Do you plan to have 4 people staying for a weekend? Or more? You will want larger appliances. Std sizes will be best.

Is that 33" wide refrigerator or 33 c.f.?

The standard 36" refrigerator normally requires 40" of space.

No I would use the 24" for a dishwasher

I did a 33 wide fridge in a vacation home.. When the first one only lasted 5 years, the choices for replacement weren't great. Like at Lowes, you will have 2 options for SS under $1300 instead of the 10 for a 36. And because of limited choices, you pay more for the same quality.

I would expect the same situation, only worse, for an 18 inch dishwasher.

Go with common choices if you are on a budget.

My parents have a 33” FD fridge, and it’s fine for the two of them but gets tight quickly around the holidays or other times they have company. They also only shop for a couple days at a time; do you have good shopping up there or will you be loading up for the week on a longer shopping trip? Either way, since you don’t seem need a ton of space I think you may be a good candidate for 36” CD. “CD” looks good but feels small to many; may be perfect for you.

Unless you really need to save 6” I can’t see any reason for an 18” DW. I’ve never wished my DW was smaller. Enjoy not feeling guilt hogging up space with a big pot.

There are quite a few choices of appliances this size. For the refrigerator, you can get roomy 33” standard depth versions but if you’re looking at counter depth even at 36” that shaves off a lot of space so if counter depth is what you need, would go larger. Bosch makes a nice, tall 18” dishwasher, but might be more than you want to spend. That size might not hold giant pots, but would certainly handle dishes and cutlery.

A few CR-recommended appliances:

• LG LTCS24223S 33" refrigerator
• Bosch 300 SHS863WD5N 24" dishwasher
• Bosch 100 SHXM4AY55N 24" dishwasher
• Bosch 100 SHEM3AY55N 24" dishwasher

Stick with standard sized appliances, always.

As I sit here in my seasonal ( 6 months a year) 900 sq ft beach cottage along the RI coast I + think ? + I hear what you are asking LOL. Things I found work for me-

* smaller fridge. Newer refrig's are meant to run continuously. We found that unplugging when not being used damaged the refrigerant system ( the pro repair guy told us all new brands have the same problem. They just don't mak'em Maytag anymore) . A smaller higher efficiency fridge set on the warmest temp when your away for any length of time is the best way to go. We have guests over on occasion, but not so often that it changes our lifestyle.

* we have a small dishwasher but find ourselves mostly hand washing the dishes . I ~creatively~ cook more here than at home and found the slower pace just kind'a inspires it. Also with just the two of us mostly never really need a dishwasher 90% of the time. Would take forever to fill up.

Good luck on your build!

joseph

1500 square feet is fairly large so why do you feel the need to miniaturize the kitchen appliances.

I especially wouldn't want a small dishwasher in a vacation home because I would want the ability to fit everything in one load. Even when I lived alone, my DW would fill up just from normal eating and cooking.

Like others I am confused by what size refrigerator you want. 33 Cubic feet is generally used to describe storage capability - did you mean 33" width? In my experience, 36" width is about as small as one would one to go if you are getting a counter depth refrigerator. Again, I don't understand why you need such small appliances as there are many homes with families that are that size or smaller. I have only seen tiny appliances used in small urban kitchens in which the total square footage of the whole apartment might be 500 or 600 square feet and kitchens are correspondingly tiny. My condo is 1200 square feet with a relatively small galley kitchen and has a normal 24" dishwasher and I deliberately remodeled so I could fit a 36" counter depth refrigerator.

36" width is about as small as one would one to go if you are getting a counter depth refrigerator.

We just (about) completed a full remodel and decided on a 36" counter-depth SubZero. It's super spacious. Way more space than we are likely to need.

But that's because it is an all-fridge.

So, depending on your household needs, it is pretty obvious how to get better space utilization. Separate the fridge from the freezer. Install an all-fridge in your kitchen and put the freezer somewhere else. The pantry or garage would be obvious choices depending on your floor plan. In our case, we put freezer drawers in an island that is a few steps away from the main kitchen.

And while I generally agree that it is an extremely prudent decision to stay with standard appliance dimensions, in the case of all fridge columns, it appears that 36" is common, but 30" is not all that unusual either. So, that would be one way to have a smaller appliance, if that was a priority. I don't think I would pick odd sizes like 33" nor would I pick anything narrower than 30".

