I built my fridge surround and just used a 1x2 trim piece. It matches how the rest of the cabinets are made. I don't think I'd care for a trim piece there. However, I think it probably also depends on the style of your kitchen. Mine is somewhat plain with shaker style doors. HTHS!

If you do put trim, make sure it doesn't interfere with opening the fridge doors.

What style are the rest of your cabinets? One of the potential pluses for having the trim along the sides is that if at some point you change out the fridge for one that is larger, you would have an area of play where you could easily "widen" the opening by reducing or removing the trim.

Depending on the style of your cabinets, this trim could have a design or be plain and just have crown and base molding around it to dress it up a bit.

Yes to the fridge surround so the doors can open fully and in case sizes enlarge.

No to the decorative trim unless that element runs throughout your kitchen. I wouldn't want to draw attention to the fridge as the "star" in the kitchen.

Here is a photo of the inspiration of my kitchen. The colors will be similar to the photo (off white cabinets). The cabinet door style will have some decoration with raised panels.

The plan right now is to have the trim around the fridge and on the edges of the island (like what is shown in the picture). IF we do the trim on the fridge, i am asking if the contractor can do trim around the sink without increasing the cabinet size (just reducing the door size), if it is possible.

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Myrtle Beach General Contractors Re-Builders, Inc..

I saw a fridge with a plain, wide trim around the enclosure in a showroom. It worked for the contemporary style of that kitchen.

I think the fluted trim is his aesthetic and wouldn't let it influence you too much. With all the raised panel doors in your small kitchen, other trims will clutter up the cabinets. I also think a fluted trim glorifies the fridge, an appliance that most people try to downplay as much as possible. You only need a 3/4" panel on the cabinet side, and maybe he can put a panel that matches your door style on the open side to dress it up. I'm not sure I've seen that done on a fridge, but someone here must have a photo, or perhaps a KD can chime in.

How about just enclosing the fridge but without the "decoration". I don't know how to attach more than one picture, so in separate responses, I'll post two. The first is my current kitchen, in which the fridge is paneled and has the plain, wide trim may_flowers described above. The second is the kitchen in my previous home. This was a full-depth fridge that we enclosed.

Second picture, old kitchen. Since this was a full-depth fridge, we did bring the cabinet panels (left and right of fridge) and the upper cabinet forward a bit.

The enclosure I saw was about 3"- 4" all around. She won't have the side wall, and I think the cabinet maker doesn't like the plainness of the side panel? Though now that I think about it, a fluted trim won't help that.

Usually people have a cabinet that opens on the side of the fridge when there's no wall. Sometimes it's just deep enough to be a message center or a broom closet. I'd do that before I'd give up 6" to trim.

We did a paneled look around our fridge - our fridge is in between two doorways, so a different setup, but I love the cabinetry look around it.

Here is a link that might be useful: my kitchen