How far away is the pantry? If it's not too far, I'd probably go with the all fridge in the kitchen and a freezer in the pantry. I'm biased though, because we currently have a french door fridge/freezer and I really dislike the freezer drawer. It's a black hole that swallows everything and defies organization. I would rather walk a few more steps to a freezer in which I could find things.

The pantry is just a step past the planned position of the refrigerator. So it would be do-able. I'm just not sure if there are things I'm not thinking about. How easy is it to replace something like that once it DOES go, if our budget still doesn't stretch for another Subzero, for instance? Without redoing the cabinets or otherwise altering the kitchen itself.

There were many things I wanted to put my hands on, to include a Bosch dishwasher and a Fisher and Paykel wall oven. But we hadn't really planned for this sale, and the Subzero was the only thing that was THAT MUCH of a bargain.

How big is the pantry? Fridges and freezers generate a fair amount of heat, so you are going to want to plan for heat removal if you put one in a small enclosed space like a typical pantry.

As far as future replacement on a built in, it all depends on whether it's a common size (like a 36" or 48" sxs) or a more unique one. You can always go narrower and shorter much more easily than wider or taller.

An option would be to plan in lower cost remodel, larger opening with filler panels that could be cut in the future if needed. Pick the largest unit you would potentially put in there as the guide for the "hard" opening, then use filler panels adjacent and above to create the opening for the 30".

Future-proofing after having had a dud of a built-in fridge that we couldn't afford to replace so had to keep repairing is the reason we opted to design for a standard-depth 36" freestanding fridge in this house.

How close are you to needing the fridge? Will they store it? Do you have the ability to store it? When will the warranty start? Those are all questions I'd ask to avoid potential pitfalls.

Beyond that, if you go for it, I would think about what you'd replace it with if you ever did replace it, and make sure your cabinets are designed such that they can be easily adjusted if you ever need to replace it with a less expensive appliance. We're doing the Electrolux 32" all fridge and all freezer (split up) in our new kitchen and the cabinet maker is leaving space and panels such that if we ever did want to replace it with a narrower, taller column we could easily do so.

"in our yet-to-be fully designed kitchen"

I'd check the installation guide for the refrigerator model you're considering to determine whether the door is reversible and, if not, be sure that you know in advance that the hinge will be on the correct side for the refrigerator to be easily opened, that the door won't hit an adjacent wall, and that the door won't be blocked from opening fully.

Congratulations on your great find, Holly!