SWAN SR11035CNE Retro Under Counter Fridge review

Have you been hunting for an under-counter fridge freezer that’s compact, stylish, and actually practical for everyday life?

What Is the SWAN SR11035CNE Retro Under Counter Fridge?

You’re looking at a compact, under-counter fridge freezer that’s designed to sit neatly beneath your kitchen worktop while still giving you a surprising amount of storage. The SWAN SR11035CNE Retro Under Counter Fridge with 77L Fridge Capacity and 13L Freezer Capacity brings you a vintage-inspired, cream-colored design with modern performance.

You get a small but useful combination of fridge and freezer space, making it a handy solution for smaller kitchens, studio apartments, offices, or as an extra drinks and snack fridge in another room.

Key Specifications at a Glance

Before you think about how this fridge will fit into your lifestyle, it helps to see the essentials in one place. You don’t want to guess when it comes to capacity, layout, or features.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what you get:

Looking at this table, you can already see if the size, style, and simple layout match what you want. From here, you can decide whether this fits your day-to-day needs or works better as a secondary fridge.

Design and Aesthetic: Retro Charm in Cream

You might be choosing this fridge as much for how it looks as for how it performs. The SWAN SR11035CNE leans heavily into a retro aesthetic, with a smooth cream finish and old-school styling that gives your kitchen some personality.

If you’re tired of plain white boxes or cold stainless steel, this vintage design offers something softer and warmer. It can complement a retro-themed kitchen or bring a bit of character into a more modern space without clashing.

How the Retro Look Works in Your Space

A fridge like this isn’t just another appliance; it can act like a design feature in the room. The cream color tends to blend well with wood countertops, pastel kitchen decor, and classic tile backsplashes.

You can easily place it under your counter, and because the look is distinctive, it can also stand alone in a small kitchenette, office break room, or studio without appearing out of place.

Size and Fit: Perfect for Under-Counter Use

If you’re short on floor space or you want a cleaner, built-in look, under-counter height is crucial. The SWAN SR11035CNE is designed specifically to slide under your worktop, giving you a neat, integrated feel without the cost of a true built-in unit.

You avoid the bulk of a full-height fridge, but you still get a proper internal layout with both fridge and freezer areas.

Where This Fridge Makes the Most Sense

You’ll find this model especially practical if:

• Your kitchen is small and you want to protect what little space you have.
• You live in a studio or one-bedroom apartment where every appliance footprint matters.
• You want an extra drinks and snack fridge in a home bar, office, guest room, or outbuilding.
• You’re furnishing a student flat or shared house and just need a smart, compact solution.

Because it’s freestanding, you can move it if you change your layout or move home. That flexibility is helpful if you’re renting or rearranging your kitchen over time.

Fridge Capacity: 77 Litres of Usable Space

The fridge section offers you 77 litres of capacity, which is enough for a weekly shop for one person, or for essentials and fresh items for two people if you plan carefully. It’s not designed to be a huge family fridge, but it is more than just a mini-fridge.

You can comfortably store milk, drinks, sauces, fresh vegetables, cheese, leftovers, and day-to-day items without feeling cramped, as long as your expectations match its compact footprint.

What 77 Litres Really Feels Like

To give you a practical idea, you can imagine this type of load:

• 2–3 regular-sized milk bottles or cartons
• A few jars and sauce bottles on the door shelves
• Fresh fruit and veg in the salad drawer
• A couple of meal prep containers or leftovers on the shelf
• Butter, cheese, yogurt, and small snacks

If you regularly buy huge weekly shops for a family, you’ll probably use this as a second fridge. But for single users, couples with modest storage needs, or a work environment, 77 litres is surprisingly workable.

Freezer Capacity: 13 Litres for the Essentials

The freezer section gives you 13 litres, which is relatively small, but still enough for everyday frozen basics. You won’t be loading it with a month’s worth of bulk buys, but that’s not what it is designed for.

Think of it as a convenience freezer where you can keep a modest selection of items on hand instead of a full chest freezer replacement.

