sand the edges and re stain them.

Hi all, very much appreciate the responses. I have been reading and thinking them over. itsallaboutthefood - yes, you are correct, if I make the right wall shorter then I can slide the fridge over a tad and build a panel on the left. However... do I really want to go to all this work for my current fridge? Shorter wall I think will mean the black is even more visible. camphappy - thank you for the measurements. I do not have 3" to spare. Regarding the French door(s), where do you put things you take out of the fridge? Beyond the French doors or behind you? Thanks for the compliment, the view is very nice but as I've said before, I am now the ultimate nosy neighbor :) Hi buehl, your pictures were extrememly helpful, thanks. I do see how to build it now. (Love your cabinetry btw). Motherof3sons - you definitely identified my hesitation/quandry. Yes, building and paneling existing fridge would be an improvement but if if I had my druthers and the budget to match, what would I do with this space? Is it really worth the expense to order panels and build a structure around a temporary fridge? EAM44 - it is all about the fridge, thanks for the reminder about the free-standing fridge vs. integrated fridge different requirements. I think that's part of why I am struggling - I can't design the space until I know what fridge I'm using, old or new. The island makes it hard to pull the fridge forward enough and still get the door open. Glad you like seeing the wall colored grey again, I am quite pleased too... Still, I want Rome, now! hags00 - great description and I do follow. We do have an overhang on the side of the counter, your solution makes sense. Off to put the kiddos to bed. Thanks to all. I am still thinking about solutions and what I would do for a long term solution, with all the money in the world. Oh I know this answer!! Take out wall, insert fabulous, paneled Thermador (not white, definitely contrasting color, maybe match island but probably wonderful pop of new color) fridge. One of the ones which looks like a huge piece of lovely furniture. I should probably start a new thread to ask this but - does anyone use all drawers for a fridge/freezer solution? Leaping in yet another direction, I do also like the idea of a glass fronted fridge. Best, wafflingOldbat2be

I ordered the Dacor and it arrived at the store in less than a week, but cabinets don't come until April, so can't tell you how it is. Had all the features and size I wanted at a decent price. Note, Dacor is owned by Samsung since last summer but probably operations don't change much.

I like paneled appliances. They can very organically fit into a kitchen. I personally don't like appliances that pretend to be cabinets though. So, we opted for a built-in rather than an integrated fridge and then recessed it to be flush with the rest of the cabinets. Very happy with that choice. As for the overall design of your kitchen, I have similar concerns. It's really hard to tell from the one picture, but if feels as if there are a lot of details that aren't quite right and that will come back and haunt you. Designing a pretty and functional kitchen isn't easy. Not every kitchen designer or architect is up to that. Just adding up 30 plus 30 plus 30 plus ... doesn't make for a good design. I don't know where you are in the process, but if you have the option, I would post a full floor plan and ask for more input. There could very well be a bunch of changes that you will be very happy if you made them.