Water and ice on the door is convenient, but I would caution that it is also the most repaired item on refrigerators, especially French door models where you're making ice inside of a fridge rather than a freezer. So if you get the water/ice dispenser, then it would probably be wise to invest in an extended warranty. I would avoid Samsung as they do not have a good reputation for reliability or service availability, but you should check service availability for any brand you're interested in. The nice thing with the American brands (GE, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, etc.) is that service and parts are usually readily available, and there are tons of YouTube videos so you can DIY the repairs.

As far as door-in-door, I personally think it has limited appeal so I wouldn't pay extra for it. I guess the advantage of WiFi is you could get an alert sent to your phone if the temp is increasing because someone forgot to shut the door all the way or it's broken. I don't know what else you'd get out of WiFi in a fridge. I'd focus on the fundamentals first: space, organization, and build quality.

Washer / Dryer: I'm a huge fan of LG front loaders. Consistently top rated in Consumer Reports and other review sites; excellent washing; machines have nice build quality. Be sure to get a model with Turbo Wash and an on-board heater (usually a model with steam). Had them for 6 years in my last house and miss them a lot compared to the Whirlpool front loaders that came with my new house. Just don't close the door all the way between washes and they'll be great.

We love our Liebherr refrigerator but it’s not French door. I personally like opening only 1 door instead of 2 and I also personally dislike water and ice on the outside. It may be a bit more than your price point but the true counter depth is great.

A $3000 dollar refrigerator won't last any longer then a $1500 model of the same brand so is Wifi and big french doors with delicate center flaps to seal (and break), and drawers inside bigger drawers worth $1500 to you? A side by side sends cold from one side to the other, a top freezer send cold down but a french doors with the freezer on the bottom has to send cold to the top meaning more gadgets to do it. The more gadgets the more things that will break, or things you'll never use. A washer with 15 different cycles? Most people may only use 4 so why pay more for something you'll never use. And I'll tell you a top loader with an impeller is the most worthless appliance ever conceived, unless you like dirty clothes. A dryer is a dryer, mine has steam and over 15 years we never used it, so why did I pay extra to have it??

The big question is which brand. All brands require service calls, some more than others. Yale appliance sells 10's of thousands of appliances each year and does 35,000 service calls a year with a majority as warranty calls on units they sold. They track and log calls with the percentage of calls on units they sell over the year and put the results on their website. So in 2019 Whirlpool came out on top a service percentage of 4.%, GE- 5%, LG - 6%, Gaggenau - 9%, Samsung - 10%, Bosch - 12%, Miele -17%, Fisher & Paykel - 18%, Thermador - 20%, KitchenAid - 20%. This is how the rank the most reliable.

The biggest warranty service on refrigerators was for french door types with 4.515 sold in 2019 with 29% requiring a service call. (This is a reason I hate them.) Samsung has a bad reputation because of there huge growth to #3 in the United states without a infrastructure in place to support the growth, same with LG. I bought all new Samsung stainless kitchen appliances last month even after reading 100's of bad reviews because they were cheap so I know what to expect, and will take my chances at 10% vs. 4 or 5% and they work fine so far. I did sent back because the samsung washer I bought because it sucked at washing clothes and got a GE top loader with agitator. My brother just bought a new LG front loader and he loves it, and I think the LG top loader with Turbo wash would be better than my GE. I'll tell you what NOT to buy, a Frigidaire washer. It's farmed out to a Chinese manufacturer who also makes best buy's brand insignia, same super cheap washer for a couple hundred less.

Check the Yale Appliance repair records. They publish them on their website. They show good repair rates with Samsung I recall. They are one of the few large appliance retailers that publish their actual data on all repairs.

@Ryan you have given me a lot of information to think about. I am considering either Whirlpool or LG at this point for the refrigerator. Neither will have door in door or wifi. I am looking at models with high star reviews. @Patricia Colwell Consulting I would also consider Bosch, as I owned a Bosch dishwasher and never had a problem with it, and reliability and sustainability is high on my list. I like the counter depth, but hubby doesn't. Since he doesn't ask for much, I'll go with the standard. @thinkdesignlive I am not a fan of the look of the water and ice on the outside of the refrigerator or how it takes away space on the inside of the door, so we decided to go without it. @Kevin9408 your information for me is so appreciated. I have looked into Yale Appliance as you suggested to see their ratings for the brands I am interested in. I would prefer Made in USA so Whirlpool is high on my list. As for the washer and dryer, I do agree with you regarding all the different cycles that may never be used. On my previous washer, I used no more than 3 different settings; quick, delicate, and normal. :)) Thank you @Bart, for the info about Yale Appliance. Kevin9408 also mentioned this. So good to know!

