You are already at the fridge so it's really not as big of a pain as you might think to pull open the other door if need be. The reason we got the french door in the end though was because of the width of the aisle between our fridge and our island. The french doors take up less space as they swing open.

I've read that some models have issues with closing the doors properly (I think the Libbher) so you should do your homework (of course) before buying!

I know roughly where what I want is in the fridge, especially the things I keep in the door for ready access. Anything else, its just like opening a cabinet door, you just do it without thinking.

I much prefer the smaller doors; lighter, less swing so people and pets (and an occasional stool or two) don't have to dive out off the way, less sliding around of things on the door shelves.

Thanks! I really do like the french doors but that was my one concern...
Which brand do you both have and do you like it?
Im considering the GE Cafe.

I have the large LG four door, French door model. I really like it. The only time I have to open both doors is when I want something out from the full-width deli drawer.

If you're the guy who puts away the groceries, it's easy to remember where everything is.

Two or three times (in 9 months) we have had the fridge doors butt up against each other and fail to close properly. Since we became aware of this possibility, we make sure to close the doors all the way. It's a non issue now.

FYI, I also love having two bottom freezer drawers. It's easier to keep things organized (well, in theory anyway. At the moment, my drawers are a train wreck!)

I had a French door model that came in a condo I bought as a second home. I found it to be a PITA. I invariably opened the wrong side for whatever I was looking for. Then instead of being able to just nudge a single door closed with my elbow after pulling out the items I needed (and my hands full), I had to bump two doors closed. It just seemed a nuisance.

I replaced the fridge with a single door model with the freezer in a drawer at the bottom. I like it much better. The single fridge door holds more, and I only have to deal with one door when my hands are full.

Naturally, if I were limited by narrow clearance at the front of the fridge, double doors would have been a boon, but I had about eight feet of clearance, so that wasn't an issue. If you have plenty of space, I'd recommend a single door model.

I bought a single door bottom freezer because I had more than 5 ft of clearance and I live alone. As discussed above, single doors are easier to use and have more door space.

Thank you, everyone for your help! I just returned from refrigerator shopping. I went to Sears, Best Buy and Lowes. I decided I like the French Door/Bottom freezer. I also need a counter-depth ( I cant do the full depth with a wall conversion behind it because there's a powder room directly behind where the fridge will be.) I've pretty much decided on the Samsung, but Im so nervous that there won't be enough room in the Samsung 22.5 CD FD. (RFG237AARS/XAA) I dont see that they make a larger CD FD. Does anyone know differently? Any other suggestions? Thanks again!
I can't believe I have to ALSO purchase a range, DW and microwave. Sheesh!!

cawfeegirl -

Do whatever you need to do to assure that the Samsung 22.5 FD CD will have sufficient room for you. You don't want to get the CD and later regret it because it doesn't meet your needs.

What size do you currently have? Are you planning on getting the model with the ice/water in the door? Those contraptions take up a lot of space. You might want to eliminate that option to free up more space.

I went from a 18.5 cu.ft. to a 25 cu.ft. FD Amana (recessed in wall) and I still need more space. (However, I buy lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, I entertain often, and there are currently 5 family members living at home.) Thankfully, we kept our old refrigerator and put it in the nearby laundry room so that is where the overflow goes.

country smile-thanks! I really wasn't sure how to decide how many cubic feet we would need so looked it up on the internet and it said for a family of four (a 12 and 4 year old that are not big eaters) at LEAST 18 cubic feet! Wow, I didnt think that was a lot! We now have a 25 CF sxs and really, we dont fill the refrigerator part up at all. We use the freezer more for frozen waffles, ice cream, pizza, veggies, meats, etc. The only thing I store in the fridge side is yogurt, milk, produce, cheeses, and of course, the door full of salad dressings, etc.
Yes my husband wants the water/ice dispenser. Right now I am thinking of going with the Samsung 22.5 CF CD FD that lists for $2900 but I can get it at Best Buy for $2400. Also, VA is having a no sales tax weekend (Sat Sun and today)on Energy Star appliances (which it is)so I may bite the bullet and run over to get it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Samsung 23 CF CD FD

We were told by a couple of appliance shops that the Samsung is repair-prone. Have you already called your local appliance repair shops to check on Samsung's reliability? JTLYK, ConsumerReports & my personal experience show that the water/ice dispenser is repair-prone.

My family of four (huge eaters as my skinny kids were varsity athletes) had a 20 cubic ft fridge for years. Note that the 22.5 cubic ft Samsung probably includes both the refrigerator & freezer space. So with 22.5 cubic ft, you might be getting 16 cubic ft refrigerator volume, and 6.5 cubic ft freezer space. In case your kids ever become athletes and want to eat prodigious amounts of food, an extra freezer becomes invaluable.

