Ask the Architect

A new kitchen design necessitates a new fridge?

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Q. We’re planning a new kitchen, and I have a kitchen designer and an architect telling me I should replace my new refrigerator because it sticks out 4 inches from the cabinets. I really don’t want to, since I just got it a year ago. What do you think I should consider in deciding to do this? Is there any choice other than insisting on keeping it?

A. Put your hands up, step away from the refrigerator and freeze. For me, it’s a chilling thought to have a refrigerator sticking out 4 inches farther than all the new cabinets. I usually design a recess into the wall behind the refrigerator, using the same method as a door header beam if the wall is structural, just so we don’t have to look at the refrigerator sticking out.

But consider the following explanation of why a shallower-depth refrigerator may be a better choice anyway. First of all, it looks better, and won’t require spending money on a recess in the wall or moving an island cabinet farther away just to be able to squeeze by when the kitchen is crowded. Let’s face it, 100 percent of the people invited into your home end up in your kitchen. It’s inevitable, so why make it tougher to get around because of a poorly designed line of cabinets and refrigerator placement?

But for me, the most important, though not so obvious, reason for having a narrower refrigerator is economics. You save money on food, which pays, over and over, for the investment — hard to believe, but true. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Department of Agriculture, the average household loses roughly $2,225 per year on wasted food. Aside from the food we throw out because we just weren’t in the mood to finish it, there’s a tendency to forget about the food buried deep in the back of a cavernous cooler. Those science experiments on the top shelf, tucked way in the back, end up in our landfills instead of our bellies and create methane gas, which is a much greater problem than carbon emissions in damaging our atmosphere.

Tons of food are wasted every day, and that wasted food costs money. You’ll save enough to pay for a new, shallower refrigerator in which you’ll be able to find food easier, organize your meals better and throw away less in about a year and a half, on average. And you’ll continue to save money for the next 15 to 20 years, for the typical household. So get rid of that deep box and get a shallower refrigerator with drawers and better storage closer to your view. You won’t regret donating or selling your recently purchased appliance to someone who didn’t read this advice.

© 2016 Monte Leeper. Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.