I've had a french door frig with ice and water forever, and never had to repair that item on any of them. My last new Whirlpool was about 10 years ago - kitchen depth - loved it! Interior was WELL designed. Moved, different house, bought a $10K 42" Kitchenaid (same company as Whirlpool) side by side, ice & water. PIECE OF JUNK! CHEAP insides and so poorly designed it is unbelievable!

Also, stay away from any unneeded electronics on any appliance.

Lizzie, you mention that your husband doesn't like the counter depth. I think the general assumption is that they have less space, and in some cases that is probably true. However, if you look closely at the spec sheet, it will have both "cubic feet" (as in size) and "usable cubic feet". If better insulation is used, you can get more space and better efficiency.

i like the subzero refridgerator.

washer dryer, Costco is amazing. they come to the house to install it. (so professionally done) and if anything goes wrong they respond quickly and efficiently.

Look for features you like vs any certain brand. There are bad reviews for everything out there...Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, GE, etc. What you buy today is not the quality/dependability of some years back. I had to replace a Whirlpool washer that lasted just over 4 years. A real piece of work. :-(

I love my Bosch dishwasher and have never had an issue after 4+ years. I have a counter depth Kitchenaid French Door refrigerator, bottom freezer, no water/ice in door ( because i don't like the look.) Have had no issues with that either. Both appliances are stainless steel.

Speed Queen washer and dryer. The top load base model. Don't spend for any fancy upgrades. It will last forever. and do the job. Lots of information in the laundry forum. I will never own another front load washer, ever.

I like my KitchenAid FD Architect II refrigerator/freezer. It's four years old at this point. I did have to have the service man out to deal with a known frosting issue in the freezer. It took a squirt of specialized caulk to fix it. Known issue. No argument. Fixed under warranty. Other than that, it's a good one.

I would recommend LG for a fridge. Miele for washer and dryer.

Have put out lots of hours on all of them. The LG fridge will continue cooling long past the time the plastics inside are all broken.

Thank you all so much for your responses. We have settled on a Whirlpool French door, no frills refrigerator. We feel the basic model will have the least problems, (we hope). We were looking into an LG but the wait time is too long and although we have heard good things, we have also heard not so good. We were told that Whirlpool is easier to repair, quicker to repair and has less service calls. This remains to be seen. @Chloebud as you have said, there are good and bad reviews for all males and models. My previous appliances lasted me twenty years each, both from Sears, and a lot less time investigating. 😊. Times have changed and now appliances don’t last as long and there is so many more options. We just decided we wanted a roomy refrigerator and we chose wrf535swhz. We also chose Whirlpool for our washer and dryer, models wfw5620hw and wgd5620hw. We went with models that have options we always use on our washer/dryer plus a newer option for us, the steam option. We had a front load washer dryer previously and we prefer it. Our models were still working (both Kenmore) when we moved. We are hoping to be fortunate enough for these to last a good while. Thank you to @Mary Elizabeth, @jdmccl, @homechef, @focalpointhardware, @luna123456 and all the other housers above I have replied to earlier. I do so appreciate your advice.

"@Chloebud, as you have said there are good and bad reviews for all males and models."

LOL, Lizzie, definitely true regarding both males and models. ;-).

Good for you for choosing what seems a good fit for your needs. I well remember going to Sears years ago and getting Kenmore appliances that lasted and lasted. Both of my siblings have Maytag washers that are 30+ years old. Sadly, that ship has long sailed.

So true Chloebud :)

For Washer/Dryer I would go with Speed Queen, no questions asked. They seem to be the most reliable and dependable. (AND VERSATILE - They let me do my thing without having to argue with a computer inside my machine!) And, I have one that actually fills my tub with water, not a shallow dream of water in the bottom. Wait. I'm as tree-huggy as they come but please, let me wash my clothes, I know how much water I need and I'm not a wasteful person.

Thank you Southernebelle. I appreciate your feedback :))

LG's have consistently been high performers and reliable; we're getting those for our new home. Consumer Reports and Yale agree in this case.

Thank you Bart. LG was originally our first choice, but we decided to go with Whirlpool.