Your refrigerator still works well, the oven is familiar, and replacing everything would use money you would rather put into better storage or a more practical layout. Keeping existing appliances in a new kitchen can make sense, provided their requirements become part of the design from the beginning.
Before cabinet design is finalised, record each appliance’s exact model, physical dimensions, installation clearances, door movement and connection points. Measure the kitchen and the route used to move the appliances as well. A machine can fit inside an opening yet still be difficult to use, ventilate or remove for repair.
For homeowners renovating in Jakarta, this is a useful starting point whether you are updating an apartment kitchen or redesigning a family home. The aim is to keep what serves your household well while giving it a place that works in the new layout.
Decide which appliances deserve a place in the new kitchen
Start with the equipment you actually use. List the refrigerator, hob, oven, hood, dishwasher and microwave, then include countertop items such as a rice cooker, coffee machine, water dispenser or air fryer. Note which will stay, which may be replaced and which decision is still open.
Condition matters alongside size. If an appliance has a recurring fault, arrange an assessment before paying for cabinetry shaped around it. Consider repair history, replacement-part availability and whether its capacity still suits your household. A working oven that no longer accommodates family meals may impose an unnecessary compromise on the new kitchen.
Compare the whole cost of keeping an appliance: servicing, moving it, altering cabinets, relocating connections and making provision for its eventual replacement. Reuse can avoid an immediate purchase, but extensive alterations may change that calculation. No single appliance age determines the right answer.
This approach fits Noble Design Asia’s emphasis on function and respect for what already exists. An appliance earns its place through useful service, rather than simply matching a new finish.
Identify the exact model before taking measurements
Photograph the appliance’s identification label and record its full model number, including any suffix. Find the manufacturer’s installation instructions for that exact model and market. A sales brochure or an online photograph is not enough to specify the cabinet opening.
For example, Bosch’s dishwasher installation guide explicitly notes that methods and measurements vary between models and directs owners to the model-specific manual. That distinction matters when a familiar label such as “60 cm dishwasher” is being used as a drawing dimension.
Keep the manual, measured dimensions and photographs together. Label the photographs so the designer can see the appliance front, side, connections and intended position. If a rating label is inaccessible, ask the supplier or technician to identify the machine before moving or disconnecting it.
An expatriate household bringing appliances from another country should also have the local supplier or qualified installer confirm suitability for the available electrical supply, gas type where relevant, and local servicing. A plug adaptor does not establish compatibility.
Measure the appliance and the space it needs to work
Three sets of dimensions belong in the design: the appliance itself, the space required to install it, and the space needed to operate it. Record them separately in millimetres so nobody mistakes the body width for the finished cabinet opening.
| Record | What the designer needs |
|---|---|
| Actual appliance size | Width, height and depth, with handles, hinges, feet and other projections identified. |
| Installation space | Model-specific opening or cut-out, ventilation provisions and space for connections. |
| Operating space | Door and drawer movement, lid opening, loading access and room for the person using it. |
| Maintenance access | Access to connections and filters, plus a route to withdraw the appliance for repair. |
Take depth measurements carefully. The body depth shown in a product listing may exclude the handle, door projection or rear connections. Likewise, an adjustable appliance height needs to be checked against the intended finished floor and underside of the worktop, not an existing cabinet that is about to be removed.
Use the manufacturer’s required dimensions as the basis for the installation space. Ask the designer and installer to reconcile those requirements with the measured site. Do not add an arbitrary “standard gap” to every appliance or assume that a larger-looking opening solves ventilation.reconcile those requirements with the measured site. Do not add an arbitrary “standard gap” to every appliance or assume that a larger-looking opening solves ventilation.
Give the refrigerator room to open and be serviced
A refrigerator placed against a wall can fit neatly when closed and become awkward as soon as the door opens. Record the hinge side, handle projection and space needed to open the door sufficiently for normal use, including withdrawing drawers and shelves for cleaning.
Show the open door on the kitchen plan. Consider whether it conflicts with a tall cupboard, entrance door or the person working at the sink. The answer may be a different position, an appropriate filler panel or a revised cabinet depth, depending on the model and room.
Check the required ventilation arrangement in the installation manual before enclosing the sides or adding cabinetry above it. A freestanding refrigerator should not be treated as a built-in model simply because its front can be aligned with the cupboards.
For a model with a plumbed dispenser or ice maker, mark the water connection and access for maintenance. Also establish how the refrigerator can be pulled out later without removing a fixed island or damaging adjacent finishes. In a compact apartment, the removal route deserves space on the plan alongside the daily walking route.
Coordinate the hob oven and hood as one cooking area
For a hob, measure both the visible appliance and the required worktop cut-out, meaning the opening cut into the counter. They are different dimensions. Record the worktop material and thickness, the space below the hob, and its position relative to walls, drawers and other appliances.
For a built-in oven, use the installation drawing to establish the cabinet opening, support and ventilation provisions. Then check the open door, the user’s position when lifting out a tray and a convenient surface for putting it down. A good cabinet elevation needs to work during cooking as well as when every door is closed.
The hood brings another set of requirements. Identify its model, extraction method, connection and maintenance access. A ducted hood needs a suitable discharge route; a recirculating model requires the specified filters and airflow arrangement. Confirm the installation height against the instructions for the particular hob and hood combination.
Bosch’s gas hob installation guidance highlights gas-type compatibility and installation by an authorised technician. Have the installer assess the existing supply and proposed position rather than designing around an assumed connection. For an apartment, check the building’s gas and exhaust arrangements before committing to changes.
