I'm not sure anybody else can answer this for you. Do you really not want to see your appliances, or the fridge in particular? There are a lot of tall cabinet options these days that let you enclose a regular fridge in deep cabinets, pantry space, or even just a wall on one side, so that you get a really finished effect at relatively little cost. You have to balance the looks against the budget differences.

Built in is only worth the cost if you choose fully integrated where it disappears and doesn't look like a refrigerator. The overall kitchen level and home price level need to support that amount of expense. And the neighborhood too. If you're the only one in a modest neighborhood considering this, then no, it's never worth the expense. Buy something else with the money.

I have a built in refrigerator. When the refrigerator died, our options for a new one was limited to what would fit in the space

Love love love the 'deeply disturbing' comment above. :) So funny. I find kitchens like that almost Victorian in nature, in that hiding those appliances suggests that homeowners find something immodest about bare refrigerators, ovens, and dishwashers (akin to putting fabric on (hiding) piano legs). Oh the horror. :)

Thank y'all. So helpful. I like the look of the bigger fridges you can get with built in, but I think it would turn into a "guilt in" with the price differential. I like being able to identify the refrigerator so I never really planned to use panels. That Victorian comment is so funny!

Actually, the interior storage space between a 42" built in and a standard 36" freestanding refrigerator is surprisingly close, with the freestanding fridge winning out on cubic capacity. You're not paying the premium for extra storage. The premium is for the design.

I bookmarked this ideabook when we were in the process of designing the kitchen.

[https://www.houzz.com/magazine/get-the-look-of-a-built-in-fridge-for-less-stsetivw-vs~12545103-the-look-of-a-built-in-fridge-for-less[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/get-the-look-of-a-built-in-fridge-for-less-stsetivw-vs~12545103)

we actually went with a 36" cabinet depth fridge in our vacation home, on the theory that we hardly ever put anything in it anyway, so the loss of space putting a shallow fridge in a narrow spot wouldnt be bad. wow, it was small inside! hardly room enough for a weekend of beer. so, i wont advise you do that! it does look nice though.

bathtub not used in 3rd bathroom-would like to change into " window seat with allowable room for storage?
ideas... votes.. yea or nay? I know I know- window seat in bathroom... there is a shower and toilet and double sink and here is photo

smelti, you need to start a new thread hon.

We are redesigning our kitchen and planned to use our newish deep refrigerator boxed in. Then one day it struck me that the new design required the fridge to be jutting out in the middle of a bank of cabinets. The ONLY reason I am paying a fortune for a stupid, smaller fridge is because it won't work on either end of the counters, and there is nowhere to recess it.

if you dont have all the capacity you'd like greenfish maybe you can have a second fridge on that floor, in a garage, in the basement....

Thanks, nnigrt. We do have a beer fridge in basement and went with the wide 42" so we only loose a few cuft, hoping narrow depth makes us more organized and less likely to lose stuff to the nether regions in back? Please say it's so!

it's so.

Yes it is!! But a stainless steel fridge looks great too'

I personally prefer to have 2 small counter depth refrigerators. It is easier to keep difference foods at optimal temperature if you have the room. One for vegetables and dairy and fruits, another for meat, chicken beer, wine and other items that can be stored just above freezing. everything keeps beautifully. it also gives you 2 freezer temperatures: ice cream and soups that do not need to be that cold and meats, etc that must be really freezing. And when one breaks.... you got another.

I went with counter depth.

It seemed silly to have a space designed to only accommodate a super expensive replacement fridge.

Build in appliances are great. I'm very happy to have finally a kitchen which does not have overpowering appliances. Build in fridges are also cleaner, no dirt accumulation underneath and behind the fridge. Build in fridges don't come cheap, but they are also keeping the food fresh longer. My fridge fitted perfectly in a standard cabinet.

I would almost never recommend a cabinet depth refrigerator because you are paying more and getting less.

We bought an LG 30 CF French door fridge that is 36" wide and about that deep. In our galley kitchen, it is across from the sink and at the left end of what will be a 125" run of cabinets.

It will not have a camouflage door. It will however fit within a 40"wide X 30" deep surround topped by a 30" deep cabinet. This hides the sides and gives us some storage above the refrigerator. The adjacent uppers are 14 1/4" deep (to align with our OTC MW) and 24" base cabinets.

Both sides are covered as well as the top for a built in look. The only design complication is needing a narrow filler so the adjacent upper door would open wider.

The refrigerator surround hides the pluggin and the water tube. Being across from the sink, plumbing costs were minimized. The fridge is about six feet from the carport door for ease of bringing in groceries and is also adjacent to the dining area.

To me, putting a false cabinet door on the front of a refrigerator is pointless. A refrigerator surround, on the other hand, is well worth it. We would have bought a standalone deep cabinet to go over the refrigerator regardless. For about $200 extra over a 24"deep above fridge cabinet, we got a 30" deep above fridge cabinet and integrated 30" fridge surround panels.

Its worth the cost if its something that you've always wanted in your kitchen. That's a personal preference. For some people it might be important, but not so much for others. It would look really nice either way!