Why would you put a wall oven next to a refrigerator? When my oven heats up then the outside panels on the oven get warm too. If I had my oven right beside my refrigerator then that would transfer heat to the metal side of the refrigerator and make it harder for the refrigerator to stay cool.

I see a lot of pictures showing fridges next to a wall oven. Many model homes show them as well. In the "old" days it was never done. Whether you feel the heat or not, an oven is putting off heat, it has to. I personally would not do it.

Another thing to consider: It's practical to have counter space on both sides of the oven for placing things you're taking in/out of the oven. Just something to consider.

Inga

Thank you all. The heat transfer is my main concern, but I as well see a lot of pictures with such placement of appliances. Good point about a surface needed to place hot food coming out of the oven. The island would be across from the oven. In my current home I have gas stove. Next time I use the oven will check to see if heath transfers through the adjacent cabinet.
Another thing is that the new house requires electric appliances. Any suggestions on induction vs electric and conventional vs convection oven. Brands?

From a Whirlpool French Door specifications guide (bottom of page 1) on the Home Depot website, "NOTE: It is recommended that you do not install the refrigerator near an oven, radiator, or other heat source, nor in a location where the temperature will fall below 55°F (13°C)."

https://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/20/20aeceb3-7449-49cf-a6d2-9a0763f54928.pdf

From a Samsung French Door installation guide (top of page 5), "Critical Installation Warnings: Do not place this refrigerator in direct sunlight or expose it to the heat from stoves, room heaters, or other appliances."

https://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/93/93d0fb39-ae1a-44ed-84be-9ed40f5660b8.pdf 

From an SFGate article, "An oven right next to the refrigerator heats up the fridge and makes it work harder, consuming more energy and potentially shortening the refrigerator's life. The doors can also interfere with each other when open and the lack of counter space next to the appliances is inconvenient."

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-put-wall-oven-next-refrigerator-85913.html

From an Angieslist Q/A, "Can you place a range right next to a refrigerator?

"How convenient! The answer is....absolutely not! By NKBA standards, you must have at least 9" on each side of a stove, cooktop or any other cooking surface. However, personally, I always plan no less than 24" on either side. Any cabinet placed above the stove - especially a gas stove - must be at least 30" up from that stove."

"I think it is improtant to clarify some reasons for the code so you understand why you shouldn't do it. The first is being a gas appliance it can not be right next to a possible ignition source. The second reason is heat. Most refrigerator manufacturers clearly state that the refrigerator should not be placed next to a heat source. It makes the cooling equipment work harder and can cause premature failure."

http://answers.angieslist.com/Can-place-range-refrigerator-q31238.aspx

From the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors forum, "Distance between Refrigerator & Stove: "And William, your wife is exactly right. The typical refrigerator has to pull air at floor level across the coils if they are located on the bottom of the unit (some have coils buried in the sides) and across the fractional horsepower compressor at the rear of the unit. Hot air is going to effect the performance (and consequently) the life span of the refrigerator. If it has to run all the time it will shorten the life of the compressor. The other consideration will be the burners (2) right next to the skin of the refrig making it difficult to use and also less efficient. You got one smart cookie for a wife."

https://www.nachi.org/forum/f18/distance-refrigerator-stove-6451/

We recently renovated and purchased the Wolf 36" induction top and the Wolf Convection and Convection/Steam ovens. We love all of them. Induction is fast, doesn't get hot, and the cleanup is a breeze.