What Are Under-Counter Refrigerators?

Maybe you don't like the look of a giant refrigerator in your kitchen; maybe you don't have the space for a full-sized refrigerator, or maybe you never store enough food to justify having such a big appliance. In any case, it's worth remembering that you're not limited to the usual refrigerator options, because there's another way: under-counter refrigerators.

Liebherr RU 510

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Credit: Courtesy of Liebherr

First, there's the fact that a fridge of this scale can turn basically any room into an entertaining space. Just take the media room in our 2019 Whole Home Concept House, located in Nashville, Tennessee: A few shelves stocked with cocktail supplies are supplemented with Liebherr's RU 510 Undercounter Beverage Center (stocked with cold mixers and other libations) just underneath. Movie night, book club, cocktail hour—it's all going to be infinitely more enjoyable with a cold beverage immediately on hand.

Beverage-specific refrigerators like the one above are the right temperature for keeping wine and drinks cold, but if you want to store food you have to go for a mini-fridge proper. Some under-counter fridge options (like Liebherr's UR 500 Integrable Under-Worktop Fridge, which was installed in the bedroom of our Whole Home Concept House for—um, best idea ever—easy midnight snacktime) look like a beverage fridge with doors while others are just stacked refrigerator drawers. These drawers are often adjustable temperature-wise, so you can store specific types of food in them, like meats, produce, or dairy.

purple and exposed wood kitchen with hidden under-counter refrigerators

Courtesy of deVOL Kitchens

The space above, designed by deVOL Kitchens, actually has two—a refrigerator and a freezer—but you wouldn't know that by looking at it. The under-counter units flank the kitchen with one on the far right and one on the far left, cleverly disguised by paneling to match the rest of the cabinets. If that sounds like your dream kitchen, then going with an under-counter fridge system might be a smart move.