Our laundry room is currently adjacent to our kitchen; it is a small area that barely fits both the washer and dryer. Because of this lack of space, we decided to move the laundry room downstairs and transform this limited space into a room to house all the appliances that take up valuable room in our kitchen (i.e. Microwave, toaster, coffee maker, etc.), enabling our kitchen to be enjoyed solely for cooking. In this future utility room, we decided to add a beverage cooler to house beers, wine and pop cans.
When searching for a beverage cooler, one question came to mind: “Why are these beverage coolers so bloody expensive?”.
Other than the fact that beverage coolers come with a glass front door and adjustable chrome metal shelves with holes for improved circulation of cold air, beverage coolers also have a more costly design. Unlike a mini fridge, which is a freestanding unit, a beverage refrigerator is designed to be built directly into cabinetry. Compared to a mini fridge, a beverage refrigerator has a vent in the front of the unit that exhausts the hot air out and away from the cooler and can therefore be built flush with cabinetry for a seamless and sleek look in any kitchen or bar.
When shopping for our beverage refrigerator, our criteria were the following:
Can store both canned beverages (mostly Tyler’s beer) & wine bottles;
24 inches wide or less;
Can capacity of over 80;
Attractive;
Under 700 before tax.
Here are 6 affordable options I found with excellent or good reviews:
Magic Chef 24 in Wide Dual-Zone Wine and Beverage Cooler with Stainless Steel Door - Home Depot - 598$
Insignia 3.2 Cu. Ft. 29-Bottle Freestanding Wine Cooler (NS-WC29SS9) - BestBuy - 399,99$
Danby 2.6-cu ft 78 Bottle Beverage Center (Stainless Steel) - Lowes - 238$
Frigidaire 22-inch 4.6 cu. ft. Beverage Cooler in Stainless Steel - HomeDepot - 545$
GE GVS04BQNSS - Canadian Appliance Source - 695$
Magic Chef 5.1 Cu Ft , 154 Can Beverage Cooler, with Stainless Steel Door - HomeDepot - 498$
We ended up purchasing the Magic Chef 24 in Wide Dual-Zone Wine and Beverage Cooler with Stainless Steel Door from Home Depot.
The cooler can accommodate up to 44 bottles or up to 140 standard cans. It can also do a mix of both (16 Bottles and 77 cans) and all shelves can be removed to accommodate larger bottles. We will review it in a few months once it's installed.
Happy renovating! The Roses