I think with other black appliances and black sides on the fridge, honestly you might as well just get a black refrigerator. You are not going to just be able to "ignore" the black sides (Well, I can't anyway :-))
I NEVER specify a stainless fridge if I can't hide the sides. I wish appliance companies would just step up to the plate and either make coordinating sides or a SS side panel available for when you can't put it in a cabinet.

Agree. Alternatively, can you get a side cover panel that matches your cabinetry? IKEA makes them in several finishes that match most cabinet colors.

Or... Cover it with aluminum laminate. Just trim to size and stick on with a bit of contact cement.

Lots of alternatives if your heart is stuck on it! No pun intended.... ~:o)

I have a SS fridge with black sides at the end of a cabinet run in my kitchen and I think it looks fine. The black actually complements my blue pearl granite. In my case I think SS sides would have been too much SS. You can see pictures on my homepage or on the Finished Kitchens Blog.

I have one at the end of a cab run too and it doesn't bother me at all. I did incorporate black into my kitchen decor (as I do in all my rooms), so the sides blend nicely anyway.

I could see that if one has all very light kitchen surfaces, it could stick out like a sore thumb. That's just not the case in my kitchen. Also, ours is counter depth so it's doesn't jet out showing even more black.

Liebherr fridges have SS sides. But they're odd sizes (or at least my 36" is) so it might not work if you have existing cabinets.

The fridge that was in this house before we renovated was SS with black sides, I didn't care for it - but I don't ever like looking at the side of a fridge.

Palimpsest: Yes, I'm afraid I won't be able to ignore it. A little bit of OCD goes a long way. If I get the black, the model with the wide deli tray is smooth black and the one without has texture. I assume the smooth will show fingerprints and dirt more than the texture, no? The OCD picks up on that stuff too! The fridge is on the wall farthest from any sunlight so that helps some.

Since you're apparently in the business (KD?), can I ask your opinion of Whirlpool's silver finish? I know it's not quite the same color as Stainless but is it durable and easier to maintain?

Dinkledoodle: The laminate suggestion is interesting but I don't think I want to spend the time or money on that. It seems like matching would be an issue and I'd be further up the creek if I had some major warranty issue.

Weissman: Nice kitchen and the black didn't scream out at me in the pics. In my layout, most of the time you're looking at the fridge from the front. The side that is most exposed with only a 12" deep tall cabinet next to it is toward the corner with the pantry. I think the nearby Lowes had a SS/black model so I need to go back and look at it and see how it looks.

Can you surround the sides of the refrigerator carcass/body that extend beyond the recess with 3/4" end panels to match the finish on your cabinets? Then mount a full-depth over-the-refrigerator cabinet above and b/w the end panels. It will give it a built-in look and hide the black sides.

The doors will still stick out past the end panels so you won't have problems opening the refrigerator door(s).

Our refrigerator isn't stand-alone but, it's at the end of a cabinet run and against a wall shallower then the refrigerator. We did exactly what I described above and no black shows! I think it also gives the refrigerator a more "finished" look.

I don't understand the statement "...A pantry door in the corner prevents me from putting the refrigerator in a cabinet ..." Why would it prevent you from putting it in a cabinet (or surrounding it w/finished end panels)?

buehl: The pantry door starts 13" off the back wall so I have a 36" x 12" deep tall cabinet in the corner. The fridge is next and then base cabinets. I thought about surrounding the fridge with panels but I think it would stand out too much in this situation.

I actually think that surrounding a refrigerator like I described makes it stand out less...it blends better w/the cabinetry around it so it isn't as obvious that it's much deeper.

A panel on each side with the upper cabinet pulled out to the depth of the base cabinets would enclose it. (if you have 3/4" on each side for the panel.

So you don't think a 24" deep cabinet over the refrigerator in the middle of the run would look goofey? I had asked my daughters about that when I was in the cabinet planning stage and they weren't too keen on the idea. I've gone through the finished kitchens and seen lots of designs mixing 12" and 15" depth cabinets or the fridge or wall oven at the end of a cabinet run but I didn't notice any with 24" deep cabinets in the middle of a 12" deep run of cabinets. I know that would make the refrigerator look more built-in but it seems like it would stick out with all the other cabinets 12" deep. I was also thinking about having cove lighting on the upper cabinets and figured the deep cabinet in the middle would mess up sight lines for that.

It doesn't look goofy. I think what you're describing is what I have.

Frigedaire makes a SS fridge with SS sides. Cabinet depth or otherwise. Reasonaby priced compared to other brands. It's supposed to be a stay clean surface. We'll see. It's still boxed up in my garage!

Her pantry cabinets are all 12" deep....floor to ceiling. That's her concern...that a 24" deep cabinet & structure next to a 12" deep pantry wouldn't look right.

But, I think a refrigerator sticking out looks less "right" than an enclosed one that looks planned & almost built-in.

But, that's my opinion....

kpaquette: No yours isn't the same because you have a 24" deep cabinet on the right side of the fridge too. My tall cabinet next to the fridge can only be 12" deep because the pantry door is right in front of it.

diane4570: I'm looking for a bottom freezer model and none came up for Frigidaire on ajmadison. I just checked Frigidaire's site and it looks like they only have SxS or top freezer models.

My LG Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator has black sides and I thought it would bother me since my counters are almond but it looks nice due to the butcher block knife holder that is black, the toaster that is black and stainless, the black iron clock,and the black door on my stove.

My Samsung Stainless fridge has gray sides, kind of a nice option I think.

The salesman may have been wrong--My kitchen aid just came in yesterday, and it has grey sides (the also have options for black and stainless sides, fyi).

ebse: I'll have the salesman double check. I wanted the Whirlpool for the faux stainless but he did say that the Kitchenaid I was looking at had black sides too. I suspect it varies from model to model but it never hurts to ask.

I agree that the refrigerator surrounded by cabinetry of 24" depth with 12" on each side is not ideal, but it is Still at the end of the run of counter, and to the left is all cabinetry, So it is all a vertical mass, this is why it all works.

The easiest solution of course is to find a fridge with sides that don't bother you. The sides being different is something that bothers me --a manufacturer would not sell a fridge with a black door and white sides, and expect everyone to just accept it. To me it just looks unfinished, like being able to see the undersurface of cabinets and they are a different finish and a mess of wires for the undercabinet lighting --some people don't even 'see' that. If there were a pill that I could take that would stop me from noticing stuff like that, I would be on it...life would be so much easier:)

LOL...I hear you on life being easier if you didn't notice stuff like that. It truly can be a curse.

The deed is done. I just got back from buying the silver with black sides anyway (along with a Miele 30" induction cooktop!). I decided that fingerprints on the front will bother me more than black on the sides and I really don't want all black on the front. Besides not liking the black color, I didn't like the texture either and the smooth shows prints so I went with the lesser of two evils. I haven't ordered the cabinets yet so if I really hate it, I'll consider the 24" deep cabinets and side panels.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.