They do it in Europe all the time. With all three appliances in total you have probably almost 25sq/ft of fridge/freezer space. It's definitely doable if you are organized.

Won't the smaller fridge leave a lot of un-used space in your fridge location though, and if you're selling in the future, buyers might not value a smaller fridge. But they can always replace it as long as there is space in the kitchen to accommodate a bigger one down the road.

Good advice from jabelone. We just traded a 20cf Amana for a 15cf Liebherr and, with a 16cf freezer in the basement, we find this perfectly adequate for two adults who cook from scratch and have a million oddities to store like jars of Chinese condiments, various mustards, seltzers, and the like, as well as lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Cheers,
rc

It's definitely doable for the 2 of you. Need to have space (36-38") for today's fridges for future buyers or even if this fridge needs to be replaced. You could do a 12-14" broom/vac closet/cabinet next to the thermador. That way there would be room for 36" wide fridge if necessary in that space. Of course, the broom closet/cabinet would have to be taken out then.

What size fridge do you have now and how full is it usually? I think you need to take a good look at your shopping and cooking habits.

Don't people in Europe typically stop at the market daily for fresh ingredients (veggies, fish, poultry, etc.)? That's how I picture it anyway, lol. If you go to the market daily or every couple of days, then a smaller fridge would probably be fine. But if you are like me, then you go to a supermarket and stock up for at least a week at a time.

Will your daughter live home with you again at some point (summers and after college)? If so, then really you need to factor that in I suppose.

These days lots of Brits do a weekly shop, just like North Americans - and still manage with small fridges. They might stop in quickly for extra milk, somewhere, during the week, but still manage with that smaller fridge. They even buy frozen vegetables in 5lb bags, and still manage to fit it in the freezer. (I'm visiting the UK right now, and was amused at the fact that there are no small 1lb bags of peas, like in the US)

They don't keep jam in the fridge. They don't keep pickles in the fridge, unless they want them really cold. With lower humidity, there isn't a need. In any case, pickles are pickled in order to preserve them without refrigeration, aren't they?

I'm a Brit living in the US and still wonder at all that space!!! I have a 30" Leibherr, cook from scratch daily, and still have more room in there than we need. What I have found, since changing from a big ol' side by side GE, is that I no longer find biology experiments in there, because I notice everything, and use up everything.

It just takes planning, and having appropriate containers: I ditched all the round ones, and now store everything in low rectangular boxes, which stack. Made a huge difference.

We shop daily for meats and about every day or two for veggies and fruit. Leftovers usually go to work with us the next day for lunch. The only thing we stock up on are pantry items and drinks. The drinks are the only thing worrying me. I'm not sure how much beer and wine will go in the bar fridge and we like to keep a wide variety of mixers and juices. With my daughter being gone, it will cut back on the sodas and health juices and when she is home for the summer she'll bring home her dorm fridge. We used to have a side by side, an upright in the utility room and a bar fridge upstairs. Then when we moved, we only have a side by side in our rental house. We've gotten by OK since we shop daily. I'm thinking the 24 incher will do for us. So keep your fingers crossed for me. I hope this deal goes through for us!

this question came up a couple months ago, and 10 or 12 people all posted the same view. It definitely is workable with very very little effort.

I have the 24" thermador frig column and a pair of frig drawers. We are a family of 4. The frig drawers mostly hold lunch meats, bread, water bottles, snapple, gatorade and eggs. I think you can definitely make just the 24" column work for 2 of you as long as you have the bar frig. The only space issue I've encountered is when I have a few very large mixing bowls that need to go in the frig, sometimes they are the only item that will fit on a shelf. Then I am rearranging shelves to get the bowl to fit. I find my fruits and veggies stay fresh a lot longer than they used to, and those drawers are HUGE!

NC, definitely doable. We have the 24" Liebherr, with two SubZero freezer drawers, and it works just fine for the two of us (lots of cooking from scratch too). Full disclosure - my Italian roots mean I have at least the very beginnings of a second kitchen in the basement :-) - so there's a second fridge there. However, it is used primarily for beverages, and I have way more in there than I ever really need at one time. If you get into the habit of restocking when you take something out I'm sure you'll be fine.

One other thing to consider: that second fridge does come in handy during the holidays when we do heavy entertaining.

Eliz