Built-In vs Integrated Subzero

8 years ago

We've decided to go with Subzero as we want a 36" fridge that really disappears into the cabinetry, is made in USA, has good customer service. I went to the SZ show room and looked extensively at the integrated vs built-in.

I want a very seamless, hidden look but the Integrated is so freaking tall, it would hurt my back to hoist anything that high up and I fear food would rot up there because I just wouldn't see it. So for utterly practical reasons it makes sense to get the built-in instead. But it just kills me to spend $8,000 on a built-in fridge that I'm not aesthetically in love with.

With the built-in don't like the slender reveals on the side, that you can see the hinges, and slender top compressor panel just really breaks up the look of it all. I know this is such a "first world problem". Do I just need to get over it and swallow the fact that I'm not in love with an $8k purchase? Is there some way to make the integrated work for me? Am I wrong about the integrated looking 10x nicer than the built-in?

Featured Answer

3katz4me

8 years ago

If I were you I would not pay a small fortune for a refrigerator that was going to bug me every time I looked at it. I'd rather figure out how to deal with a high top shelf. I have 42" upper cabinets. Sometimes I have to pull out a step stool to get at what's up there. I planned for that in my kitchen design; i.e. a place for a small, narrow folding stool.

I can recall obsessing over every little thing during my kitchen remodel and a lot of it ended up being much to do about nothing. That may be the case in this situation.

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Comments (7)

catinthehat
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hi Kendrah,

I've been in the same boat as you for months! It's been a wild journey that's for sure. I was originally planning on a counter depth 36" fridge so it didn't stick out of the cabinetry too much. Then I saw a 36" jenn air obsidian counter depth in person, and wow the gaps around the fridge were so ugly! Inside was beautiful, but I'm not paying 5k for all those gaps. Then I saw builtin's from various manufacturers which looked 10x better, and then I finally saw the fully integrated fridges from subzero and thermador. Those looked 10x better than the builtin's! Took a look at the price tag and wow no wonder we don't see many in real kitchens. In the end my wife and I decided we weren't throwing thousands into something we didn't love, so we saved a few more months to get what we wanted.

For us the space in a 36" integrated is not enough anyway, we have a second fridge in our garage for storing longer shelf life/less used items, and as spill over for events. I have no problem reaching the top shelves and my wife will rarely be needing to reach the top, although she has no problem at 5'4".
Diane
8 years ago
This is the model we went with and I could not be happier. On issue of height it is tall and I am short, but for us it works I do not eat meat so the top shelf is my husbands. I will say very impress how fresh it keeps our food.
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DrB477
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
We have a thermador integrated, people here complain about the height but it hasn't been an issue for my 5'3" wife. We keep taller things (drinks mostly) on the top shelf and they are easy enough to reach. If you adjusted the top shelf to minimal clearances for keeping short stuff up there, it might be more of an issue for shorter people.

No way I would pay an arm and a leg for a paneled built-in, the stainless built-in look is fine imo though.
Kendrah
Original Author
8 years ago
I'm glad to hear that other people are also bothered by the gaps in the SZ built ins and it isn't just me. I agree that it looks great in stainless, but with a panel front, it just seems a bit silly to see panels and gaps.

I'm trying to figure out what my husband eats that I can just relegate to the top shelf - beer and his left overs that have bottarga and other smelly fish? The configuration just seems utterly impractical.
Kim G
8 years ago
We have both the SZ 36” integrated fridge and 30” integrated freezer. They are both paneled to disappear into my cabinetry. We got the model with two bottom drawers (which I LOVE) and single door above. I am barely 5’. We keep milk/juice and other “taller” items on the top shelf so I can reach things easily in the front. If it gets pushed back too far then I use a step stool. Most of the items on the top my husband uses so it has not been an issue for me. Love them both. Produce stays fresh a VERY long time. Price tag was painful but we have not regretted our purchase. In almost 40 years this was only the second fridge we had to purchase for a kitchen so I felt we could splurge.
Kendrah thanked Kim G
Kendrah
Original Author
8 years ago
We live in a city row house so our kitchen is not large and I am used to pulling out a step stool for higher up items like my cake decorating stand or pots that I do not use on a regular basis. I cannot imagine pulling out a step stool for reaching the fridge. I can reach the top shelf in the SZ integrated. I just know it will hurt my back in doing so, but if someone barely 5 ft can manage then I suppose I can too!

When I start obsessing over the kitchen project I either post on houzz and get good input that kills the worry, or I clean out parts of my kitchen and dining room and see that space is not a problem when you own less crap!

Again, it is very reassuring to hear from others that they too wouldn't want to spend an arm and a leg on something that doesn't look so hot.