Recently, up until about fifteen years ago, refrigerators were large and robust. These units provided quality food storage solutions while, on the other hand, compromising kitchen design. Refrigerators today fantastically combine utility and modern appearance, designed according to the standards of the most demanding interior designers and homeowners. The option of an attractive refrigerator, for one, with functionality and excellent organization of the cooling space, comes with two models of modern refrigerators - French door and side-by-side.

French door refrigerators have an upper part divided into two halves intended for fresh food storage, while the lower part is the freezer compartment. When these refrigerators appeared, many people wondered whether they should consider purchasing such models. Compared to traditional ones, they looked very unusual. Another model that can bring an effective organization within compartments while providing style in terms of design is a side-by-side refrigerator. These refrigerators include two compartments placed side-by-side. One of them is the freezer compartment and the other one is the refrigerator compartment. Depending on the buyer’s preferences, habits, and the needs of the family living in the household, it may be difficult to decide on one of these models. For this reason, we've listed both the cons and pros of each of these models so that you can have all the information needed to decide on whether you’d prefer a French door or a side-by-side refrigerator. 

While there are numerous advantages to having a French door refrigerator, an attractive and unique design is surely one of them. This design is convenient in terms of both style and utility, as the upper compartment comes with two doors. This allows you to conveniently organize your fresh food and beverages. This efficient and neat organization within the compartment will also contribute to keeping the freshness of your food, avoiding potential food waste. This gives you easy access to all of the items placed in the compartment as there is no need for bending down to reach the compartment's content. These refrigerators are manufactured with wider shelves than the standard ones. In addition to this, they also include larger door bins. This fact provides the convenience of much better storage organization as well as practicality when you wish to reach some of the items in your refrigerator. 

Since the containers within the compartments are more efficiently designed, there’s no need to worry about rearranging your items after coming home from grocery shopping. Another convenience is the bottom freezer compartment. Within this model, there are 2-3 freezer drawers that provide much deeper space to store as many items as needed. Most of these refrigerators are considered premium appliances, which assures a great convenience of having a cooling system with innovative technology, preserving your food in the best way.

Like all the appliances out there, no matter how modern the technology is used in its design, French door refrigerators have some disadvantages too. There are some of us who may consider the bottom freezer compartment a drawback. This kind of bottom unit means having to bend down each time you need to access your frozen goods and for some, this may be considered a con to this model. Additionally, if the ice maker is within the freezer compartment this may be quite frustrating. For this reason, some French door refrigerators have a water dispenser and an ice maker implemented into the doors on the top compartment. Depending on your opinion on "quality = price" the cost of these models may be considered a disadvantage to some of us. We've said before that French door refrigerators are considered premium appliances and for this reason, their benefits come at a slightly higher price. They provide advantages in terms of storage and multiple high-end features, but if you have a budget set for your next refrigerator, this may not be the right choice.

Owning a side-by-side refrigerator comes with a wide range of advantages. These refrigerators offer great organization possibilities. They have much easier access to the items stored in comparison to the traditional top or bottom mount refrigerators. These models easily and practically store groceries from the top to the bottom of the appliance while giving you a chance to neatly organize and arrange the items that are often in use. With side-by-side refrigerators, you won't be experiencing the inconvenience of bending down to grab the items regularly needed as is the case with top or bottom mount refrigerators. Generally speaking, these refrigerators offer more space than other units. For one thing, side-by-side refrigerators offer more freezer shelf space than most other models, so the storage space is their major benefit. Additionally, these refrigerators need less space for the doors to open than most other refrigerator models. Another advantage to side-by-side would be the ice maker and water dispenser mounted into the refrigerator doors for more convenience. 

Above all mentioned, these refrigerators offer a unique and contemporary design for the kitchen. Compared to the traditional refrigerators in the past, side-by-side refrigerators are premium appliances. They exude nothing else but the same in terms of their design, with two symmetrical doors that mirror the aesthetic of today's contemporary interiors.

Nothing is perfect in life, therefore, we cannot say that about these models either. A side-by-side refrigerator's biggest disadvantage is its size. These refrigerator models are much wider than the standard ones, so in most cases, their placement, installation, and implementation in smaller kitchens may be considered an inconvenience. Side-by-side refrigerators provide easy organization due to the numerous shelves they include within compartments, but this can be a problem for storing larger items in your refrigerator. There are some models that have adjustable shelves, and as there are many, this can be kind of a drawback if you often make larger meals for the whole family or parties. One thing that is mostly considered a downside is the cost of a side-by-side refrigerator. Same as the French door, these refrigerators are considered premium appliances which dictates slightly higher prices. So if you find yourself in need of a side-by-side refrigerator, you may want to explore options like rebates, promotions, etc.

At first glance, these two refrigerator models look pretty similar, but when you dive more deeply into their configuration, you will see that there is a huge difference. However, with the information from above, we are sure that you will find it very easy to decide on your favorite type. Of course, at Town Appliance we are always here to help with your purchase, or finding the right model, and we can offer you a huge selection of any refrigerator type on the market.