BTW, Warehouse Discount Center is offering online a french door, bottom mount freezer (KitchenAid) for $2,369.98 with free shipping right now. In fine stores (not the big box stores) you'll find it for $2,900. KitchenAid is made by Whirlpool, which ConsumerReports rates its reliability as excellent.

mtbgirl: Does that "mtb" stand for mountain bike?? We're big mtb'ers here!
Hmmmm...the Samsung thing. The 29 CF FD got the JD Powers award for four years in a row. Its gotten alot of raves on this forum, I believe. Its not the one Im looking at but I've heard a lot of positive things about Samsung refrigerators. Now, Ive also heard some negative but the thing is, is that I read ALOT of reviews of brands that are in my price range (GE Profile, Samsung, Whirlpool) and there is so much positive/negative on them all that its really hard to make a decision. You find a brand that gets a LOT of positive reviews and just about make up your mind but then all of a sudden come across three or four negatives and-BAM-your decision is blown out of the water.

I did look at Consumer Reports (which I know doesnt hold a lot of weight on this forum) and the Samsung was rated 4th, so.....

Now, about Warehouse Discount Center....the thought of purchasing an appliance online scares me but if I could save that much money then I'd consider it. Have you ordered from them? Are they legit?
Thanks for all of your input!

I am moving from a single door top freezer to a CD FD bottom freezer. The current refrigerator sits at the open part of my ''U'' shaped kitchen so clearance is not an issue. The new kitchen design has an island so the FD's will help out tremendously with clearance. If that weren't an issue maybe I would stick with the single door.

I don't want to hijack but need an opinion. The old fridge will probably go in the basement. Would you guys think the Jenn Air or KitchenAid 19.8 cu. ft. would work or just annoy me? I could go to the 21.8 in either but the smaller ones are a lot cheaper especially the Jenn Air. We are two adults and two young kids.

Two of us in the house and the 19 cu.ft. c. 2000 Amana bottom freezer just wasn't cutting it. Between lots of fresh veggies, 2% and whole milk, and an assortment of ethnic sauces and ingredients, we maxed out, even with a big freezer in the basement.

I really like to be able to shuffle the fridge and be able to get in a half-sheet with the marinading or dry-rubbed meat, or get in a stockpot to chill it down. If I could get a magic walk-in behind that door, I would. The 29 cu.ft. models are a little pricey for my budget, but I'll gladly trade 6" in depth to get a 26.

This is just my opinion only... But French door refridgrator just looks cheap to me as does a top freezer model. Top freezer seems to scream "apartment model". FD seems to scream that you needed to put the double doors because you did not have enough clearance in the kitchen. Architecturally, single door bottom freezer model looks nicer in my opinion. It fits in a large space better, just as a tall built in refridgerator fits in a tall space better but most of us can't afford it.

I have a GE Monogram french door freezer bottom counter depth for one week now. Needed the smaller door width for the clearance. Went from an amana single door bottom freezer which I loved. I am not used to having two sides to open so I open both, hopefully that will change over time. I find as stated above that I have to make an effort to close the doors tight or it will alarm. I am used to just walking away and having it close tight on its own. I am concerned with kids that the doors won't be closed. I also purchased a beverage refrigerator as I was hesitant about having enough space.

We're building a new house and have decided on Kitchenaid's 42 inch built in french door/bottom freezer. Want to go with custom panels (ordered them before we bought the fridge)....but now what do I do about handles? More money for custom handles???? The fridge cost a small fortune! But we're buying all appliances on ebay, so we're saving quite a bit. Suggestions on handles?

When we built our new house we did a lot of research on refrigerators, and also had very certain size specifications because I wanted the fridge to look very sleek in its setting in our new kitchen. We ended up with the LG French door with freezer drawer on the bottom. I totally love it. After I selected it, we had the cabinet built to exactly fit it to make it look built-in. I used to go visit it at the store because we didn't want it to arrive before we had a place to put it, and I had made the selection quite early on in the building process.

I generally know which side of the fridge I need to open for what I need, but I usually walk up to it and open both doors at the same time, using two hands, and survey how things look in there! I love the freezer on the bottom, so that I am no longer bending over to find fruits and veggies in the drawers.

we're going with a FD CD bottom drawer because of where the refrigerator will be located in our kitchen. i would have loved to recess the wall behind it and get the standard depth... except this is an exterior wall so can't do. i hate the fact that i'm paying more for less but DS doesnt like the idea of standard depth bumping out.