Can you post a pic from further back IMO it looks like the wrong cabinet over the fridge was part of the issue and yes you need a panel on bot sides and the cabinet above the fridge needs to be the same depth as the fridge . Who ever designed the kitchen screwed up

Hi Patricia, here is a better photo from further back. Thanks for your help!

If you haven't done so already, you might check the owners manual to make sure that you're not blocking vents and that you are meeting the appliance's minimum requirements for ventilation. It's possible you've got bigger issues than aesthetics here.

It looks like you may have room for a side panel and I wonder why that wasn’t the plan from the beginning…

Hijacking here---

If the frige is "counter depth" why is it deeper than the counter and cabinets?

Following

The fridge panels need to be the same depth as the base cabinets including the doors and the top cabinet the same. Only the fridge doors are exposed. Mine were made using the specs on the fridge, including the clearance needed in the back.

I see nothing offensive about how the side of a new refrigerator looks. I do hate trying to maximize opening the doors because a wall panel has bee added for cosmetic reasons, and not being able to move refrigerator away from the wall if clean up is needed because a liquid was spilled on the floor.

Many new fridges are black on the sides and not finished the same as the front. They are made to fit into panel openings so the unfinished sides don't show.

Thanks for the input, everyone everyone. I am wondering if it would be worth it or possible to have the soffit bumped out or extended to allow for a deeper cabinet over the fridge? The fridge is counter depth, not built in. The fridge is 24” deep without the door or handles; with the door and handles, it is 28.75” deep. Thanks!!

Honestly, most homes in America with a new fridge look like this. People are buying the most gigantic appliances they can wedge into an existing space.

If the ventilation of the appliance is not compromised, I'd leave it. However, if I were the type of person who was annoyed by this sort of thing, I'd return the fridge and get one that fits as I like rather than change the soffit and the cabinet.

I've actually been thinking of removing that panel from my fridge cabinetry. I miss having a discreet place to have magnets in my kitchen.

I am wondering if it would be worth it or possible to have the soffit bumped out or extended to allow for a deeper cabinet over the fridge?

Possible but maybe not worth it. Because the crown moulding at the ceiling and the top of the cabinets will have to be reworked as well as reworking the soffit. You don't strictly have to have a deeper cabinet because that one can be bumped out. If you can't DIY, then this is going to be pricey...IF you can find anyone willing to do it. Small job; a skilled trim carpenter. Drywall work & paint. Need to buy some additional crown moulding--hopefully you can find stuff that matches the existing plus 2 new side panels.