Plan your perfect kitchen and its cooling system

Modern spacious kitchen with built in appliances and city view

Plan your perfect kitchen.

Being able to translate your ideas into a stylish kitchen just the way you imagined it is an absolute must. But it shouldn't be limited to just aesthetic considerations – incorporating ergonomic considerations into your design will make your life much easier in the kitchen. This is why we have compiled an overview of important points that you should take into account when planning your kitchen and choosing your household appliances.

Efficient kitchen planning based on the work triangle concept.

The kitchen work triangle is a key kitchen layout design principle. The work triangle consists of the three most frequently used work areas in the kitchen:

Washing (dishwasher and kitchen sink)
Cooking (cooker/oven, hob) and
Refrigerating/freezing (fridge and freezer)

The closer these facilities are to one another, the more efficiently you can move around your kitchen – and everything you need will be within easy reach.

Please note that the work triangle concept cannot be used in single-file/one-way galley kitchens because everything is in line along one wall. For this type of layout, it is important to arrange the work areas in the correct order, with the dishwashing area in the middle.

The right position.

For an ergonomic work station, the position of cabinets and appliances also play a key role alongside the work triangle. Frequently used utensils and appliances should be within easy reach (80 to 160 cm above the floor). This means that you avoid having to frequently bend down or reach for a stepladder, thereby reducing your risk of accidents and injury.

When planning your base cabinets, from an ergonomic perspective it is best to opt for drawer solutions. This way, you can see everything simply by looking down and do not have to bend down or kneel quite so often in order to get to the back of the cupboard. The same applies to ovens. If you are unable to install your oven at eye level because the only space available for it is underneath the work surface, a good alternative is to use telescopic shelf rails or an "oven carriage" (drawer-like door).

The height of the worktop is another key factor that can make cooking easier if you get it right. Always base the height of the work surface on the height of the person who is going to be doing most of the cooking. Ergonomically speaking, the ideal height for the hob is 20 cm below elbow height, or a height between 85 and 95 cm.

Smart kitchen with Home Connect.

In some kitchens, the only space available to install the oven is in a base cabinet. This makes for sub-optimal ergonomics, meaning your oven will not be as easy to use as it could be. The answer to this comes in the form of Siemens ovens with Home Connect: Home Connect allows you to control your oven from your smartphone, or alternatively, by means of voice control using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. So now, the only time you will need to bend down is when you are putting your food into the oven or taking it out again.

The Home Connect app also allows you to control additional household appliances from your smartphone for yet more flexibility. For example, a camera in the fridge allows you to quickly check what you already have at home before you go shopping so that you don't end up making any unnecessary purchases. Another thing you can do quite easily is have your hob and extractor hood communicate with one another directly to achieve optimal steam extraction. Home Connect opens up a whole load more possibilities with your household appliances and makes your life a whole load easier. Discover the many possibilities of Siemens household appliances with Home Connect here.

Attractive feature or seamlessly integrated – appliance design that caters to your tastes.

When people plan kitchens, their primary focus is often the kitchen layout and the colour and materials of the cabinets. But it is important not to forget how much of an impact the kitchen appliances can have on the look of your kitchen.

Whatever you choose, Siemens household appliances are designed to work well together so that you can have virtually any combination of appliances and be sure that they will perfectly complement one another.

Option 1

Is the appearance of your household appliance important to you? If so, opt for appliances with a striking design that makes them a clear visual focal point in your kitchen eg. an eye-catching glassDraft extractor or a black steel freestanding fridge.

Option 2

Do you prefer a kitchen with a sleeker look and clean lines, where appliances and cabinet fronts blend into one? If so, opt for integrated, or even combine appliances such as the inductionAir Plus, which combines a hob with a downDraft extractor that fits seamlessly into your worktop.

Refrigeration appliances and freezers to suit your requirements.

Whether it's built-in or freestanding fridges/coolers or freezers that you require, Siemens can offer you exactly what you are looking for. To help you find your perfect match, we have put together an overview of the most important criteria for choosing the right product.

Style.

Siemens' refrigeration appliances boast a clear design vocabulary, elegant style and premium-quality materials. Choose your refrigeration appliance from a range of design variants, sizes, materials and colours to suit your kitchen. Don't forget to take a look at what kinds of interior lighting are available and consider what type of opening you might want for your refrigeration appliance. First-rate design, where form meets function.

Open fridge and freezer door showing inside contents

Get a handle on things.

Fridges are appliances that are frequently opened and closed. It is therefore a good idea to consider the door handles/handle mechanism and the length of integrated door handle strips so that the fridge can be easily opened and reliably closed again.

Inside empty cooling appliance showing lights

A light in the darkness.

Siemens fridges also boast impressively uniform interior illumination. This allows you to see everything that is in your fridge, and shows your food in the best possible light. This is all down to the energy-efficient LEDs. These are integrated flush with the side walls or ceiling and illuminate the interior uniformly without dazzling you. Some models additionally have a LED spotlight in the hyperFresh premium drawer. Also, there are many Home Connect appliances available that even allow you to individually adjust the brightness of the LEDs.

