Drawer Appliances

When it comes to doing more with less in the kitchen, few recent developments can match the pizzazz of kitchen drawer appliances. From staples such as dishwashers and refrigerators to more exotic offerings like wine coolers and humidors, homebuyers have been mesmerized by the possibilities of this new category. "People are always looking at them," says Randall Hall, CGR, and the CEO of Randall Hall Design/Build/Remodeling in Dallas, Texas. "They're a unique product."

Hall's company offers options for drawer appliances in his standard appliance package, and he uses the client interview process to determine which clients would be most interested and narrow down their choices. "We look at lifestyle preferences to see which ones might make sense for an individual client," he explains. The drawers earn his company a 50 percent markup.

While many potential buyers are "tire-kickers" who ultimately balk at the drawer models' high prices - about $1,500 for a refrigerator drawer and as much as $3,000 for a dishwasher - people will buy them to meet specific needs. "We recently put in a drawer-size refrigerator in a kitchen island," recalls Hall. "The customer wanted to keep her bottled water in there, and it was perfect for that application."

Wining, dining and washing
He finds that many buyers are interested in wine cooler drawers, based in part on their lower cost (anywhere from several hundred dollars to a several thousand) and the flexibility of the product. There is an array of sizes available, from full- and half-height units to specialized narrow drawers that hold a dozen or half-dozen bottles. "We're [putting in] more wine coolers all the time," says Hall. "If you've got a space where you think it might make a good fit, chances are somebody makes one that you can put in there."

Installing drawer appliances in a given space does require some planning. For instance, dishwashers have specific requirements for water hookups, the location of drains, etc. While most appliances fit into a 24-inch-wide cabinet space, some are deeper than a standard cabinet. Making them fit means either pulling the cabinets forward and installing a deep countertop, or taking out part of the wall. "You need to go online and check the product specifications," cautions Hall.

Hall is quite positive about the future of drawer appliances. He thinks that the one drawer appliance that has a clearly strong future is the dishwasher. "A lot of buyers don't need the capacity of a standard unit," he says. "A perfect example is the aging market, where you have couples whose children have moved out. They don't really need a full-size dishwasher, so a drawer unit would make a lot of sense for them. I think that's the product with the best chance of catching on."