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Panel ready fridge

Caroline Ahern
vor 2 Jahren

I've heard horror stories about people ordering refrigerators thinking they were panel-ready for their inset panels, had custom panels made, but after installation they do not look flush with the cabinets. We are using a kitchen designer, but I'm still afraid this will happen! Any suggestions on how to avoid this issue? I'm also concerned a 36" counter-depth fridge won't have enough space for our family of four, but there aren't many options at 42" and 48" seems TOO big as we'd lose a lot of counter space. Basically, I'm looking for those who have experience with making this decision with a fully-inset paneled fridge and can provide some feedback!

Hervorgehobene Antwort
  • chispa
    vor 2 Jahren

    Patricia, define "huge expense" and "ROI".

    Not having to clean a large expanse of stainless steel is priceless to me and I don't expect any ROI from appliances! I also paneled my dishwasher and under counter beverage fridge. Yes, I hate cleaning stainless that much! Is it a luxury? Sure, but we all choose what we can and/or want to spend money on.


    Let's not forget Patricia's other rules ... no one needs anything larger than a 36" range and everyone must have 4000K light bulbs! Forgot one, no one should use "plastic quartz" counters.

    For the rest of us, the world isn't so black or white, and we know that different people have their own individual preferences and situations, and that for most things in life, one size does not fit all.

    Kommentare (38)

    • palimpsest
      vor 2 Jahren

      You have to get a Fully Integrated refrigerator to achieve the fully flush cabinetry without having to build in extra depth or fiddle with the cabinet design.

      Compare Subzero fully integrated ("Designer") with Subzero Built-In ("Classic") on their website to see the difference. Classic can be installed flush but more gymnastics involved.

      I am not promoting SZ in particular, but they have a good comparison of the two types of paneled fridges.

      Caroline Ahern hat palimpsest gedankt
    • Robin S
      vor 2 Jahren

      We did this with the JennAir 36” inch panel ready French door fridge during our full kitchen reno about a year ago. I wouldn’t order is again honestly. The doors don’t sit perfectly flush with each other (the magnet on one side is stronger and pulls the left door in more when they are closed) and the fridge has migrated back into the space about 1.5” over the past year. Jennair was not helpful with either of these issues, blaming them both on install. My contractor came back out and got the fridge flush again with the surrounding cabinetry but it’s been issue after issue in terms of it looking perfectly built-in. That said, the inside is nice and spacious and works well for our family of 4. The freezer is a little small. I’m hindsight I wish we had gone with SubZero.

    • Robin S
      vor 2 Jahren

      Here is our Jennair

    • palimpsest
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Robin S, why or how is it shifting backward? Do you think putting a block back there would keep it in place? Just curious.

    • rureadyinla
      vor 2 Jahren

      If you are worried about counterspace, could you put a secondary refrigerator somewhere else, maybe garage or basement? We have 3 refrigerators, which is a little overboard IMO. We have our everyday kitchen refrigerator, then another in the garage and then another wine/frig/freezer on our bar area (which is on different level from the kitchen). Plus we have an under counter beverage center in the kitchen too. The garage one is mainly used for overflow prep and storage, when we have parties and get togethers. Only panel ready one have is in our bar area. I did not care if it was flush or not though. I just wanted it to look decent (used local cabinetmaker). However, I would have probably wanted that for the kitchen. Just make sure you have that request in writing in the contract, once you get to that point. Most of my friends who have done more recent kitchen renovations do the inset look. Below is a dated photo (2017) of our panel-ready wine/refrig/freezer in our bar area.




    • chispa
      vor 2 Jahren

      Make sure you show everyone involved how you want the panels to look and fit. Don't assume that people can read your mind. For proof, send an email with the same photo, so no one can claim that they didn't know!

      In my previous house I did fully integrated SZ columns, 36" fridge and 24" freezer. Those looked great. In the house we just built I did a paneled 42" french door SZ. As mentioned by another poster, it does not work as well with a french door model because one of the doors does not get pulled in as much as the other. I am still glad I went with paneled, because there is not much I hate more than seeing dirty stainless steel and having to clean it. I also paneled my DW and under counter beverage fridge!

      Caroline Ahern hat chispa gedankt
    • User
      vor 2 Jahren

      Are you budgeting 15-25K for refrigeration? Because the cost of the fridge is not the only expense. Its the expert labor for design, cabinet panels, installation, and maintenance. And the need to match the rest of the 60-100K appliance package to match. Which includes a large range, even even larger vent hood, plus makeup air. And a integrated DW, plus plumbing for a new ice maker with pump, electrical for a built in microwave. And all the other needed infrastructure to support all of those choices. Like a luxury house around it that matches that level of 200K+ kitchen.

