For the price of the fridge (it is my dream fridge by the way and I tried really hard to find a floor model that was being replaced) I feel it should stand alone and have a light shining on it to highlight it!!

Seriously, it is a beast. You really need to have the room for it so it doesn't look jammed in. And with its legs and finished sides I believe it is meant to stand alone. Do you have that kind of room?

Do a google search with gardenweb in the search field too. There have been a lot of discussions about it and whether or not it should be used in different situations. Also search houzz for photos.

I still love that baby, although I did end up with an all glass door refrigerator, so I'm happy.

It makes your corner a black hole. Unaccessible and awkward. If you're going to go gigantor, it needs to go somewhere else.

Two of my favorite kitchens have this fridge, with different installation treatments.

One has a wood frame matching the cabinets, built around it.

The other, which is an award winner, has it just pushed into a corner but the glam tile walls really frame it.

I feel it's pretty much a stand-alone element that doesn't marry harmoniously with upper cabinets.

But what a wonderful design "problem" to have.

Whenever I think of that refrigerator (and I do), I think of it standing alone against brick, tile, or rustic wood, in that order. It needs some space around it. Framing it seems to defeat its design purpose, as does hiding it.

Roco-could you post the second one?

I agree framing it is a mistake however, it has to go on this wall. It's that awkward corner that is giving me agita.

Yes, it's a good problem to have. :) I feel very lucky.

Here you go Eden.

Forget the panel, is there even enough space between fridge and cabinets for cabinet and fridge doors to even open on that plan? Don't get what the KD was thinking. This fridge is really like a piece of furniture on its own.

I don't know....those pictures of the stand alone are gorgeous but this kitchen has it framed (one of my absolute favorite kitchens, btw) and I love this look. I lust after this frig too. I showed this frig to my dh the other night and he really disliked it. No, I mean really disliked it. Huh???

Red Lover, I'm with your husband. I don't like the oversized look, and I'd constantly worry about the glass-door refrigerator being messy.

For those who love it, I think it looks better on its own than it looks framed in.

In addition, I see that it costs more than we just paid for A YEAR of college. Tuition, dorm, meal plan . . . EVERYTHING.

Don't worry about the mess inside! When the lights are off, you can barely see in it like you would if it were clear glass. The glass is tinted. Yes, you can see in it, but it really is not anything like most people imagine. Not like open shelving.

I love it for the "open-ness" it brings to the kitchen.

:)

Roco, that is one of my inspiration pictures. In fact, I'm thinking of tiling behind it. My kitchen inspiration has been this for many years:

[Modern Other[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-other-home-design-ideas-phbr2-bp~s_2105~r_33) by San Francisco Architect Charlie Barnett Associates

And I like the framed in look, but it needs to stand on its own to be a showpiece.

This is not the fault of the KD at all. Here is a better view from the ceiling down:

Bee, I didn't know you had this fridge--going to look for pics right now.

I love it, we are already sold on it; it's just a matter of fitting it into this space. It's new construction and framing has begun. No going back now!

Eden, can't tell from the plans if that's a 30" pocket door into a pantry next to where the fridge is placed?

Roco, it is a 30" swinging door into my pantry.

I think in your case, you can go either way.

In Rocco's first example, I actually don't like how they frame the top of the fridge because it is unnecessary. The room has a very tall ceiling and there are no top cabinets there. So the extra cabinet looks a little odd. Also, it throws off the symmetry to the floating shelf on the other side.

In the second examples, it looks much cleaner. and i think it's perfect.

So I think if there are no tall cabinets, you shouldn't frame it.. But if you do, then you can go either way.

In Redlover's example, there is some tall cabinets on another wall, but I still think it looks a little odd because the wood frame has no function, it's not reallya cabinet. However, I think the wood framing provide stylistic unity for the kitchen. Since in that example, the kitchen is not going for modern, but going for more elegance.

So, besides having top cabinets or not, style of your kitchen is also a consideration. Frameless is a little more modern, clean, it may even feel a little commercial. But the frame maybe necessary if you have a more "elegant", "traditional" kitchen.

In your case, I think you can go either way. I'll probably not frame it since the frame probably won't provide usable storage, unless you are going for the elegant look.. then frame it.

Lastly, looking at your kitchen layout, your main sink is very far from your range and the fridge. So, you can only use that for cleanup purposes. So your prep sink near the fridge became extra important and you will spend a lot of time preping there. It's a bit hard to see exactly how big of a prep sink you have but it look a little small from the rendering, esp if you get the kind that it's narrow on the side of the faucet. I'll advice getting a sink that is "normal" size, wide, and shallow for your prep sink.

I am adding a photo of how we do it in our kitchen .. we have a very small kitchen but we lean toward modern and clean look. So we need lots of cabinets and we have to frame it. Here is the "wall" behind my island (w/sink). I haven't done my Kitchen reveal yet since i'm still waiting for my combi steam oven to arrive (see hole above oven)

This post was edited by noopd on Wed, May 1, 13 at 23:51

Eden, don't know if this would work for you at all but looking at the plan it occurs to me that if the pocket door to the pantry was moved around the corner to the aisle, it would be just a few steps more but would give you the wall for the fridge. Then the cabinet run would just die into the wall & there would be clearances for cabinets and fridge to operate.

I love the idea of tiling the whole wall behind the fridge (I like tiled walls like the inspiration "cappuccino" kitchen pic) and if it was my kitchen I'd likely also put glass fronts on all the uppers on the range wall -- like your all-white inspiration photo -- though maybe you already plan on that.

Stylewise, seems to me centering the fridge on the wall and letting it float, without being built in, would give the kitchen more of an edgier modern look since it's treating the fridge like a piece of furniture vs a built in. Building it into a cabinet -- whether trad or mod-- ramps it down visually.

Either way, again, it's a great choice to have and I don't think you can go wrong.

I would either move the pantry door around the corner or put it next to the long run of cabinets and push the refrigerator out to the corner to get it visually isolated, and framed by some negative space. If you are going free-standing, really let it stand alone.

Here are my plans.

I can't move the pantry door at this point:

Also, another perspective:

If you do want to move the pantry door it's a very simple change order even if that space has already been framed and should incur no to a minimal charge. I wouldn't let plans stop me. If you love the wall with the door there then no need. The only question then is whether there is enough clearance for the cabinet doors not to bang into the fridge & the reverse.

I don't have that fridge freezer. I lusted after it unsuccessfully. We ended up with an all fridge glass door unit.

Try to get the pantry door moved, I agree it's worth it.

I also think you should move the pantry door around the corner to the short end of the pantry. In addition to having more space for the fridge so it doesn't look crammed up next to the cabinetry, it will allow you to have more shelving in the pantry. Moving a doorway is not very expensive, especially compared to the cost of the fridge that you want to be able to showcase well. I love the idea of the Pro 48 framed by tile or brick on the wall behind it.

hmm.. i actually think the door is better where it is because its' a shorter distance to the kitchen. Putting the pantry door around the corner makes it not as easily accessible when preping. I may even make it a real swinging door where it swing both sides with no handle. But that's just me :)

Swinging door both ways is what it is. The KD plan doesn't show it as such, but it is a swinging door.

Love it!

This post was edited by Eden-Manor on Thu, May 2, 13 at 19:27