I think even counter depth will stick out a little so the doors will open. Ours is inside a typical refrigerator cabinet..open for the fridge on the bottom with a fridge-depth cabinet above. We occasionally have to pull the fridge forward because the doors will hit the side of the cabinet and not open well.

You're looking for a built in like a SubZero, not a cabinet depth. Or possibly a fully integrated refrigerator if you want it to completely disappear. Both are a whole other class in costs above even the more expensive counter depth refrigerator. $6-15K.

If I read your message correctly, you are looking for a true CD standalone unit, so your cabinets can create a more flush look. I think you already understand there are tradeoffs in cost with a true fully integrated refrigerator or built-in refrigerator.

One option is to take a CD refrigerators and build your cabinets 25 to 27 inches deep. There are several discussions on how to do that.

If that is not an option, there are a very few CD standalone units that are 24 inches deep in the body. In both cases, your doors will have to stick out to open properly.

The CD units with true 24 inch frames still require careful planning and installation. Some even come with optional trim kits (like the Viking) to close the gaps around the cabinet. If you have the width, the Frigidaire/Electrolux/Kenmore all-fridge and all-freezer units (aka the Twins) are essentially standalone units with extra unified trim.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I am looking for a stand-alone fridge, and then custom building the cabinets around the fridge to give it that built-in look. I would like a true built-in, but it seems too expensive to justify the cost.

I looked around for examples and I found one that comes close to what I want because I plan on having the wall oven right next to the fridge. I attached it below.

I know some fridges require clearance on the sides because of the way the door swings open, or because of ventilation. I was wondering if there are specific makes/models where the hinges are designed so the door swings open with minimal clearance, and that can ventilate in such a way as well.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Check the appliance forum.

Liebherr!

Their standalones are true counter-depth and they have unique hinges that do not extend past the fridge box, allowing you to integrate them without much sticking out past the cabinetry. LOVE ours for function and efficiency, as well. They have dual compressors like the Subzero, without quite the price tag.

They also make built-ins, but we found the freestanding 30" model to be fully aesthetically sufficient.

Here is a link that might be useful: Liebherr

This post was edited by circuspeanut on Thu, Mar 7, 13 at 9:34

If you check the appliance forum, you'll see past threads on how to get your cabinet built to optimally fit the fridge.

The Liebherr has one of the thinnest doors for a CD.

The Viking (D3 and Professional) line have optional trim kits with grills that ventilate the opening but hide the gap on the top and the sides. They also cover the hinge. There are a few other brands that come with these as well (Electrolux, Frigidaire, FP, Kenmore).

[Contemporary Refrigerators And Freezers design[(https://www.houzz.com/products/contemporary-refrigerators-prbr1-br~t_441~s_2103) by Dallas Appliances Elite Appliance

My set-up is similar to cbusmomof3's - I also have the Samsung CD with french door.
I HATE the small size and depth of this fridge! I was use to a large french door fridge and I can barely fit anything into this one.
I wish I would have had more room to put a regular full size/depth fridge in.
There is only me at my house - and this fridge just doesn't hold enough large bowls, platters, etc. Luckily, I have an extra fridge in the garage.

Warning:

If you are considering Samsung, make sure you have service in your area. When I was considering it, a friend of mine told me that someone they knew was getting a new fridge b/c her Samsung needed repair and she couldn't get anyone to do it where we live.

I did one of my vignettes in the new showroom with extra deep cabinets on one leg to show how you can "build in" a standard sized refrigerator. We used a couple of custom cabinets in the configuration to show off the custom capabilities of the manufacturer, but you can do the same thing with blocking and just pulling forward standard depth cabinets. That's a win/win situation in that it gives you extra counter depth for small appliances and you can use the cheaper regular depth refrigerator as well.

Live_wire: Can you post a picture of that vignette that you mentioned above ? I think people on here would like to see what you are talking about. Thanks

Used standard depth fridge from Sansung with wall on one side and cabinet panel on the other to create a built in appearance.

Keep in mind you're not going to get a platter with food inside a cabinet depth fridge.

circuspeanut 5- is the Liebherr freestanding and/or did you place an anti-tip bracket and where? Thanks.

OP-What ever you choose, triple check all aspects of your choice. This weekend I realized a door swing issue with my first choice which I picked up on while playing with the current refrigerator door making my early morning coffee. Serendipity? Happenstance? I don't know but boy and I glad it hit me. Installation quides and specs need to be on top of one's mind with CD tall refrigerators.

You're in luck, because we don't have counters yet, so you can see the "guts".

