I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and say perhaps it’s a deep freezer that is only opened occasionally, and I guess is pretty well sealed as long as it’s closed.
The kitchen appears to have one of those built-in fridges that matches the cabinets:
Is this that much weirder than the widespread British practice of putting washing machines in kitchens?
Yes, putting an electrical appliance in the bathroom is weirder than putting an appliance that requires both power and plumbing in the room that always has both power and plumbing.
Where else would you put it? Might as well just place it next to all the other appliances. We do it in Germany too, pretty sure it’s just a European thing.
My family/me (in and around berlin):
Me: WM in the kitchen
Parents: WM in the bathroom
Brother: WM in a little nook on the corridor(? Flurnische)
Another Brother: WM in the basement (benefits of a house)