What You Can Realistically Store in 13 Litres

You can expect to fit items such as:

• A couple of small frozen meals or pizza slices
• Some frozen vegetables or fruit bags
• Ice cream tub or ice lollies
• Ice cube tray
• A few portions of meat or fish

If you rely heavily on frozen food or batch cooking, you may want a separate freezer elsewhere. But for someone who mainly eats fresh or buys frozen basics in small amounts, this capacity can be enough.

Internal Layout: Shelves, Door Storage, and Drawer

The internal layout is simple by design, which makes it easier to keep things tidy and to see what you have at a glance. You’re not dealing with a complicated arrangement of adjustable parts; instead, you get a straightforward, minimal structure.

The key elements inside the fridge are:

• 1 glass shelf
• 3 door shelves
• 1 salad drawer

The Glass Shelf: Stable and Easy to Clean

A glass shelf gives you a solid surface that feels sturdier than old-style wire shelves. It helps prevent spills from dripping down to the lower area and is easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth.

You can place your main items and containers on this shelf—leftovers, meal prep boxes, dairy products, and anything that needs a flat surface. The transparent glass also lets you see more of what’s below, helping reduce forgotten items hiding at the back.

The Door Shelves: Everyday Essentials Within Reach

The three door shelves are where you’ll likely store:

• Bottles of milk, juice, or soft drinks
• Jars of pickles, sauces, and condiments
• Butter, small cartons, and spreads
• Eggs, depending on your preference and space

Door shelves are easier to access than the main shelf, so you can arrange your most frequently used items there. This layout keeps your main shelf free for larger or more stable items that you don’t want to nudge every time you open the door.

The Salad Drawer: Keeping Produce Fresher

The single salad drawer gives you a dedicated space for fresh produce like lettuce, carrots, peppers, or fruit. Keeping vegetables together and slightly away from the coldest parts of the fridge can help them stay crisp for longer.

You can also use this drawer for other items you want to group together, such as cheeses or lunch ingredients, but it works best when used for fresh fruit and veg.

Organisation: Keeping Your Food Neat and Accessible

An organised fridge really does make your daily routine easier. You waste less time looking for things and less money throwing out food you forgot about. The SWAN SR11035CNE gives you just enough structure to stay organised without being fussy.

You can quickly set up a simple system for yourself and stick to it, which helps you keep the interior feeling more spacious than it might look on paper.

Simple Tips for Using the Space Efficiently

You can get the most out of the internal layout by:

• Putting taller bottles and cartons in the bottom door shelf.
• Reserving the middle or top door shelves for jars, spreads, and smaller items.
• Keeping the most perishable items (like cooked meats, leftovers, or dairy) in the main shelf area, where you can see them easily.
• Using the salad drawer only for fruit and vegetables, so you don’t end up stacking random items on top.

By sticking to a few simple rules like these, you keep the fridge tidy and reduce the feeling that you’re constantly shuffling items around.

Performance and Cooling: Does It Keep Your Food Fresh?

Even in a compact, retro-looking fridge, you still want reliable performance. The SWAN SR11035CNE is designed to give you stable cooling so that your groceries stay fresh and safe for daily use.

You can expect the fridge to maintain appropriate temperatures for dairy, meat, and other essentials when you use it as intended and don’t overload it. The small internal volume generally cools down quickly after you close the door.

Day-to-Day Use and Temperature Consistency

In daily use, you’ll notice that:

• The fridge retains coolness well when it is not opened too frequently or packed to the maximum.
• You can set a steady temperature and leave it alone most of the time.
• Because it’s not a huge unit, it cools more quickly after new items are placed inside.

For best performance, you should avoid cramming warm, freshly cooked dishes directly into the fridge. Let them cool to room temperature first so you don’t overwork the system or cause temperature spikes inside.

