A Brief Guide to Compact Appliances for Smaller Kitchens

If your living space is limited, it’s easy to believe that you cannot have all the appliances to meet your needs. But, this is not the case, there are compact appliances on the market that can help you to make meals, wash dishes and get your laundry washed efficiently. In this brief guide, we will take a look at some appliances that can be installed in smaller homes to make the most of the available space.

Compact Cooktops and Ranges

A kitchen range is a popular choice because you get two appliances in a single unit. As such, they are an ideal space saver for any size of home. There are electric and gas options and a standard kitchen range is 30” wide. But, if you have a smaller space there are compact electric ranges with a width of 20” up to 24” and gas ranges at 24” only. If you want a dedicated cooktop instead of a range stove, you can choose a two element electric or two-burner gas cooktop instead. These cooktops range in size from 12” up to 21”.

A Compact Wall Oven

If you go with a cooktop, you will need to consider a separate oven and this can be tricky when you have limited space. An ideal solution may be a wall mounted oven and microwave combo that gives you two great appliances in a single unit. This will preserve the counter space and the oven can be accessed easily. A compact wall oven can be up to 27” wide but slimmer models are available.

The Compact Refrigerator

The largest appliance in most kitchens is the refrigerator, but smaller living areas usually have fewer people, and storing large volumes of food is not required. Choosing a smaller capacity refrigerator is a great way to save space and lower the budget for your kitchen. An adult typically needs around 4 cubic feet of refrigerated food storage and this rises to approximately 20 cubic feet for a family of four. The capacity of a compact refrigerator is up to 18 cubic feet which may be a little on the small side for four people. But, if you can go up to 30” wide it is possible to install a refrigerator with 19 cubic feet of capacity which is a little more forgiving.

The typical configurations are a top or bottom freezer which has less storage space or a more space efficient side-by-side or French door model. A compact bottom freezer refrigerator has around 6 up to 19 cubic feet of storage compared to a top freezer model that has 6 up to 21 cubic feet. But bottom freezer refrigerators tend to be slimmer at 22” up to 30” wide. A basic compact refrigerator or “Mini Fridge” is a good option for a single person household with 2 up to 11 cubic feet of storage.

Compact Washers and Dryers

A washer dryer combo unit can help you to stay on top of the laundry with a single appliance. This type of appliance may have an appliance as low as 2.3 cubic feet which may be a good fit for smaller households. Another option is to install a stacked laundry area to save valuable floor space. The washer would have a capacity of around 3.9 cubic feet and the dryer drum would be approximately 5.5 cubic feet.

A Compact Dishwasher

In a smaller home, a dishwasher may seem like a waste of valuable space or an unnecessary luxury appliance. But, the convenience of a dishwasher is hard to beat and even a compact model can make a huge difference to your life. A compact dishwasher is usually 18” wide or slimmer.

If you need compact appliances for your home check out our online selection or ask one of our home appliance advisors for expert help.