Integrated Appliances
An essential part of designing your new kitchen and making sure it meets your needs is choosing the kitchen appliances.
An important part of this is deciding whether you would prefer free-standing or integrated appliances. The major advantage of opting for integrated appliances is that they can improve the aesthetics of your kitchen.
They can create a sleek and contemporary finish to your kitchen and also create smooth lines as the look of your kitchen is not broken up by appliances. If you are aiming for a traditional or country style kitchen, then the theme can be spoiled by the appearance of modern appliances. If these are integrated then they have no affect on the theme of your kitchen.
Similarly, using a range of different appliances that are free-standing will impact negatively on a modern or contemporary theme. It is much better to choose integrated appliances and have a continuous flow in your kitchen. If the space in your kitchen is limited, then integrated appliances are the better choice. Usually, free-standing appliances will take up much more space than integrated appliances. This is something that is also worth taking into consideration if you have a kitchen with an unusual shape as integrated appliances are more easily fitted into nooks and crannies of irregularly shaped kitchens and this can help with your overall kitchen design.
On a practical level, you might be concerned about the potential damage that may happen to the exterior of your appliances over a period of time. If you opt for integrated appliances they will all,with the exception of the oven, be hidden behind unit doors. This will limit any potentially serious damage happening to the doors of your appliances.
Another practical consideration to take into account is cleaning. Integrated appliances do not have gaps between or below them and the units. This means that you are not constantly trying to clean between your appliances and the units or in small spaces below them. Free-standing appliances often have gaps below them or between them and the units and these are often tricky to keep clean.
If you choose free-standing appliances, you may be limited in your choice as you are likely to focus on the design and appearance of the appliances rather than whether they meet your needs. As they are on show, the appearance is key. If, on the other hand, you decide you would prefer integrated appliances, you can focus on how the appliance meets your needs and its features. The one appliance that is usually still on show when you choose integrated appliances is the oven. You can make this a focal point in the design of your kitchen and do not need to feel concerned if it is matching your other appliances as they will be hidden behind kitchen unit doors. As the oven is one of the most important elements of your kitchen, it can be the star of the show.
At Mulberry Kitchen Design , we have many appliance partners that supply a wide range of integrated appliances. If integrated appliances are something you are considering including in your new kitchen, then we will happy to help and discuss your options with you.
