into the ever-mushrooming living area of the home.
Such is the talk of the great built-in revolution that we sometimes need to remind ourselves that freestanding models still account for some 90% of the cooling market. That situation will doubtless change and the scales will balance as time goes on. Most agree that the sleek and streamlined look of the built-in kitchen is just too good to resist.
Where human instinct encroaches on this formula is when we get to the top end, American-style blockbusters that scream out to be displayed in their Sunday best. Here is where the show-off that lurks within us runs riot. After all, if you’re lucky enough to own a Ferrari, you don’t hide it away in the garage. Will built-in appliances ever smother the big boys and create a uniform kitchen society? Life isn’t nearly so obliging and why would we want it to be when both built-ins and blockbusters offer so many great advantages?
Steve Woodworth, sales director of refrigeration specialist Liebherr, explains: “The major selling point of a freestanding fridge-freezer is its space. Built-in appliances tend to have a relatively shallow depth, with an interior capacity of slightly less than a traditional depth refrigerator with the same height and width measurements. These appliances also give greater lay­out flexibility over built-ins.”
But, he concedes, built-ins do offer huge flexibilities in aesthetics:   “Design has taken on increasing importance with British consumers and many people do want to hide away appliances and keep the same colour scheme.”
The two formats offer impressive credentials in terms of technology and function too. Ruth Ferguson, marketing manager for Gorenje, says: “Both built-in and freestanding cooling appliances are highly sophisticated with electronics providing efficient, environmentally friendly, multi-zoned food storage centres. The flexibility to customise your fridge space and storage conditions is top of the list.”
We go back to those customers who don’t like being told what to do when we consider the emerging trend in cooling appliances of mixing built-ins with bold, freestanding models that have some good old-fashioned swagger without upsetting the balance. “By doing this,” says Smeg’s product development and training manager Joan Fraser,  “consumers can create a sleek, under­stated kitchen that is enhanced with a freestanding fridge or wine cooler, allowing them to add personality to the room.”
Bill Miller, sales and marketing director for ATAG, tells ek&bbusiness:  “The trend for individuality continues to grow and so does the search for ‘special’ appliances that personalise the kitchen. There are many new ways to integrate refrigeration into the home. On the other hand, there is still something undeniably and addictively cool about a big, free­standing American-style side-by-side. It is a truly iconic product and the show­stopping centrepiece of the contemporary kitchen.”
There are always different ways to please different people. Richard Walker, sales and marketing director for De Dietrich points out that the big free­standing appliances will always have a significant presence in the market, but feels that integrated products will win out in the popularity stakes as homes continue to open up. These products are undeniably the preferred choice of many kitchen designers.
Says Walker: “A number of manu­facturers, De Dietrich included, offer tall, integrated larder fridges that can be installed side by side with integrated frost-free freezers that offer greater capacities than their freestanding counterparts but are hidden behind the door.”
Miele’s group product manager Neil Pooley, agrees: “We are definitely seeing a trend towards the seamless look. Fully integrated appliances offer clean, linear lines which can be disrupted by the introduction of free­standing appliances.”
In the end it all comes down to personal taste, as Hotpoint’s brand manager Iain Starkey reminds us: “Initially, the choice of built-in versus freestanding in these price segments comes down to personal choice and kitchen design. Some consumers like the clean lines of a built-in kitchen while others like to make a style statement with their fridge-freezer.”
He adds: “Consumers will also opt for a brand they have confidence in.”