Perhaps there is no more important household device in the kitchen than a refrigerator.… This is especially clearly realized in the summer heat, when it is necessary to preserve food and every now and then you want to drink something cool. Not a single family can do without a refrigerator, and it is great if the question of choosing a model comes down only to its functionality, as well as its appearance. But for a mini-kitchen, this issue is solved a little more difficult. But such a situation was foreseen by the manufacturers of this equipment, thanks to which refrigerators with a width of 50-55 cm appeared on sale.
Criterias of choice
Before you go shopping for a refrigerator, you first need to decide what characteristics you expect from this device.… Think about what area in the kitchen you can allocate for this unit, because the dimensions of these devices are standard, and in the kitchen you still need to place a stove, dining table, stools, perhaps a dishwasher, a washing machine …
When all the calculations are done, you can go shopping and choose from the whole variety of modern household appliances exactly what suits you best.
Having decided on the width, pay attention to whether there is a freezer, how large it is and where it is located. Get to know the functionality of the unit, evaluate its design, take an interest in energy consumption. The most optimal height for narrow models designed for a small kitchenette is 200 cm - such a unit will perfectly fit into the interior and will be quite convenient to use.
It is better if the freezer is located not at the top of the refrigerator, but at the bottom (practice has shown that such models are most convenient in a small room).
The 50 cm wide refrigerator is a dream come true for:
- residents of the old housing stockwhere there is very little free space due to special architectural solutions that are not designed for modern interior parameters;
- people who prefer to relax at their dacha … And this means - a small, as a rule, house, summer, heat and without a refrigerator - no way;
- residents of small-family apartments and dormitories - all the same lack of free space and the need to fit a refrigerator into it.
It should be borne in mind that if only the model with a special configuration is suitable for you, and not the standard one, then its cost will most likely be in a higher price range.
Some owners of kitchens that are too small in size find another way out - they choose the option of a refrigerator built-in under the countertop.
On the one hand, this solves the issue of compact placement of furniture and the release of additional kitchen space, on the other hand - what can fit in such a refrigerator. Only the very minimum, and such a design is not very convenient to use, and this can hardly be considered a comfortable home arrangement.
It is for such situations that refrigerators are produced, the width of which is slightly smaller than that of standard models - only 10 centimeters, or even 5. It would seem that there is practically no difference, but, as a rule, it is this small value that helps cope with the problem of placing the unit in a cramped kitchen.
An excellent solution in this case is the purchase of a narrow two-chamber model, the choice of which in household appliances stores is huge … After all, any well-known and well-established company necessarily produces this hot product, because a small kitchen, not only in Russia, but also in many European countries, is a very frequent phenomenon.
Italian production
The famous Italian brand Ardo is produced by the factories of the Antonio Merloni concern, and it is one of the largest companies that produce household appliances in Europe. The trademarks Indesit and Ariston are also products of the same concern. In Europe, these high quality products are known and have been very popular among buyers since 1968, while Russians were able to appreciate them only since 1996.
The Ardo brand specializes not only in refrigerators and freezers. Other household appliances are also represented in its assortment. It is distinguished by high quality workmanship, attractive design and relatively low cost. The production capacity of the enterprise is approximately five million units per year, and most of it is exported to Russia.
Ardo CO 1410 SA
It is considered the most convenient among the narrow segment refrigerators.… Its width is only 50 cm and it is one of the smallest models with two chambers, the lower of which is a freezer, which can be purchased on the Russian market of household appliances. The height of such a refrigerator is 166 cm, and the depth is 57.5 cm. The refrigerator compartment has a volume of 144 liters.
The freezer in this model is surprisingly large, considering the overall small size of the model, its volume is as much as 97 liters. This is quite normal capacity for an average family, in which there are three to four people. You can safely stock up on food for a week and everything will fit perfectly in such a convenient unit.
There is also a place in it for winter preparations such as frozen mushrooms or berries - in four convenient boxes you can distribute products so that they do not mix with each other, and if necessary, you could quickly find them.
This model comes with one compressor and is equipped with the most environmentally friendly refrigerant R600A … Aggregate controlled Ardo CO 1410 SA electronics, the thermostat makes it possible to regulate the temperature in the cooling chamber with the utmost accuracy (up to one degree).
The refrigerating chamber is defrosted using a drip system, and as for the freezer, manual defrosting is provided. Defrosting is recommended every six months or every year, depending on the method of operation.
The freezer compartment in this model is designed to freeze food weighing five kilograms. The freezer will freeze such a volume of fresh food within 24 hours. For such a small unit, this is an excellent indicator, and in ordinary life, it is rarely necessary to freeze large volumes.