NEW! To help you keep track of what's in your freezer, Siemens now also offers freestanding fridge-freezers with the freezerLight.

hyperFresh drawers showing vegetable and meat contents

hyperFresh – Siemens' freshness system for long-lasting freshness.

For those who don't go shopping every day but still want to be able to enjoy fresh food, having a first-rate freshness system in your fridge is a huge bonus. Siemens has come up with the perfect solution for this in the form of its hyperFresh system, which comes in three different versions and makes food last up to three times longer than fridges without a freshness system.

Built-in refrigeration appliances.

With built-in refrigeration appliances, you can conceal the appliance doors behind a suitable kitchen unit front panel so that your appliances are integrated seamlessly into your new kitchen.

Unimpeded access

Even if your Siemens refrigeration appliance is positioned right up against the wall and the appliance door cannot be opened more than 90°, you will still be able to remove all movable parts such as drawers and shelves from the appliance at any time. The ability to do this is all thanks to the appliance's innovative hinge mechanism.

Hinges play an important role

Hinges not only affect the door's opening angle, they also hold up the kitchen unit front panel that conceals the built-in fridge. With Siemens appliances, you can choose between the following hinges:

	Sliding hinge The kitchen unit front panel and the fridge each have their own hinges. The two doors are joined by means of a rail.	Fixed hinge The kitchen unit front panel is fixed to the appliance door.
Advantages	The weight of the kitchen unit door does not affect the appliance	A soft-close hinge is an option here Once it is at an angle of approx. 15°, the door will close itself Easier access to the interior (door angle of up to 115°)
Disadvantages	A soft-close hinge is not an option here The door will not close itself	Fitting the kitchen unit door is more difficult The weight of the kitchen unit door is limited by the type of hinge

Side by side cooling appliances with doors open showing full inside contents

modularFit.

Whatever you choose, Siemens built-in refrigeration appliances will blend perfectly into your fitted kitchen. Additionally, you can combine modularFit appliances however you like, regardless of whether you want to position your refrigeration appliances and freezers side by side or one above the other. The differing heights of the modularFit appliances mean that you have a large number of possible combinations. This is enabled by the anti-condensation technology, which prevents moisture from accumulating between the appliances.

Freestanding refrigeration appliances.

Siemens' freestanding fridges and freezers are real showstoppers. You can choose from a number of different design variants made from high-quality materials, including premium-quality glass, black steel and stainless steel.

Touching surfaces is not a problem.

On freestanding appliances, the surface finish is an important consideration that factors into people's choice, and smooth, shiny surfaces have a tendency to make fingerprints very obvious. To ensure that this kind of surface finish is still a realistic choice, Siemens offers fridges with an anti-fingerprint surface finish so that you do not have to constantly wipe off fingerprints.

More space, fresher food – XXL refrigeration appliances.

Do you regularly cook for large groups of people or do you simply want to avoid having to go shopping too often? An extra-large refrigeration appliance would be beneficial in both of these cases. These come in different forms: You could opt for an XXL, 70-cm-wide fridge-freezer, a side-by-side, American-style appliance with integral fridge and freezer sides, or an appliance with French doors and drawers. With one of these appliances, you no longer have to make any compromises when it comes to storing your food.

Note regarding EU side-by-side appliances.

With a usable capacity of between 400 and 600 litres, these side-by-side refrigeration appliances dwarf their peers. Siemens models are available in both American and European styles. While American-style appliances have integral fridge and freezer sides, the European models consist of two separate appliances that are joined together by means of a connector to form a side-by-side appliance. The European style has the advantage that, if you move house, you can install the two appliances separately in the new house if you need to.

Extra space for provisions.

Would you like to be able to store provisions but don't have enough space in your kitchen for an XXL refrigeration appliance or an additional fridge or freezer? If you have a pantry or utility room, you could install an additional fridge or freezer here. Use this to store all your provisions, and use the fridge in the kitchen to store anything that you are likely to use in the more immediate future.

Close up of dark fridge freezer cooling appliance

The right wall clearance.

If you opt for a freestanding fridge, make sure that you leave the specified clearances to the sides and to the rear of the appliance when you install it* – depending on which appliance you choose, the unit's heat exchange process takes place either via the appliance's side wall or via the back of the appliance.

Siemens appliances require an impressively small clearance between the kitchen wall and the rear and sides of the appliance, which means that you benefit from a larger storage capacity inside the appliance.

And because you can push one side of the appliance right up against the wall, no space is wasted at the side. Whether the appliance is on the left or the right side of your kitchen, thanks to an innovative hinge design, you can also pull out the drawers when the door is opened 90° without any issues. This makes the appliance very convenient to use.

^{* Follow the installation instructions in the instruction manual}