I get many calls a month from people who have unique size “nooks and corners” that they would like to place a wine or beverage cooler. A crack is a small narrow opening in a wall and a corner is defined as any small gap. Often these areas are vintage desk knee-spaces with a countertop or other areas with custom but undersized pre-built cabinets. The goal is to install and build a wine/beverage cooler in the confined space to give it a finished look under the counter.
Used in built-in applications, wine and beverage refrigerators, with few exceptions, come in standard kitchen cabinet widths, depths, and heights. The most common widths are 15 inches wide or 24 inches wide, although on occasion one may find a product that is 12 or 18 inches wide. Typical cabinet depths are 24 inches and heights around 34 inches. Regardless of the brand of wine or beverage cooler you choose, there is a high degree of consistency regarding the dimensions of these undercounter products.
If the desire is to place these wine coolers in a confined space, you must also consider how that location will affect the cooling efficiency of the product. To install one of these appliances in a no-clearance situation, they must be vented from the front, similar to standard upright refrigerators. The front ventilation grill carries the heat emitted from the cooling process and allows it to be dispersed away from the appliance. If a wine cooler or beverage center is rear vented, as most freestanding ones are, heat will build up in the confined space, causing the cooling appliance to run longer than it was designed for and ultimately ” it burns”.
Self contained wine and beverage can coolers are designed and built with a wide range of different widths, depths and heights. Customers often find one that fits their particular crack dimensions and want to use it in an integrated application. Freestanding wine and beverage coolers require specific clearances to operate efficiently due to their rear-vented design. I generally recommend minimum clearances of at least 3 inches around the sides and top of the appliance and at least 6 inches for the vented rear. If these clearances are not accounted for when installing a stand-alone drive, the drive will most likely fail prematurely.
A client had a cabinet nook that was ideally 24 inches wide and 24 inches deep, but was missing a half-inch in height. The client called me and after hearing about the height deficiency and design specifics I found an easy solution, I removed the ceramic tile from the floor in the corner to get the height needed for the built-in cooler he wanted to purchase. Additionally, some undercounter wine coolers have adjustable feet that can be dialed in to the proper height needed.
The dilemma of trying to fit a pre-sized purchased product into a nook or cranny to enhance the appearance of your home and business needs a cautious approach. Putting the wrong appliance in a place where it can’t function properly is to beg for failure. I believe the best approach to remodeling a crevice or nook to incorporate a wine or beverage cooler would be to remove the constraining crevice construction and start with new, appropriately sized cabinets that will give you the final look that will enhance your decor. home. You won’t regret the extra expense to ensure success.