Are you looking for a refrigerator to fit into a tight corner or a small living space? If you’ve downsized your home and your kitchen is starving for space, counter-depth refrigerators and bottom-freezer refrigerators offer a slim stature with big-time features.
For apartment kitchens, space is at a premium. To properly utilize your galley kitchen or studio kitchenette, you’ll need an innovative refrigerator with well-designed storage solutions to properly fit into tight quarters and compact spaces.
A small or compact refrigerator features a width of 24 inches or less and a depth of around 28 inches. If you need a condensed refrigeration appliance to fit seamlessly into your kitchen, continue reading to find out which 24-inch refrigerator models for small spaces are designed to look great and perform even better.
What to Know about Compact Refrigerators
Some of the most common refrigerator sizes are 30, 33, and 36-inches-wide. With that, you can expect a total capacity of somewhere between 18 to 25 cubic feet. For smaller kitchen spaces, these roomier fridge models are out of proportion—like trying to park your car in the space designed for motorcycles. Luckily, several high-end manufacturers offer quality apartment-sized refrigerators to fit the smallest spaces.
Most of these smaller counter-depth fridges are freestanding, but you can find models that are designed to be built-in, as well. They are obviously much slimmer compared to a full-size refrigerator, but they have height on their side to allow for comparable storage space. Fridges seem to keep getting taller, so you can find a 24-inch fridge model that stands anywhere from 60 to 84 inches high.
A compact fridge can be scaled to sit flush with cabinetry and kitchen counters. They are typically 23 to 29 inches deep and offer a total capacity of 10 to 13 cubic feet. Storage capacity is only around half of what you’d get from a full-size appliance, but still much greater than a dorm-size miniature fridge. Best of all, you don’t have to sacrifice size for features. These smaller appliances still come equipped with many of the same top-notch features as the refrigeration giants.
Our List of Favorite Compact Fridges
Without letting the anticipation build any further, let’s explore our favorite 24-inch fridge models for small living.
1. Liebherr Stainless Steel Bottom Freezer Refrigerator (CS-1321)
Premium quality, cutting-edge design, and innovative German engineering, Liebherr refrigerators are made for an energy-efficient operation that is guaranteed to last for years to come.
Unique to Liebherr, the patented SoftSystem, often used in high-end cabinetry, ensures that the door closes gently, even when packed full of jars and bottles. Plus, the door opening angle can be reduced to 90 degrees allowing for more design options within your kitchen décor.
The SmartSteel finish significantly reduces the visibility of fingerprints and scratches, and the exterior is easy to keep clean with a simple wipe of a clean, dry cloth. GlassLine shelves are also scratch-resistant and dishwasher-safe. They are elegant, yet tough enough to handle the heaviest food items. The space-saving shelves are completely adjustable to suit your needs and the contents of the refrigerator.
The removable FrostSafe Drawers create flexible storage space that can easily expand to accommodate larger items. This spacious and practical transparent drawer system helps you fit more food at once, maintains the internal temperature of your fridge, and prevents cold air from escaping when the door is open.
2. Liebherr Bottom Freezer Refrigerator (CBS-1360)
Regardless of size, the main function of a refrigerator is to store your food and keep it fresh. Well, it turns out, keeping your food fresh with a Liebherr refrigerator is easy and effective.
The BioFresh system guarantees the perfect climate for prolonged freshness with an internal temperature that is kept just above freezing. Each drawer can be used individually to offer specific humidity levels. HydroSafe provides high humidity and DrySafe provides low humidity to create a versatile storage solution for meats, cheeses, fruits, and veggies.
DuoCooling provides superior performance with efficient food preservation. The dual-refrigeration system creates optimal cooling conditions in both the refrigerator and freezer compartment, which helps to preserve the flavor and texture of foods since there is no transfer of unwanted air, moisture, or food aroma between the two compartments.