The refrigerator compartment is equipped with two adjustable metal shelves and a plastic shelf. There are boxes for fruits and vegetables (there are two of them) and another container for meat. The functional door can accommodate bottles (1 shelf is reserved for them), canned food (2 shelves) and a special shelf for eggs.
Ardo CO 1804 SA
It is also a representative of compact units, and even smaller than the previous model.… The volume of this household appliance is only 218 liters. This unit has a small freezer with a useful volume of 40 liters.
But there would be no demand for such a product, then there would be no offers, and so - small volumes are quite suitable for some buyers. For example, a bachelor who is not going to cook food, but makes do with semi-finished products, still cannot do without a freezer. And this volume will be enough for him to fill small boxes of the freezer with dumplings, pizza, and a mold with ice will be placed there to make a cocktail, for example.
But with the refrigerator chamber in this narrow model, things are better, its volume is 178 liters, so a beer lover in the summer heat can be calm - both bottled and canned will fit in large quantities. If for any reason the electricity is cut off, the cold in this unit will persist for another ten hours. So short-term power outages will not turn dumplings into an incomprehensible mess and will not heat up the beer.
The Russians will not have any problems with servicing this Italian technique thanks to the special centers opened by the concern " Merloni"On the territory of our country. As for the warranty service, its validity period is only one year, but then two more years can be called, as it were, semi-warranty.
Service maintenance during this period provides for such free services as:
- replacing the compressor in the refrigerator and
- replacing the compressor in the freezer.
If replacement of any other spare part is required, then its cost will already be paid by consumers. The price of both models is about the same - about 12,000 rubles.
South Korean models
Narrow models of refrigerators from South Korea - Samsung - are also in great demand among buyers. The Russians have been familiar with the company's products for fifteen years and managed to make sure of the excellent quality of these units. Such success of all the equipment of this brand is due to the use of the latest technical developments in the production of products, which leads to the highest level of its quality.
It is easy to see this on the example of the model range of Samsung refrigerators supplied to Russia. Samsung is perhaps the most widespread brand in relation to household appliances among the Russian consumer. And this is quite understandable - the price is quite sparing, and the models are made according to the latest technical innovations. Although the devices are narrow, they are as functional as possible, they are of exceptional quality, and with their external design they can decorate any kitchen, especially in this regard, the beige color of the equipment looks beautiful.
Samsung RS-21 KGRS
This is a representative of refrigerators belonging to the highest price segment. Equipped with a built-in ice maker, a double cooling system and a number of other equally interesting and productive technical solutions. The cost of this perfection is about 55,000 rubles. There are similar devices from other manufacturers, but their cost is about twice as much.
Samsung RL-17 MBSW
There is no narrower than this one among all Samsung models. It's also the flattest dual-camera model out there. A shallow (only 54 centimeters) refrigerator can be installed in one row, for example, with a kitchen sink and with a gas stove. A refrigerator with standard parameters will certainly stick out from the general row and spoil the whole picture of a well-thought-out interior.
Of the total volume of 155 liters, the refrigerating chamber occupies 100 liters, and the freezer of this narrow unit, respectively, 55 liters. A model without any frills: control - electromechanics, four shelves made of impact-resistant glass, a functional door with three shelves and a stand for eggs, and one instead of the usual two drawers for fruits and vegetables. If the designers split it in half, the result would be items that look like toy dishes.
Everything is extremely simple and without any additional functions, but the price in rubles is nowhere lower, 8700 is a white refrigerator and 8900 is silver.
Samsung RL-21 DCAS
In size it resembles the previous "baby", but wider … In terms of volume, a liter did not reach 190 with a freezer of 65 liters. With one compressor, which is quite enough for such dimensions, the advancement of the model lies in its electronic control.
The display will tell you about the exact temperature readings of the freezer and refrigerator compartment, there is the possibility of super freezing and super cooling. Taking care of the environment, the developers have supplied the unit with R600a refrigerant.
Products from Slovenia
Gorenje is a company from Slovenia, it is rightfully considered one of the best in the production of European household appliances. All equipment of this brand is manufactured at factories in the city of Velenje, in the same place where the company's head office is located.
Narrow refrigerators manufactured by Gorenje were highly valued even when they were produced by socialist Yugoslavia, they are still appreciated today, because they are always high-quality products, which are distinguished by modern technical solutions. Today, more than six thousand people are engaged in the creation of household appliances from this brand.
