Let's say you are moving from a house to a condo in Boston. Now that the kids are out of the house, you are probably not using the kitchen as you once did.The current trend is sacrificing space in the kitchen to create more room in other living spaces.
So we will look at some brands and sizes you should consider, so you only sacrifice size, not performance or usability.
In our Boston store, we have a whole display designed for City Solutions with smaller appliances.
The most common size of a stove is 30 inches wide. It is in 95% of the homes in the US. Smaller sizes are 20 and 24 inches.
For refrigerators, the most common width is 36 inches but smaller sizes are 24 and 30 inches.
Dishwashers are standard at 24 inches but 18-inch widths are also available. If you needed extra width, the functional difference is not that much between the two.
Twenty years ago, small meant cheap, basic products with brands like Premier, Hotpoint, and Well-Built.
Now, you can buy some premium brands like Bosch, Fisher & Paykel, Sub-Zero, Wolf, Miele, and Blomberg.
European brands, in particular, are worth considering as smaller dimensions are the standard in Europe.
Let's look at some cool small appliances.
Bosch represents the most reasonable, premium appliance company. This is the kitchen display at Yale with a 24-inch refrigerator, wall oven, cooktop, and a retractable hood.
Now for some individual products.
Features:
You probably think of Sub-Zero as having large professional refrigerators.
Not anymore! They now offer a 24-inch wide single, solid door that’s able to be paneled with your cabinetry or in stainless steel. This is the best addition to a micro kitchen renovation.
Sub-Zero pioneered built-in refrigeration and they did it again. With three adjustable shelves and two adjustable door shelves, food and beverages can now be organized well. There’s also a crisper drawer and two freezer drawers to preserve your food much longer. This is also a great addition to a second fridge in the pantry.
Features:
Induction is the most efficient way to cook. If you would like to know more about the benefits of induction cooking check out our induction buying guide or read about how to buy an induction cooktop.
In a small space, induction cooking produces a minimum yet accurate heat with less venting power required. With one large 10-inch element and two 8-inch companion elements it's perfect for boiling pasta and keeping your sauce at a low simmer. The two side burners are also capable of bridging, meaning the top and bottom burners can connect for larger pots or a griddle. If you have an induction ready griddle, Sunday just became Pancake fun day.
Features:
Good things do come in small packages. No, you can’t fit a 25 lb turkey in this Wolf oven but a 15 lb chicken, YES! With 11 cooking modes in a 24-inch oven, preheat time is much faster.
A single convection fan combines three heating elements to circulate heat evenly and consistently throughout the interior cavity, and the adjustable rack allows multi-layer baking.
Features:
We service everything we sell, and Miele has the best service rating. Miele dishwashers are the only dishwashers with a true drying cycle which allows cold, outside air into the dishwasher. It also has steam and a 3rd rack.
Since it’s a compact 18-inch dishwasher, the cutlery rack (3rd rack) eliminates having a basket below taking up additional space where all the pots and pans or odd-size cookware and plates fit nicely. Furthermore, with the addition of the 3rd rack comes a 3rd wash arm to clean the utensils better. The Miele 18-inch dishwasher can match seamlessly with your cabinetry or is available in stainless.
You have now have options for smaller kitchens. In addition to premium, brands like Bertazzoni and Blomberg produce good looking smaller appliances. You can even buy a BlueStar pro range with a 25,000 BTU burner at 24 inch.
For the first time ever, almost any premium appliance available in larger sizes is now available in a smaller size. You no longer have to compromise on features just because you are buying a smaller size.
However, you do pay extra for smaller appliances and they do lack the space for that big cookie sheet or holiday bird.
Additional Resources
Download our Appliance Buying Guide with features, specs and inside buying tips to every major brand. Well over 230,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
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