Energy Rating: Class E and What It Means for You

This fridge carries an E energy rating, which might sound average at first glance, but you need to consider the updated EU/UK energy labeling system, where ratings have been tightened. On the modern scale, many appliances that would previously have been labeled higher now appear in the mid-range.

An E-rated under-counter fridge like this uses less energy than similar lower-rated models, helping you keep bills lower without stepping into the highest price bracket.

Balancing Cost, Performance, and Efficiency

You’re getting a product that:

• Uses a reasonable amount of electricity compared with older or less efficient designs.
• Offers a balance between price and energy use.
• Still focuses on performance, so you aren’t sacrificing cooling quality just to save a small amount of energy.

If you’re especially energy-conscious, this model gives you a good compromise between retro design and respectable efficiency. It’s not a high-end, ultra-efficient appliance, but it isn’t a power-hungry relic either.

Practicality in Everyday Life

A fridge can look good on paper but still be awkward to live with. You want something that works with your daily rhythm, not against it. The SWAN SR11035CNE aims to be simple and intuitive, with an uncomplicated interior and a size that’s easy to live with.

You’re not dealing with complex settings or features you never use—just straightforward cold storage that you can rely on for everyday groceries.

Using It as a Primary vs Secondary Fridge

You may be wondering whether this should be your main fridge or an extra one. It really depends on your household:

• For one person or a couple who don’t store large amounts of frozen food, it can absolutely serve as a primary fridge.
• For a family, it will usually work best as a secondary unit: perhaps for drinks, snacks, or overflow that your main fridge can’t handle.
• In an office, it works well as a shared fridge for lunches, drinks, and small snacks, with the freezer used for ice or a few backup items.

Once you know how much you usually store, you can quickly see whether this capacity fits your lifestyle.

Installation and Placement

Because this is designed for under-counter use, placement is straightforward. It’s a freestanding unit, which means you don’t need to fully build it into cabinetry, but you should still leave enough clearance for ventilation and door opening.

You’ll want to think about where the door will swing, access to a power socket, and any heat sources nearby such as ovens or radiators.

Tips for Setting It Up in Your Kitchen

To get the best from it, you should consider:

• Leaving some space at the back and sides so air can circulate.
• Placing it on a level surface to avoid vibration and ensure the door seals correctly.
• Checking that you can open the door fully without hitting cupboards or walls so that the shelf and drawer are easy to use.

Once you’ve chosen a suitable spot, installation is mostly a matter of positioning it, letting it stand upright for a while if it has been transported horizontally, and then plugging it in.

Ease of Cleaning and Maintenance

You probably don’t want to spend your weekends scrubbing appliances. The layout and materials inside the SWAN SR11035CNE make cleaning relatively quick and straightforward.

Because there are only a few main components—the glass shelf, salad drawer, and door shelves—you can remove them easily for a deeper clean when needed.

Keeping Your Fridge Fresh with Minimal Effort

You can keep it fresh and hygienic by:

• Wiping the glass shelf with a mild cleaning solution or warm soapy water whenever there’s a spill.
• Taking out the salad drawer from time to time, rinsing it, and drying it thoroughly before replacing.
• Giving the door seals a quick wipe to prevent buildup and keep the door closing snugly.
• Avoiding long-forgotten items so there’s less chance of bad smells building up.

Because the interior is compact, you don’t have lots of fiddly corners to deal with. A quick routine clean once a month or so can keep everything looking and smelling good.

Noise Level and Comfort

Noise matters, especially in smaller homes, open-plan areas, or offices. While the specific decibel rating isn’t listed in the details you have, most under-counter fridges of this kind are designed to be reasonably quiet in normal operation.

You may hear the compressor kick in occasionally, but it shouldn’t dominate your living space or make conversation difficult.

How It Feels in a Real Room

In daily life, you’re likely to:

• Notice a gentle humming or brief buzzing when the cooling system cycles on.
• Quickly tune it out, much like you would with most standard fridges.
• Find it perfectly acceptable even in spaces where you sit nearby for long periods, such as small kitchens combined with living areas.