    • Candace
      vor 2 Jahren

      Agree with chispa - make sure your designer knows exactly what you want. We did a 30” Thermador fridge and 24” freezer - in two different spots in the kitchen - we had very competent installers (from the appliance store, not the contractor who installed the cabinets) and they’re perfect! Probably close to $15k once you included the panels.

    • Helen
      vor 2 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 2 Jahren

      I have a paneled refrigerator which is NOT integrated like a SZ. Mine is a 36" Kitchenaid which is 72" high rather than the more typcal 69" and so looks more "built in".

      I had the sides of the refrigerator which protrude clad and also my lower cabinets are slightly deeper so that the protrusion is only as much as it needs to be for the doors to open completely.

      Obviously it is not as "perfect" looking as a fully integrated would be but it does provide a fairly seamless look and I am fine with it.

      I had no issues with installation of the panels for the refrigerator or my dishwasher which also has clad panels.

      The cost was a fraction of what the Subzero would have been but it is obviously more expensive than just putting a refrigerator in the cubby but tje panels weren't $10,000. There is the cost of the panel and the cost of the appliance handles.

      Having two stainless steel large appliances in my relatively small galley kitchen would have completely killed the look of my kitchen which is medium stained quarter sawn white oak cabinets and copper - including a large copper farmhouse sink; a copper hood, copper accent tiles and medallion, copper knobs and a copper coved ceiing. 🤷🏼‍♀️

    • Caroline Ahern
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 2 Jahren

      Helen, I'd love to see a picture of your fridge, if you don't mind! We are also doing some quarter sawn white oak cabinets :)

    • Helen
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Caroline Ahern - These are very quick snaps from my phone. Given the size of my galley kitchen I couldn't snap the refrigerator from a distance to see the entire refrigerator in one shot but I think this illustrated how I created an "optical illusion" and so it blends in with the rest of the cabinets. To have two stainless steel appliances would have dominated the kitchen.




      Refrigerator - side is where it meets the counter - other side is my entrance hall


      Refrigerator - side where it meets the counter - upper portion. The very top is a drawer where I store cookie sheets and thin baking stuff


      This is the side of the refrigerator viewed from the entrance to my kitchen from the front hall




      I extended my cabinets into my dining area - just posted to show how discordant stainless would have been as a design choice


      This is the opposite side of my galley kitchen - again illustrating why two stainless appliances in this space would really have killed the aesthetics



      The edge of the refrigerator and at the end is the dishwasher with panels and the copper sink in between. Again I can't imagine two stainless appliances and a copper sink and other copper elements.




      This is amother view of the side of my galley kitchen with the refrigerator and dishwasher. The paneled dishwasher is to the left of the sink and you can see the side panel of the refrigerator at the end.

    • Candace
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Helen - that’s a very creative way to disguise your fridge - and your cabinets are beautiful! I love the detail!

    • demolition
      vor 2 Jahren

      I’m most certainly not an exoert by any means on this matter, but I do recall when we were renovating our kitchen about 8 yrs ago- our kitchen designer/ builder built the refrigerators cabinet- having paid extra special attention to our refrigeration manufactors installation instructions in order to achieve a nice flush fit


    • PRO
      Patricia Colwell Consulting
      vor 2 Jahren

      IMo panel ready flush install fridges are a huge expense for no real ROI and wait until you need to rpelace it and the sizes will have changed and then you need ne panels and they won't match the others . A nice counter depth fridge in stainless a size you need for your family is IMO always the best choice. I have fridgedaire all fridge all freezer clolumns with a built in kit they look and function very well and mine are 15 yrs old noytone issue and they cost less than 3K for all of it. IMO I can replace them 3 x for the cost of one SZ fridge

    • Helen
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Patricia Colwell Consulting - So you really think my kitchen would have looked just as good if I had two stainless steel appliances at either end versus the panels which blend in.


      Obviously it is an additional expense and people who have panels are willing to pay the premium just as people who get wall ovens are willing to pay the premium. No one is claiming that it is the most *practical* choice as it is one that is driven by aesthetics as many design decisions are made.


      If one can't afford it because it's not in the budget and it's not a priority, that's fine as there are lots of kitchens in which stainless appliances complement the rest of the design choices.

    • Caroline Hamilton
      vor 2 Jahren

      If you want the panels to be flush with the existing cabinetry and "disappear" you can only achieve that look with an integrated (not built in) refrigerator. A built in fridge will take panels but they will sit proud of the existing cabinetry as in Helen's example above. You can recess and panel some non built in fridges but again they will not disappear, it will still look like a refrigerator with panels on it and you will need ventilation clearance. It all depends on your budget and the look you are going for. We have a built-in (not integrated) Sub Zero because I did not want to panel it.