Here is the installation from a distance so you can see it's not overwhelming or "large" seeming to do this.

Here's a closeup of where the corner base is pulled forward. See the ledger at the rear to support the counter? And the adjacent drawer base has some blocking behind it because the cutting board insert only came in the one size. The drawers below have extra long glides to take advantage of the extra depth.

Here's a closer shot of the extra deep fridge cabinet with the 30" deep side panels. If you do the blocking, the side panels will hide it from public view and only you will know.

live_wire: Curious what is the depth of the over fridge cabinet? I see that you used the 3/4" side panels instead of the 1 1/2". Any particular reason? How much do you pull the drawer base net to the fridge cabinet or is it deeper then 24"? Brand of cabinets? Sorry to ask so many questions.

Thanks for posting the pictures. I enjoy looking at different layouts. Do you have any more pictures that you would like to share of other vignettes in the new showroom?

Thanks

That is my Dynasty/Omega display. It's a 30" depth custom Dynasty cabinet. I had the Dynasty drawer base customized to 28" so that the counter overhang would die into the panel. As I mentioned, the drawers are also extra deep front to back as well. Instead of being the 21" deep of regular cabinets, they are 25". And we just used the standard 24" deep 36"x36" recycling center for the corner, but pulled it forward. (There is blocking, but it's not visible.) The reason I just used the 3/4" panels was space pure and simple. Many people can't afford to give up the extra 3" that it takes to use the 1 1/2" filler on the panel sides. It also fit the clean lined look of the vignette.

Dynasty will customize to a large degree in depth, height, and width, but I did need a 17 3/16" W custom Omega cabinet to fit in the middle of the U because the contractors built the wall 9" shorter than the plans showed and to fix that would have required tearing out all manner of stuff that was already installed. So, we turned lemons into lemonade by being able to display a really oddball custom size.

We put in a KitchenAid ProLine counter depth and like the way it looks. I plumbed in a proper 1/2" copper line with a shutoff valve recessed into the wall behind the fridge to a) make sure we had the best most reliable possible water supply and b) to ensure we didn't loose any depth in pushing the fridge into the cavity.

The fridge isn't short - 9' ceilings make for tall cabinets above. Cooking sheets stand on edge in the first opening above the fridge. I have no clue what's in the upper cavity - maybe I should go look and see what I left up there.

Like circuspeanut, I also opted for the freestanding Liebherr which has a "zero-clearance" door and was less expensive than their "built-in" fridge. We love it! It fits perfectly in a 24" deep cabinet and we opted to leave some space at the top for circulation. I pulled the fridge out to meet the counter-top at 25" deep because I liked the look better than the handle being flush with the counter - below is a link with a Liebherr counter-depth freestanding fridge pushed against the wall with no surround cabinets as a reference.

Here is a link that might be useful: Liebherr freestanding

Thank you, LWO, that is really helpful to know. Will a standard fridge in that space then vent out the top or the bottom, and should one shop with that difference in mind?

Thanks again everybody, there are some really nice setups here, and pretty much what I am looking for.

The Liebherr looks very nice, but I think it might be too expensive. The Viking looks nice as well and seems a little more affordable.

gooster, can you point me to the threads in the Appliance Forum? I did a search but I am having trouble finding them.

live_wire_oak I had to look up the meaning of vignette. ;)
Looks really nice though.

TorontoTim, going by your username, are you in the GTA? Me too.
Did you build those cabinets yourself? If so, details would be appreciated.

asdf123: Linked below is a thread on building in a full-depth refrigerator.

You can run various web searches using the "site:" syntax, rather than using the bad search capability here:

site:ths.gardenweb.com gardenweb counter depth refrigerator built-in look

Here is a link that might be useful: Building In a Full Depth

We went with the Elux - we did leave a bit of room for future growth of fridge if needed - but we added the pull out pantry to the left of the fridge and the board to the right to give it a semi - built in look.

Love the Elux - it was a middle grounder - more than average but not as much as the top models.

I found an awesome custom cabinet maker in the GTA and would HIGHLY recommend them. Merlo Woodworking. Chris and Peter are excellent to work with.

Get Plywood cabinets - modest increase in price and worth every penny and then some. I got my LED lighting components out of Edmonton from LED Lights Canada - another great supplier.

a2gemini, How do you like your Electrolux frig? I am looking at the E128BS80KS, which is a standard depth. I had the wall built back so that I can still go with a standard depth frig. But it is so hard to find a Standard Depth that has the professional look without the ice and water on the outside front door. I want french doors but I do not like the look of the water dispenser on the outside of the frig.