If you’re very sensitive to noise, placing it slightly away from your main seating area or sleeping area is still a good idea, but for most users, it blends into normal background sound.

Warranty and Peace of Mind

The SWAN SR11035CNE comes with a 1-year manufacturer’s guarantee, plus an additional year when you register the product. That means you’re effectively covered for 2 years if you take a few minutes to complete the registration.

Having this type of coverage helps reduce the worry of early faults or unexpected issues shortly after purchase.

Why the 2-Year Guarantee Matters

With the extended guarantee in place, you can:

• Feel more confident that you’re not taking a big risk on a stylish appliance.
• Rely on support from the manufacturer if something goes wrong within that period.
• Enjoy the fridge day-to-day without feeling like you need to baby it to avoid problems.

Just remember to actually complete the registration step; it’s easy to forget, but it’s what unlocks that extra year of cover for you.

Strengths: What You’re Likely to Love

Not every fridge is right for every person, but this one has a clear set of strengths that will appeal to many. When you know exactly what it does well, you can match it to your priorities more easily.

Here are the main highlights of the SWAN SR11035CNE Retro Under Counter Fridge:

Retro Style with Practical Function

You’re getting a fridge that doesn’t just look good in a product photo; it really does bring retro charm to your space. The cream color and classic styling are eye-catching without feeling over the top.

Yet, beneath the design, you still find a usable fridge with a glass shelf, door shelves, and a salad drawer that actually help you keep your food in order.

Compact Under-Counter Fit

If floor space is limited or you simply like a streamlined kitchen, this unit fits neatly under your worktop. You don’t need to commit to a large, full-height fridge if your household size doesn’t justify it.

The compact size also makes it easy to move during renovations, between rooms, or when moving house altogether.

Sensible Capacity for Smaller Households

With 77 litres in the fridge and 13 litres in the freezer, you get enough for a single person or a couple who shop regularly rather than in huge bulk.

The capacity is also ideal if you’re furnishing a holiday home, guest accommodation, annexe, or office kitchen, where you just need sensible storage rather than a gigantic appliance.

Respectable Energy Rating for Its Class

The E rating places it in a mid-range energy efficiency band under the newer, stricter system. That gives you better economy than older or lower-rated designs without charging you a premium for cutting-edge tech.

You can run it 24/7, as you need to with any fridge, without feeling like it’s unnecessarily wasteful.

Limitations: Where It Might Not Suit You

To make a smart choice, you also need to be clear about the limitations. That way, you won’t buy it expecting something it’s not designed to deliver.

Small Freezer Section

At 13 litres, the freezer is truly for essentials, not for big weekly frozen shops. If you love stocking up on frozen pizzas, large bags of frozen food, or bulk meat purchases, you’ll find this capacity restrictive.

You might instead think of it as a top-up freezer: ideal for ice, a few key items, and treats, but not your main frozen storage solution.

Limited Internal Adjustability

With just one main glass shelf, you don’t have the kind of flexible multi-shelf setup that larger fridges offer. This simplicity can be a plus for some, but if you like to rearrange shelves to fit tall items, you might feel a bit constrained.

You’ll need to be thoughtful about how you stack and place your items to use the space effectively.

Best Suited to Smaller Households

This model really isn’t aimed at large families who keep a lot of fresh and frozen food. If you’re cooking for several people daily and storing lots of ingredients at once, you’ll probably outgrow it very quickly.

It’s far better as a primary fridge for one or two people, or as a secondary/backup fridge for drinks, snacks, or overflow.

How This Fridge Fits Different Lifestyles

To help you picture how the SWAN SR11035CNE might work for you personally, it can help to think in terms of lifestyle. Different setups will use the same appliance in very different ways.

For Singles and Couples

If you shop a few times a week, cook at home regularly, and don’t rely heavily on frozen food, this fridge can absolutely serve as your main unit. You can keep ingredients for several days plus leftovers and drinks without struggling for space.

The small freezer is enough for frozen veg, a couple of convenience meals, and some ice cream or ice cubes—just enough to cover your usual needs.

