What Is a Bottom Mount Fridge and Is It the Right Choice for Your Kitchen?

A bottom mount fridge — also called a bottom freezer fridge — has the refrigerator compartment at the top and the freezer drawer at the bottom. This is the reverse of the traditional top-freezer design that dominated kitchens for decades. Here is why more Australian families are choosing bottom mount fridges and what to consider when buying one.

How a Bottom Mount Fridge Differs from a Top Freezer

In a traditional top-freezer fridge, the freezer occupies the upper compartment and the fridge is below. This means the most-used compartment — the fridge — requires bending and reaching to access shelves and the crisper drawers.

A bottom mount fridge reverses this. The fridge section, which is used far more frequently than the freezer, is at eye level and within easy reach. The freezer drawer at the bottom is accessed by bending, but most people access the freezer less often than the fridge.

Advantages of a Bottom Mount Fridge

• Ergonomic access to the fridge: Commonly used items like dairy, beverages and leftovers are at eye level, requiring no bending
• Better visibility into the fridge: You can see the full fridge contents at a glance rather than leaning down
• Large fridge capacity: The main fridge compartment is typically wider and deeper than the equivalent in a side-by-side or top-freezer fridge of the same external size
• Efficient cooling: Cold air naturally sinks, so the bottom-mounted freezer helps maintain a cool base temperature in the fridge above
• Lower cost than French-door: Bottom mount fridges offer similar ergonomics to a French-door fridge at a lower price

Disadvantages

• The freezer drawer requires bending to access
• Drawer-style freezers can be harder to organise than a shelf-and-door freezer
• Narrower than French-door models at comparable capacity

Bottom Mount vs French-Door

French-door fridges (two doors on top, freezer drawers below) offer similar ergonomics but with significantly wider fridge shelves that accommodate platters, pizza boxes and wide items easily. French-door models generally cost $400 to $1,000 more for equivalent capacity. If you regularly store wide items and can stretch the budget, French-door is worth the premium.

Recommended Brands

Fisher & Paykel produces the most popular bottom mount fridges in Australia, with their ActiveSmart models available from 395 to 570 litres. Westinghouse, LG and Hisense also offer strong bottom mount models at competitive prices.

Capacity Guide

• 395–440 litres: 2–3 people
• 440–500 litres: 3–4 people
• 500–570 litres: 4–5 people

See Bottom Mount Fridges at Oceania Appliances

We stock Fisher & Paykel, Westinghouse and other bottom mount fridges at our Wetherill Park showroom. Free delivery across Sydney. Call 0493 300 490 or visit oceaniaappliances.com.au.