    • Caroline Ahern
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 2 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 2 Jahren

      @demolition what fridge did you choose? Is it an "integrated" or "built in?" Whichever it is, the look you achieved is exactly what I'm looking for!

    • Caroline Ahern
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 2 Jahren

      @chispa I'd love to see your 42" paneled french door fridge - that is what we will most likely go with. Is it the "designer" or "classic" by SZ?

    • demolition
      vor 2 Jahren

      @ Caroline… this is the model Sub-Zero we had purchased 8-9 yrs ago & she’s running like a champ. I’m not fridge savy enough to tell you if she’s integrated or built in- however it is labled panel ready & she’s definitely flushed with her own custom cabinet.

      You should check out the subzero website to review so many various guides that may help you with your decision making.



    • PRO
      Debbi Washburn
      vor 2 Jahren

      Demolition's picture of the ref ( where the side panels are a bit deeper than the counter ) is The way I like to do built- in ref. That ref also illustrates what is called a flush installation ( the door panels and cabinet above and the side panels are all on the same plane.

      Excellent job!

    • palimpsest
      vor 2 Jahren

      The Classic will never look so fully integrated that you can't tell it is an appliance, because the gaps still outline a shape that says it is a refrigerator. The fully integrated model has the identical reveals and such as the surrounding cabinetry. Either are fine, it's a personal choice.


      The $200K kitchen has not been the experience that I have had with built in refrigeration, neither personally or in general, so I don't think you can only go this route if everything is set to a certain bar.

      I live in a dense urban area with small houses and smaller kitchens. It's not common, but neither is it unusal to walk into a kitchen with midrange cabinets and other appliances, and a Subzero or other built-in refrigerator because there is no such thing as a middle of the road 24"-25" deep refrigerator with a hinge that allows it to be placed essentially against a wall. You can get a cheap skinny fridge that is 24" deep for a few hundred bucks, (it's what I have now) and then there is literally nothing else until the top end of the market.

      In my last place I had a fully integrated Subzero because it was actually outside the kitchen door in the dining area, because my kitchen was 5 feet wide.

      I am doing a Subzero in this kitchen for size, but also because I want something that has no crevices or airspace necessary around it and can't have things shoved underneath it by the cat, and my kitchen is not even going to be half of $200K by a long shot.

      It's interesting, because this group is interested in design, we know what things cost and think people will notice if you have a $10,000 fridge or a $10,000 pro range (and will know exactly what they cost) and they will then have expectations that the entire kitchen or the entire house have to live up to that high bar. Honestly, when I was selling that apartment I had to put a post it note on the refrigerator telling people where it was, and many people said they did not know such a thing existed. Part of it was that the apartment was mid market, not luxury market, so they weren't the sort of person who knew much about luxury appliances, but of the people who were, nobody asked why I had a $7000 (at that time) integrated fridge but a standard Amana range. Nobody cared about that.

      If what you want is a build in fridge and your other cabinets are from Kraftmaid, and you don't have a LaCornue range to go with it, I don't think that matters.

    • chispa
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Caroline Ahern,

      Here is the integrated SZ 36" fridge and 24" freezer that I added when I remodeled my previous kitchen:


      Here is the SZ 42" french door we installed in the house we just built (toe kick still missing under fridge):


    • Caroline Ahern
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 2 Jahren

      @chispa in your new kitchen, that is a "classic" SZ vs. a "designer" SZ, correct? It looks pretty darn built-in to me - exactly the look I'm going for (though my cabinets are inset vs. overlay). Gorgeous!

    • Caroline Ahern
      Ursprünglicher Verfasser
      vor 2 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 2 Jahren

      @chispa I also chuckled at the comment on ROI. I work in commercial real estate finance. We look at ROIs all day. Sure, if I were trying to flip a house I'd look for the lowest common denominator with the best return and probably not panel a fridge. For my personal kitchen, I am not looking for an ROI - I'm trying to design a room I want to cook and eat in for the next 20 years (and not wipe fingerprints)!

    • PRO
      Renov8or
      vor 2 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 2 Jahren

      We live in NYC, where space was a constraint. It's an open floor plan so you can see the kitchen from the living room and from the dining area. I wanted the appliances to just disappear into the cabinetry, so I wanted paneled, integrated—though I didn't know that's what you called it. I was shocked to find what the industry calls a "counter-depth" fridge can protrude past the countertop and other cabinets! I wrote this guide after my experience—maybe it will help someone out there who is just starting to think about this now:

      https://renov8or.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-least-expensive-true-counter-depth.html

      I went with the Liebherr HC2080.


