I lose things just as much as in our old fridge, LOL! But I didn't notice a significant difference in storage space going from a 31" standard depth to 36" counter depth. Might be a bigger issue coming from 36" standard depth. I much prefer the counter depth for impact on the space in our kitchen--night and day there.

We are recent empty testers and hope to build new soon. Was planning on going from 36" to a smaller width to add space to the pantry. After finding mayo pushed in the back after I just bought a new jar I wondered if counter depth would be better. It is good for aging in place.

I never lost anything in my full depth fridge. I recently bought a home with a counter depth SxS and I despise it. I would never choose to have a counter depth fridge if I could help it unless I had my heart set on a built in. Even though there are just two of us I like the ease of fitting things into a full-size fridge. Anywhere I've lived with a CD I also had to have a garage fridge to have enough space.

In my experience shallower refrigerators improve visibility of back-shelf items.

3katz4me you must be better organized than me. Small items tend to get pushed to the back and then we don't see then. Then they spoil or I buy more thinking we are out.  

I honestly think this has more to do with how you buy and store food than anything else.

We have a full depth fridge but it's rarely full. I meal plan and cook from scratch 4-5 times a week for a family of 3, and I buy groceries once a week for the week. By the end of the week the fridge is nearly empty. Jars of stuff go in the doors so the mayo etc. doesn't ever get lost (and I have a LOT of that stuff due to from-scratch cooking). I also can fit my slow cooker bowl in the fridge, which I sometimes do (prep the night before and refrigerate/start it in the morning). I wouldn't choose a CD fridge unless I had to for aisle space. Friends of mine have a built-in fridge and I would hate that. Feels like it's always packed.

Maybe you will lose less stuff in a CD fridge but you will also lose space so there's a trade-off.

I have a CD built-in in one house and a regular depth in my other. For me, it has more to do with the location of the shelves and side-by-side vs French door. The shelves in the built in cannot be moved to help me. I’m short, fridge is tall. I hate that fridge and often lost things. In the French door I keep jars in my doors and the shelves are much better to accommodate my needs. I have nothing against CD if the shelves can be arranged better. I do like the FD more than I thought I would.

Fridge makers should build pullout shelves into their products.

I have a commercial refrigerator, which is just a big box of cold, 30" deep, meant to hold large items on wire racks. Losing things was a big problem, either at the back of the fridge or through the wire racks. I installed heavy-duty full-extension sliders (the kind you'd use in a kitchen cabinet) and clear acrylic drawers, and it is now the best refrigerator I've ever had.

The same thing could be done by a residential refrigerator maker, without any increase in cost, just remove the (useless) Smart / AI / wireless features.

I've lost items in my refrigerator - it's full sized (not counter depth) - 27.5 cu ft of storage (side by side). I am looking to purchase a new refrigerator for my kitchen renovation - but I'm not sure what brands to look at while shopping. I would like a counter depth fridge. My current refrigerator is OLD - 2006 - LG. I've never had an issue with it - except for the ice bin (door ice/water dispenser). I recently (in the past 12 months) had to replace the storage bin that fits inside the freezer. Back when I purchased it, I didn't really care about brands - and didn't spend much time looking. I was doing a small update to my kitchen - and simply updated all of my appliances (although, all of them still function just like they did when new - the only other repair was replacing door springs on dishwasher - very easy and inexpensive).

I assume that a counter depth one will be smaller (although, I could give up a little more width for one). My SO wants to put the current one in the garage. But I really don't think that we need an entire other fridge (freezer space would be handy). We have two nice wine fridges + he has a special fridge for his craft beers (beer one is down in basement).

However, if I have a smaller refrigerator inside, and don't keep the current one, I will probably be cursing myself when it's Thanksgiving/Christmas and I need room for homemade cheesecake + turkey + etc.

My SO hates that I discovered Houzz - because now I notice things I never did before + I want nicer appliances 🤣

I’d move the old fridge to garage, see if you need it, then keep or dispose.

Pull out shelved would be great. Next fridge we plan NOT to have indoor water ice dispenser. These take up room and cause issues. Nice but not needed for just the two of us. We would also have a full fridge amd separate freezer in the garage. To be used as needed during hunting season and for parties.  

3katz4me Do you have kids? I was going to go with a CD fridge when we reno because I want to build it in, but you have me concerned. I have 4 kids. Though currently I have a smaller 1 door fridge (not a French door) and we manage so I figure anything even slightly wider is an upgrade lol!

