This Compact Kitchen Upgrade Fits Perfectly Where Your Trash Compactor Used To Be

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When designing your ideal kitchen, you're not thinking about who will inherit it after you, and you're also likely blissfully unaware of the ways trends will ebb and flow. This is our way of saying that if you installed a trash compactor in your kitchen at the height of their popularity in the 1970s and '80s, we forgive you. Trash compactors looked like, well, compact dishwashers. And like dishwashers, they were installed directly into your lower cabinetry. As the name says, all they did was compact trash into smaller bundles of squished refuse.

So it might come as no surprise that just a few short decades after the advent of the device, the trash compactor has all but disappeared from the standard home kitchen. Luckily, there's a trendier, more versatile appliance that could very easily fit into the trash compactor-sized hole in your kitchen (and your heart): a wine fridge.

Wine fridges come in various sizes, but many are designed to sit right in your lower cabinetry, just like a trash compactor. And there's no doubt that a fridge that keeps your wine at the perfect temperature and houses many bottles at once (or other good stuff — we'll get into that shortly) is more fun than a trash flattener. So here's the scoop on this chill machine and how to fit one into your life.

If you're an avid wine drinker, replacing the outdated trash compactor in your kitchen with a wine fridge is a no-brainer. Wine fridges keep your bottles at an optimal temperature for serving, meaning you are never without some grapey goodness at the ready. We've ranked the best wine fridges based on customer reviews, and your compactor replacement could be on that list! 

Your options may be limited to ones that are the proper size for the space, but there are definitely wine fridges that fit the mold. Typical trash compactors are generally about 35 inches tall, 12 to 15 inches wide, and 24 inches deep. Something like the NewAir 15-inch Dual Zone Wine Cooler Refrigerator could possibly slide right into the space without you needing to take a saw to the wood frame. But even if you aren't a fan of wine or just don't drink often enough to have multiple chilled bottles in your kitchen at a time, a wine fridge could still be a great way to use that trash compactor space. 

We have a list of 10 ways to use your wine fridge that aren't for wine — the possibilities really are endless. Wine fridges aren't quite as cold as regular fridges, usually landing somewhere between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning you can use a wine fridge to keep your extra produce fresh. It could also be the perfect place to house your chocolate stash during warm months. Basically, it can act as a smaller, specialty fridge for some of your more temperamental or delicate food items. So whether you've always got a glass of wine in your hand or never drink, a wine fridge can still be a good idea.