The SuperCool system generates greater cold air reserves, so freshly stored food can be rapidly chilled, and the SuperFrost system allows food to be frozen quickly in a vitamin-preserving manner. If you’re in a rush to get home with your fresh groceries, the decreased cooling temperature is time-controlled to chill your food quickly and revert to the original cooling temperature without wasting energy.
3. Beko Fingerprint-Free Counter-Depth Bottom Freezer Refrigerator (BFBF2414SS)
Get the most out of your food and your kitchen space with a Beko refrigerator. This counter-depth model is designed to fit perfectly with your counter while the bottom-freezer compartment makes it easy to access the frozen goods you have stored below.
The amazing new technology of the Active Fresh Blue Light simulates natural lighting conditions to extend the photosynthesis process into your refrigerator. This allows fruits and vegetables to stay fresh and retain their natural vitamins and nutrients up to 30 percent longer.
For a bonus food preservation feature unlike conventional cooling systems, the NeoFrost dual cooling technology cools food twice as fast with two separate cooling systems. Each system maintains optimal humidity in the fridge, while keeping the freezer dry and free of frost.
And considering you’re fitting your appliance into a smaller kitchen space, Beko refrigerators include a convenient reversible hinge design so you can change the door opening direction at installation.
4. Beko White Counter Depth Bottom Freezer Refrigerator (BFBF2414WH)
This model also includes the NeoFrost and Active Fresh Blue light, with a clean and timeless white exterior finish to blend seamlessly with any kitchen design. This refrigerator is stylish and effective at preserving your food. As the winner of the 2020 ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award and three consecutive ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards, Beko places energy-efficiency at the forefront of every refrigeration appliance.
Interior LED lighting provides efficient, uniform lighting throughout the refrigerator’s internal compartment. Electronic controls and the interior digital display allow you to quickly adjust your cooling and freezing settings without reaching for a dial in the back of the fridge.
Beko refrigerators are dedicated to introducing a healthier and well-balanced lifestyle into your home. No matter if your kitchen space is small, Beko appliances will leave a big influence and positively affect the freshness of your food, the quality of your meals, and the impact on the environment.
5. Bosch 500 Series Counter-Depth Bottom Freezer Refrigerator (B11CB50SSS)
We’re all guilty of leaving the refrigerator doors open for too long while we blankly gaze into the fridge while we look for a midnight snack, but this allows warm air to enter the appliance which can spoil the food inside.
With the Bosch 500 Series Refrigerator, you can activate the SuperCool function to rapidly drop the temperature of the fridge and insulate the food inside. The temperature can be dropped as low as 36 degrees with just a push of a button. And to prevent unnecessary power consumption, the function automatically switches off after approximately six hours.
Adding newly purchased items to the freezer can also raise the internal temperature, which can result in defrosting and a loss of flavor. The SuperFreezing function ensures new food items are frozen quickly to prevent the contents inside the freezer from defrosting. Much like the SuperCool function, appliances with an automatic freezing function also return to normal operation once the required temperature is reached to conserve energy and ensure your frozen favorites retain their flavor.
The MultiAirFlow system evenly circulates cool, fresh air to maintain consistent temperatures throughout the entire fridge cavity from the door bins to the back corners and everywhere in-between. The NoFrost function collects the air humidity in a central chiller unit. The condensation is channeled outside of the fridge where it evaporates, keeping your appliance free of ice.
Other noteworthy features include LED lighting to illuminate the fridge’s interior, an easy-to-clean stainless-steel exterior, a three-tier freezer drawer system so food isn’t buried or forgotten, and a true counter-depth installation to sit flush with countertops, hide hinges, and tuck away feet for a built-in look and feel.
The Big Picture
You may be appliance shopping for a small living space, but think of the big picture. Make the most of your appliance and invest in a refrigerator equipped with the exact features and stylish edge you need to make your kitchen feel complete.
Browse our entire catalog of refrigeration appliances and if you have any questions, feel free to contact our friendly staff at Albert Lee. We're available to help in any way we can—our experts can be reached via chat, over the phone, or in-person at one of our store locations. Visit us today!