@Ashley R we do have kids (though only two) and they like the CD better, largely because the freezer is much easier for them to navigate. We do have issues with kids leaving one of the two French doors open and with overstuffing the freezer drawer instead of arranging things neatly so it will close, but those are less about the CD aspect and more about the FD design (and user error!) I do miss the upper freezer but we didn’t look at any models with that design—not sure there are any made in 36” width these days. I personally hate side by side models (CD or otherwise ) but some people love them.

We did choose a model where the shelves could be moved and also split. Looked at one model with pullout shelves but didn’t think they’d be helpful because you had to fully open both doors to pull them out, which I suspect I’d rarely do.

The way to solve the "need more refrig/freezer space" issue is to put in another refrigerator or freezer elsewhere in your house. Plug one in the garage. Make some space under cabinets somewhere.

We traded out a 1990s trash compactor for an undercabinet frig when we moved in and keep just drinks in there.

It's not like ALL your cold items have to be in one place and only in the space already there for a refrigerator, unless perhaps you're in a tight apartment/condo, then I can see how options are more limited.

We didn't lose things in our full depth fridge and still do not lose things in the counter depth. The shallower fridge isn't generally an issue; we are able to fit our food in the shalow fridge fine (same width). The places that are less convenient with less depth arethe freezer and crisper drawer.

We definitely notice that the freezer is smaller ... we have a small overflow freezer in the basement that houses things like containers of homemade tomato sauce or broth, ice packs, and a few unopened items that do not have immediate planned use.

The crisper drawer is also a bit tight; if I have a fluffy/large head of lettuce, it takes up close to half the drawer. I would say I'm more likely to 'lose' things in the crisper drawer of the counter depth, since things are apt to be stacked to fit and may be eaten out of order, so a bag of green beans might go bad because the bok choy and broccolini were eaten first after the lettuce got stacked on top of the beans. (The lettuce is in and out every day, since the guinea pigs get some every night, so it's always on top in the crisper drawer.)

My other nuisancy issue is that gallon jugs don't fit on the door, though that's more model specific ... some counter depths have enough space on the door, some don't. If I buy a gallon bottle, it has to go on the top shelf, which makes for a bit of a juggling game. Half gallon glass bottles only fit one direction (so they take more width), so I have a mini/cube fridge that holds the additional bottles when I get milk delivery. If this is important to you, clevk the specific model ... For the fridge we have, the 36" wide can handle a gallon on the door but the 32" cannot.

Be aware that if you live in a cold climate, not all freezers can be kept in the garage, unless the garage is heated. Make sure you get a garage-ready freezer (says the person who learned the hard way).

We have been used to counter depth for a couple of decades, but recently lived with a full depth fridge (freezer on the top style) for a few years and things were CONSTANTLY getting lost in it. I had wondered if part of it was just that it was a super cheap fridge and kind of short. There was stuff in the way in the middle of the top part of the fridge (like parts of the fridge) and we had to bend down awkwardly to really see into the fridge, especially on the top shelf. Like, the ergonomics of using the fridge were uncomfortable. Hubby and I aren’t short, but we aren’t excessively tall either. (5’6” and 6’1”) We just couldn’t find things at a glance, even though I worked really hard on good organization. I’d had regular depth fridges prior to that one, and I don’t ever remember struggling with lost items so much, so I do think that some fridges are just better than others for that kind of stuff.
When we first got a counter depth fridge it was to solve the issue of a pinch point next to a kitchen island, and we actually did lose some storage space. We had a larger sized family (5 kids) and we’d gotten a side by side style because it was a long time ago and before the freezer on the bottom style was a thing. So we kept an extra fridge and freezer in our garage for overflow and that worked well for us. At the time we lived in Texas, and while someone mentioned having a garage ready fridge for cold climates, the same is true for really hot climates. It does help if your garage is insulated though.

While I grew up with a top freezer, I would not get one again outside of mini fridges. We had one briefly before our current fridge ... it was also defective, so it left because of that, but the top freezer was not enjoyable for regular use after having had a top fridge. I like a freezer drawer with a single-door fridge on top.

Growing up (I’m a boomer) we had a refrigerator with shelves that swiveled out. It was fabulous. Their height could also be adjusted. So they used to exist, and they should come back.

For now, I found a lazy susan for my refrigerator. It’s on the shelf where all the ”jars and stuff” are. Not the condiments, they are in the door. A quick swivel and I can see what is at the back.