Check the dishwasher opening from the finished floor
The useful dishwasher measurement is the clear space after flooring, cabinetry and the worktop are installed. Record width, depth and the available height from the finished floor to the underside of the counter. A change in floor finish can affect installation and later removal.
The door needs attention too. Bosch’s guidance flags interference between the dishwasher door panel and the plinth, the recessed panel at the base of the cabinets. For an integrated model, check the furniture-panel and hinge requirements for that exact appliance, rather than assuming any matching cabinet front can be attached.
Mark the water, drainage and electrical connection routes on the drawing. Have the installer check the required hose arrangement and access to connections. The layout should allow servicing and withdrawal of the machine without dismantling the kitchen around it.
Leave working space for countertop appliances
Small appliances often explain why a finished kitchen feels crowded. Measure the rice cooker with its lid open, the coffee machine with its water tank being removed and the air fryer with its basket pulled out. Include the position where each item will be used, not just where it will be stored.
A microwave needs particular care when it is moved from a countertop into a cabinet. Samsung’s microwave installation guidance illustrates the importance of clear ventilation space around the appliance. Its regional guidance is not a specification for every microwave: use the exact model’s instructions to establish whether the proposed enclosure is permitted and what space it requires.
Apply the same model-specific approach to an appliance cupboard. A door that hides equipment between uses does not establish that the equipment can operate inside it. Plan suitable operating space, access and power points with the designer and installer.
In a household that uses a rice cooker and water dispenser every day, giving these items permanent, workable positions may be more useful than adding another decorative display shelf.
Survey the room connections and delivery route
Measure wall lengths at more than one height and record corners, columns, windows, doors and any projecting pipes. Existing walls and floors may not be perfectly level or square. Show the intended finished surfaces so the cabinet maker is designing for the completed room.
Mark power points, water valves, drains and exhaust openings with their heights and positions relative to a consistent reference point. A photograph helps explain the condition, but it should accompany measurements. Ask the relevant trades to check electrical capacity, circuits, earthing, plumbing and ventilation for the proposed arrangement; this is not something cabinet dimensions alone can establish.
For a Jakarta apartment, request the current renovation requirements from management. Check permitted work, service access, wet-area or exhaust restrictions where applicable, and arrangements for using the service lift. For a rented home, obtain the owner’s agreement to alterations. These conditions need to be established for the actual property.
Measure the narrowest doorway and corridor on the moving route, lift door and cabin where relevant, and difficult turns into the kitchen. Tell the movers what equipment is staying and agree how it will be protected during demolition, stored and reinstalled. Keeping an appliance should not leave its handling to a last-minute decision on site.
Resolve appliance decisions before cabinet production
Imagine a homeowner keeping a refrigerator but moving it beside a wall to gain a longer worktop. In this illustrative scenario, its closed width fits the proposed opening, but the door cannot open far enough to remove a drawer. Identifying the conflict on a dimensioned plan leaves several design options. Discovering it after cabinet installation may mean paid alterations.
Before releasing the kitchen for production, ask for one coordinated set of information: the retained-appliance list, exact manuals, measured room plan, cabinet and cut-out dimensions, open-door checks, connection positions and removal access. Identify who confirms each item so a note saying “check on site” does not become an unresolved assumption.
If an appliance choice changes, revise the affected drawings before fabrication. Where replacement is likely soon, discuss an adaptable opening or removable panel with the designer. This may preserve options, but it cannot guarantee that every future model will fit.
Noble Asia’s guide to planning a modular kitchen in Jakarta explains how cabinets, worktops and appliances come together as a system. Existing equipment can be part of that system when its requirements are settled early.
Build the kitchen brief around what you want to keep
A useful first brief combines your household routine with the equipment that supports it. Bring model numbers, photographs, manuals, a rough room plan and a clear list of items you intend to retain. These give the design discussion a practical starting point before finishes and cabinet fronts are selected.
Noble Design Asia’s Turn-Key Renovation & Fit-Out service covers coordinated renovation work, including electrical and plumbing coordination, carpentry and kitchen installations. For your project, agree the responsibilities for appliance assessment, disconnection, storage and reinstallation in the scope of work.
Discuss your kitchen renovation and the appliances you want to keep with Noble Design Asia.
FAQ Appliances in a New Kitchen
Can I keep existing appliances when renovating my kitchen?
Yes, if their condition, installation requirements and suitability for the new layout are confirmed. Decide what to retain before cabinet production, and have uncertain equipment assessed before building around it.
Are standard appliance sizes enough for the designer?
No. A nominal size does not provide the exact cabinet opening, ventilation arrangement, cut-out or door clearance. Supply the full model number, installation manual and measurements of the actual appliance.
Can a freestanding appliance be hidden inside a cabinet?
Only where the manufacturer permits the proposed installation and its requirements can be met. A freestanding microwave or refrigerator is not automatically suitable for an enclosed cabinet, even when its body fits.
What if I cannot find the original installation manual?
Use the full model number to request it from the manufacturer or authorised service provider. Keep preliminary layouts provisional until the installation requirements are confirmed. Instructions for a similar-looking model should not be used as the final specification.
Who should confirm the measurements before cabinets are made?
The designer or cabinet maker should verify the room and finished openings, while the appliance installer and relevant trades confirm installation and connection requirements. Agree who signs off the coordinated drawings before production, and update them if a model or site condition changes.
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