I did it due to changing my plan from a builtin to freestanding fridge and forgetting to tell my cabinet guy (oops). Just treat it like a fatty fridge--measure twice, cut once, allow for an outlet and ventilation as required, and all that. :)

Sincere thanks to everyone who posted threads and pics to help the spatially challenged! Sombreuil and Cawfeegirl, your kitchens are beautiful! The wall into which our fridge would have to be recessed is on the exterior of the house, and we live in a pretty cold climate, so the whole concept may be a non-starter. We may have to make the style of handle a bigger issue than something like that should ever be, just trying not to protrude any further than necessary. Either that, or it's back to the drawing board to reconfigure the design yet again!

You probably saw Erica L's thread, it is on page 1 below yours. Just in case you didn't, here is the link... http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3693456/freaking-out-about-counter-depth-fridge-sticking-out-past-pantry-cabs?n=100 You should read her thread because it discusses the whole 2" clearance verses counter depth issue. It does seem contradictory. Naming it "counter depth" to me is misleading. For instance, in Erica's case her GE cd fridge specs says the case without the doors is 24 3/8". Now on top of that you need to allow 2" air clearance in the back according to their recommended specs. So how on earth can they say it's counter depth? Go figure! If you want the sides or "case" covered by a panel or cabinetry, it needs to be bumped out further the the normal 24". I guess somewhere around 2-2 1/2". I'm not an expert, so I could be wrong. But in Erica's case that's what happened from what I gather. As a side note, is that a wall to the right of your fridge? You need space so the door can open fully. edit: counter depth is more like 25 1/2" so I guess technically they can say that, but with the back air clearance they say is needed, then it is not.

Her big splurge, the BlueStar platinum 48... I love our Bluestar. It's an amazing range. Would absolutely buy it again in a heart beat. But a 48" Platinum would be unlikely to be anything I'd normally recommend. That model is all about looks and not really that great for functionality. I understand about splurging. But if I spend all that money, I'd want it to actually be something I like to use. The 25kBTU Platinum burners are fun (we have one of those in our range), but the 22kBTU burners of the RNB are very similar; if this is the only reason for the Platinum, then it doesn't really justify the much higher cost. The griddle on the RNB is IMHO a better design. Can't comment on the grill, but I personally don't think an in-door grill is a great option anyway. The fancy oven burners in the Platinum are great for faster pre-heating, but are overall a more questionable design than the more traditional burners in the RNB. A 48" range is much less ergonomic than a rangetop plus wall ovens. The venting requirements for a 48" range are crazy. You need somewhere on the order of 2000 CFM, which means a loud expensive vent hood, a very complex make-up-air system, and no upper cabinets. Unlike a 30" range, a 48" range doesn't have spacers in-between the burners. So, you will need to put the grill or griddle in the center between the burners. Otherwise, your burners are too close together and you can't ever use big pots. But with the grill/griddle in the center, you have to always walk a long distance left-to-right when using more than one pot. Alternatively, you can decide for eight burners and no grill/griddle, but I have yet to hear of anybody who can actually keep all eight burners in active use. Again, a more reasonably sized rangetop and wall ovens work better; the wall ovens can be used for simmering much more evenly than any hobs. We have four hobs and three ovens in our kitchen. I use all three ovens every so often. But I can't remember the last time I used more than two hobs. I wouldn't have any idea what to do with eight of them.