      Jackson Heights NYC White Shaker + Paonazzo Marble · Mehr Info


      Because we were installing it between two pantry cabinets, it didn't even need its own cabinet. Here's a shot during the installation:



      It went without a hitch—with a big proviso. After walking through the specs of all the appliances, we figured the carpenter would have to field fit the door to the above-the-fridge cabinet. (Above the wall oven too.) Old building, nothing plumb. So I didn't order them until after the installation.

    • chispa
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Caroline Ahern, just looked at my files and the model number for the SZ 42" fridge is BI-42UFDID/O

    • chispa
      vor 2 Jahren

      I also think the end result of the built in look is very dependent on the kitchen designer, cabinet manufacturer and the installer. In my old kitchen everyone did their part 100%. In my new construction, I think they did their best, but I don't think they design and execute projects to the same level as the trades in my old area. My old contractor was a rare gem ... worked on his own with a helper. Did most plumbing and electric. Was an excellent carpenter and amazing tiler. Most important he was a perfectionist and had pride in his work.

    • palimpsest
      vor 2 Jahren

      Here is an example of what I was talking about. This kitchen (which is large for the size of the house, look at the ceiling height) has a SubZero, and the cost of that fridge could possibly have equaled that of the rest of the cabinets. But 24" is what they may have been able to maneuver into the house.


    • sabrown72
      vor 2 Jahren

      I bought a FIsher-Paykel fully integrated fridge - it was about 6k. It really mattered to me that it completely blend in with the cabinets.


      https://www.build.com/product/summary/1663959?uid=3932347&jmtest=gg-gbav2_3932347&inv=1&&source=gg-gba-pla_3932347!c10052769767!a101219771916!dc!ng&gclid=CjwKCAjw8sCRBhA6EiwA6_IF4Z1rGKdPEY6Fr8DXysHwHa25d3T19VOI2BYEQ1QMO-vJB8nHiZvqthoC6V4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

    • cheri127
      vor 2 Jahren

      As others have said, if you want it do disappear, it has to be integrated not built in. We had Thermador columns in our last kitchen. (The fridge in next to the hutch and the freezer next to the ovens).



    • Helen
      vor 2 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 2 Jahren

      I am genuinely confused as to why one would install an integrated refrigerator and then have the panels make a "statement" - and in my opinion not such an attractive statement. 🤷🏼‍♀️ This is from a listing for a $13 million restored Prospect Park South mansion. The location is fabulous - right on the park


      I understand why someone would opt for an integrated refrigerator that is NOT paneled.


      My design question is why one would opt for a panel that was so discordant as I am not understanding the design choice. Do stainless but why dark gray with gold or brown trim as a design choice. It doesn't even seem to tie in with the rest of the design elements in the kitchen.



    • palimpsest
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Helen I realized I an about to do this. I wanted integrated vs classic because of features and doorswing but I am not paneling to conceal it in this kitchen. It's more because of the features that I am using it this time.


    • Caroline Hamilton
      vor 2 Jahren

      Same as Pal, my SZ is not paneled by choice but I wanted the door swing, features and that it is built into it's frame and sits nearly flush with the surrounding cabinetry. I was not looking for it to disappear.

    • chicagoans
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Helen your kitchen is beautiful! Love your cabinets and how you have done the fridge.

      (Note to self... Add Helen's to my list of kitchens I envy.)

    • palimpsest
      vor 2 Jahren

      @Helen, I think the Prospect Park South kitchen is more about being expensive and showing it. The refrigerator is badged as well. I wonder if the grey and brass finish coordinates with the range?

    • Helen
      vor 2 Jahren
      Zuletzt geändert: vor 2 Jahren

      @palimpsest Neither the range nor the hood have brass finishes. There is some brass hardware on the island but the glass doored cabinets don't seem to be obviously brass.

      An expensive kitchen for sure and to a great extent respect the age of the house and much of the original detail in other rooms was restored or if not lovingly recreated. The kitchens and bathrooms were obviously complete down to the studs remodels.


      There was a townhouse on the Upper West Side that was owned by Sherle Wagner who started the ultra high end bathroom fixture company decades ago. The interior of that brownstone had been ransacked and she spent a fortune recreating it so that all of the woodwork detail was back. The staircase she had made was incredible. No expense spared - thankfully it was sold to someone who appreciated it.

      Obviously taste is completely subjective but it seems an odd choice for a paneled refrigerator. There are some other odd choices as well. The couple selling it are prolific flippers of high end Brooklyn real estate. I rode past this house every Saturday after classes at the Brooklyn Museum but obviously as a child I have no specific memory of it. My friend who is more au courant with Brooklyn says it was in a real dliapidated state.

      If you go to the Dirt.com website you can find the article about the home. Fascinating history as it was originally built by the man who developed Ditmas Park.





    • palimpsest
      vor 2 Jahren

      Well I think it's just another element of the ten pounds stuffed into a five pound bag design .

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