Cold storage is one of those things that tends to get resolved late in a kitchen project. The layout is drawn, the cooking line is specified, the equipment is ordered, and then someone asks about refrigeration. By that point, the space that remains is whatever the rest of the design left behind.
It does not have to work that way.
Built around the space, not against it
The images in this post show two recent Boxcold walk-in cold room installations carried out by the Spiteri Catering team. They are not at the same location, and they are not the same job. That is precisely the point.
One installation shows a standalone cold room built into what is clearly a working building with character: period cornicing, warm lighting, an interior that was not designed around a refrigeration unit. The Boxcold cold room sits within that space cleanly, the refrigeration unit mounted on the exterior wall, tucked away and functional without interrupting the surroundings. The second installation is a larger cold room arrangement, a through-door configuration with its own internal evaporator, built to a different brief and a different footprint entirely.
Neither would have worked if the approach had been to fit a standard unit and work around the consequences.
What a bespoke cold room installation involves
A walk-in cold room is not simply a box that gets delivered and placed. The insulated panels are manufactured and assembled on site, sized to the actual dimensions of the space. The refrigeration unit, whether mounted externally or internally, is specified to match the thermal load: the volume of the room, the intended contents, the ambient temperature of the environment, and the frequency of use. The door, the threshold, the internal fittings, the safety release: all of it is considered as part of the whole.
Boxcold manufacture modular cold room systems that allow for exactly this kind of flexibility. The result is a cold room that performs to specification from day one, holds temperature reliably in Malta's climate, and fits the space it was always going to occupy. It is the kind of outcome that only comes from treating cold storage as part of the kitchen design process, not an afterthought to it.
The installation matters as much as the equipment
A well-specified cold room installed poorly will underperform. The panel joints need to be tight. The refrigeration unit needs to be commissioned correctly. The door seals need to seat properly. These are not complications; they are the work, and they are why the quality of the installation team is as important as the quality of the equipment itself.
The Spiteri Catering team has carried out cold room installations across a wide range of sites in Malta, from small supplementary cold stores in existing kitchens to purpose-built refrigeration rooms forming part of a full kitchen fit-out. The variables change. The standard does not.
If you are planning a new cold room installation or replacing an existing one, we would be glad to talk through what your space requires. Get in touch with the Spiteri Catering team and we will take it from there. We handle everything from initial consultation and design through to supply, professional installation, and ongoing technical support.
Related reading: From Blank Canvas to Working Kitchen: The Zigumar Restaurant Fit-Out | Keeping Food Fresh, Efficient, & Visually Appealing | Professional Kitchen Design from Spiteri Catering