Also, I'd forgo the ice/water dispenser. It is the most common part to fail, and it takes up a lot of space. If you opt for a smaller appliance, you can't really afford giving up all that space.

A cabin with a dishwasher? Awesome! :) I think the 18" would be fine for a cabin but 24" is probably cheaper and easier to replace.

So, a 33" wide fridge--if you go full depth and not counter depth--isn't actually that small. I have one! Yes, it gets tight at holidays but it's doable. I have remodeled two kitchens, planning a 36" fridge, and twice I have not bothered to replace my 33. (This is mostly because I haven't liked the new offerings enough to dump a perfectly functional fridge.) I have 2 kids and a spouse and it's been more than enough fridge for 12 years. We don't have a lot of sodas or beer or bottled water at any time though, and a vacation cabin might. So keep that in mind.

Also, nothing looks more wrong than a massive stainless steel facade in a cozy woodsy kitchen.

More details would help--like will you turn the fridge off between visits? How long between visits? How many people for how long do you expect? How many days worth of groceries? Will there be renters?

Thank you everyone, I'm so overwhelmed by your generous responses! This was my first posting on this site and you're all wonderful. Yes, I meant to say 33 in wide refrigerator freezer instead of 33 cubic foot. This whole design thing is still new to me LOL. The kitchen area is relatively small and I was just trying to be more conservative with energy use, so I thought smaller meant more cost-effective. I don't even use a dishwasher at home, because I've always thought washing by hand saved water and electricity, but I've recently been updated that this was just a myth and today's more energy efficient dishwashers actually save you water, money and time. Most of the time it will just be the two of us there, and yes we do hope to rent at some point, so there will actually be sleeping for 6, so now it does make a lot more sense to just stay with the full size appliances and go from there. I love the new slate colors in the GE line, unfortunately their proprietary and that's a frustration too. So now I guess I just have to decide what color to go with that will feel the most cabiny/rustic and go full size. Thanks again!

I have a 33" fridge, seems adequate to me. While I live alone, I do often entertain, and I'm still fine with it. (However, frame in for a 36" fridge for anyone wanting one down the road...) I didn't bother with the in door water thing... I have a faucet to pour water from. The fridge (most do these days) came with an ice maker, but I decided not to connect that.

But if you'll be renting with sleep for six, yeah, go with a 36 incher. (Just noticed this!) And if you are renting out, yes, plumb in the ice maker, but you probably don't need or want the aggravation of the door ice/water dispenser.

I'd say a 24 inch DW for sure. I don't want to be running the thing all the time - I like to cook.

You can get appliances in all sorts of colors. Black, white, and stainless steel are most common. But higher-end appliances allow arbitrary custom colors ... for an extra fee. And then there are specialty finishes such as copper or brass.

If you want the most options, pick stainless steel. Everybody offers it, and it is unlikely to ever disappear. Some manufactures offer smudge-proof options. That's worth looking into. Some also over "black stainless". Don't go there, it's a thin coating that will eventually scratch and is impossible to repair.

I'd stay clear of unusual colors, unless you have the budget to order all your appliances in custom colors; and you plan on keep doing that whenever you need replacement appliances. This will cost you many thousands extra, but it can look awesome.

Alternatively, consider ordering panel-ready appliances for the ones where this makes sense (e.g. dishwasher, fridge/freezer, and some specialty appliances such as ice makers or trash compactors).

As a special consideration for refrigerators please note that the side panels are frequently not made from the same material as the door. Depending on your cabinet design this can be a non-issue or it can be really jarring. I'd recommend deciding on the appliances before ordering cabinets. Make sure you give the installation manuals to your kitchen designer and/or cabinet maker.

Once you have finalized your appliance selection, think about your sink. Again, stainless steel is a save bet. But copper can look gorgeous, enamel or stone can be a good option, and there also are various modern materials that could be considered. Personally, I like to give Rachiele sinks a big shout-out. Both their stainless and copper sinks are unrivaled. But they also cost more than many people have in their budget.

The guest house at our mountain cabin came with an 18” dishwasher. In that space it is fine as generally there are only 2 people staying there. If I were building it myself I would put a 24” in as they are cheaper and much easier to find a replacement if ever needed.

In your situation I would do a 24” if you plan on having guests with any regularity. My son and his wife have been here for the weekend and we have run our standard dishwasher every night when we go to bed. We have eaten out at least one meal a day, but still need to run it every night.