For Families

As a family, you’ll likely use this as a secondary fridge. It can sit in a pantry, utility room, or home bar, holding extra drinks, kids’ snacks, desserts, or party food.

The retro look means it doesn’t feel like an industrial appliance shoved in the corner; instead, it adds some character to whichever room you place it in.

For Offices and Workspaces

In an office or studio, this fridge works very well. You can store:

• Staff lunches and snacks
• Milk for tea and coffee
• Soft drinks or water bottles
• A few frozen bits in the small freezer, like ice packs or ice lollies for hot weather

The compact size makes it easy to fit in a kitchenette or break area, and the retro design adds a bit of charm to what is often a dull, functional space.

For Guest Rooms, Annexes, and Holiday Lets

If you’re setting up a guest suite, small annexe, Airbnb, or holiday home, this unit offers a great mix of style and practicality. Guests get a proper fridge with a tiny freezer rather than just a cramped minibar.

The cream retro design often photographs well too, which can help your listing look more appealing if you’re renting the space out.

Value for Money: Are You Getting Enough for the Price?

When you’re judging value, you’re not just adding up litres and energy classes—you’re weighing the style, build, capacity, and brand assurance too. With the SWAN SR11035CNE, much of the appeal lies in the combination of retro aesthetics with modern functionality.

You’re not paying for dozens of advanced tech features; you’re paying for a solid, simple appliance that looks distinctive and fits a specific niche well.

How to Decide If It’s Worth It for You

You’ll likely feel that it’s good value if:

• You care about how your kitchen or room looks and want a fridge that adds to the style.
• You need a compact, under-counter solution instead of a larger freestanding unit.
• You appreciate a clear internal layout and don’t need loads of compartments.
• You like having the safety net of a 2-year guarantee.

If your top priorities are maximum capacity and advanced features at the lowest possible price, you might lean towards a more basic, non-retro alternative. But if you want charm and practicality together in a modest footprint, this model lines up very well with that goal.

Who This Fridge Is Best For

To make your decision easier, it helps to summarise the type of person this fridge is truly built for. You might see yourself in one of these scenarios.

Ideal Users

You’re likely to be very happy with the SWAN SR11035CNE if you:

• Live alone or with one other person and shop regularly.
• Want a compact fridge that fits neatly under your countertop.
• Appreciate vintage-inspired, cream-colored appliances.
• Don’t need a large freezer, only enough for essentials.
• Are furnishing a stylish office, guest space, or smaller kitchen.
• Prefer simple, easy-to-clean interiors without clutter.

Users Who Might Need Something Else

You may want to look at alternatives if you:

• Have a big family and cook or store large amounts of food at once.
• Rely heavily on frozen food and need a substantial freezer.
• Want advanced digital controls, special cooling zones, or smart connectivity.
• Are prioritising maximum energy efficiency at all costs over style.

Being honest with yourself about your storage needs will help you avoid buying the wrong appliance, no matter how attractive it looks.

Final Thoughts: Should You Choose the SWAN SR11035CNE Retro Under Counter Fridge?

You’re considering a fridge that’s more than just a white box in the corner. The SWAN SR11035CNE Retro Under Counter Fridge with 77L Fridge Capacity and 13L Freezer Capacity gives you a blend of style and function that suits smaller homes, offices, and secondary spaces perfectly.

You get:

• A charming retro cream design that adds character.
• A practical 77L fridge with a glass shelf, 3 door shelves, and a salad drawer.
• A compact 13L freezer for everyday frozen basics.
• An under-counter fit that makes smart use of limited space.
• An E energy rating for decent efficiency.
• A 1-year guarantee plus an extra year when you register.

If you’re looking for a compact, stylish, and straightforward under-counter fridge freezer that supports your everyday routine without dominating your kitchen, this model is a strong contender. As long as you’re comfortable with the modest freezer space and the focused capacity, it can be a very satisfying addition to your home or workspace.

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