The production capacity of this company is 2.5 million units of manufactured devices per year, and 1 million are just refrigerators and freezers. These products are also supplied to Russia, and although there is an opinion that Gorenje not so hot what a company, but so - like a mid-range firm, and that it will never get to the heights, products from Slovenia, thanks to its quality and reliability in operation, from year to year, slowly but surely gaining more and more popularity among buyers.
The model range of narrow refrigerators from this brand includes more than two dozen units. When it comes to small kitchen areas, the appliance is best suited Gorenje RK 4295 E. The unit has a width of 54 cm and a height of 179 cm. The refrigerator has a volume of 203 liters, and the freezer - 69. The device is equipped with one compressor, the freezer is defrosting manually, the control is carried out mechanically.
Additional features include super freezing. This function is convenient in that fresh food will freeze faster with a given enhanced freezing mode than with the usual mode, which means that there will be more vitamins and other nutrients in them. The required time will pass, and the mode will automatically return to the normal state, so there will be no increased load on the compressor.
The refrigerator compartment is equipped with five glass shelves and two containers for fruits and vegetables … A lid is provided for the vegetable container, which is not available in other models. This innovation is convenient in that an unpleasant smell (for example, from onions) will not spoil the aroma of fruits that are stored in a container without packaging.
The functional door is designed for storing bottles, canned food, other little things, and, of course, eggs … There is also a container for oil. The evaporator of the refrigerating chamber is not visible, so there will be no excess moisture here. The presence of a lighting halogen lamp in this compartment of the refrigerator can also be attributed to pleasant trifles. Of course, there is not much heat from an ordinary incandescent lamp, but still, and so - no heat when glowing.
Gorenje RK 4295 is a unit that is available in two shades: white and steel, and the price of steel is 2,000 rubles (18,000) higher
Since technically, in their narrow models, manufacturers from Slovenia have long thought over everything to the smallest detail, and so far they have nothing to surprise the buyer with anything else, but somehow it is necessary to interest people and draw their attention to their products - it was decided to "take" the design …
The company was among the first in Europe to make such a decision and to implement it turned to Ito Morabito, known for its daring solutions in modern design. The Marseille's fantasy was crowned with success in full, and the rather ordinary household appliances of the Gorenje company turned into the "kitchen of the future". It's all about the minimalist combination of metal with black glass - and the hearts of European buyers were won.
German quality
When it comes to the production of units with small dimensions in width and depth, here it is imperative to remember and Liebherr from Germany, which also produces the same devices. And although this direction is not a guide for this auto giant, refrigerators are distinguished by good quality, convenience and real German quality.
These products do not strive for the brilliance of designer finds and some super new technical bells and whistles - they are always stable, unhurried and of high quality.
The smallest units from the variety of Liebherr models include the CUP 2221 model with parameters 136 * 55 * 62.8 cm. The refrigerator compartment has a volume of 142 liters. There are three convenient shelves, two of which can be adjusted in height. The material of their manufacture is impact-resistant glass. Containers for fruits and vegetables are also available and are also of high quality. The door pleases with its functionality and thoughtfulness for maximum spaciousness, which is necessary for narrow models.
The freezer is designed for a volume of 54 liters, there are two drawers where food can be stored.
Defrosting the German unit is the same as that of previous manufacturers: in the refrigerator compartment - automatic, and in the freezer - manually. This little one has modern equipment and additional functions, among which I would like to mention "Smart Freeze". This is an opportunity to get a deeper freeze of products - uniform and high quality.
Such freezing does not lead to the loss of moisture by the products and does not spoil their shape, and what is very important - the products do not freeze to the surfaces of the chamber itself.… This is very convenient, especially if you need to freeze a bulky product - a turkey or meat in one piece. Such a miniature miracle of technology costs about 13,000 rubles.
Another similar model - Liebherr CUP 2721 … They are similar in characteristics, but the dimensions are larger in this case. The height of the model is 160 cm, the total displacement is 253, and the cost is 17,000 rubles.
Other brands
Refrigerators with a width of 50-55 cm are also produced by more prestigious brands - these are models such as Bocsh … Perhaps they will not have so many functions, but they will not be occupied with reliability and quality - this is a fact.
Known for their popularity among buyers and units with a width of 50-55 cm from the company Atlant. They came to the taste of the Russian market not only for their loyal cost, but also for their excellent design, reliability in operation and high functionality.
Owners of small kitchens have nothing to worry about - world-famous manufacturers have taken care of them and offer a huge variety of models, one of which will surely be able to fit into the interior of your mini-kitchen.