Our new setup is similar to what you describe except our pantry is turned.

I agree in that cabinets over the frig setback are extremely hard to access unless you are very tall or want to use a stepstool.

In our new kitchen, we ordered an extra deep cabinet that is flush with the front of the frig. I still need a step stool to access it but it is easier to use and see into the cabinet.

Depending on your sides, you could also order a regular depth cabinet but set it up so that it lines up with the front of the frig making it much easier to access and any wasted space is at the back of the refrigerator slot space.

Containing your frig also helps soundproof your refrigerator.

You could go with no cabinets but I think you might regret it down the road because it would look unbalanced.

Cabinets, flush to the front of the fridge enclosure. Use them for things you need but don't use that often: the occasionally used appliance or tool, large roasting pans, things like that.

We tend to keep things that are bulky, non breakable, but used regularly right at the front edge: a large old fashioned grater, a flour sifter, a couple large plastic containers--things that are easily tipped out and tipped back into place.

Even if you go in to the cabinet once every six months, there is something in there that would just be taking up more valuable space somewhere else.

I LOVE my cabinet over my fridge which is flush with the front of the fridge. First, because it stores big and/or deep items like serving platters, electric griddle, paper towels, 14" saute pan, none of which would fit elsewhere. Second because my previous kitchen had no cabinet above the fridge, and that top surface of the fridge was a real grime collector. I don't know if it's because the fridge has an electrical charge or what, but the top of my fridge where there was no cabinet got so dirty, you could grow a plant up there LOL!

Yes, the cabinet over the fridge is hard to access without a stepstool, but so what. As I said, I store things there that are large and deep, and I don't pull out all that often anyway. I don't think it's a big deal to use the stepstool there, since where ever else I would store that stuff I would likely need a stepstool.

Plus having the cabinets over the fridge is a more "finished" clean and modern look. No cabinet over the fridge is kinda pre-'80's.

I agree! pull the cabinets all the way forward. I'd also put a cabinet on the end, facing to the side. It would look something like this one, in grlwprl's kitchen, but this a counter-depth fridge.

Here is a link that might be useful: corner store kitchen

I couldn't find a post with the trays above the frig, but this link will give you an idea

Here is a link that might be useful: tray storage

We've previously only had the standard depth cabinet above the fridge that was mounted to the wall and I totally agree that it's useless, hard to reach, and things often seemed to get piled up in front of it anyway so you couldn't even open the door. But we decided to go with a deep cabinet along with a "boxed in" fridge and I really, really like it.

I was worried we wouldn't have much stuff to put in there, but actually we are running out of space! There's a regular roasting pan, an oval one with a lid that we use for turkey, cookie cooling racks and a spare rack from the oven, cookie sheets and a pizza pan, and a couple of large serving platters.

Just had the refrigerator installed last week as part of our remodel. We had to go counter depth. The original was against a wall, but we moved the space down by 18" and installed a pantry cabinet on the right. On the left side is the counter with a finished panel between it and the side of the refrigerator. On top is a large cabinet pulled forward to make a box. We've installed dividers and will use it for the cookie sheets etc. The GC installed a nice trim board right under the top cab to fill the gap. Looks great. I never had the chance to ask him how they slid the refrigerator in as it's 35 7/8 wide and the box is 36". Yep...that's 1/16" to spare on each side. Looks great but with the top cab pulled forward I think there is plenty of space for hot air to rise and cool air to come in from the bottom.

Thank you everyone! I was worried about it looking unfinished, but really don't prefer to have those cabinets over the fridge. I kinda thought we could save a couple of $$ by just not doing it. But I don't want the fridge to look like it was an afterthought.

I wish I had room to do what grlwprl has! I could make awesome use of that end cabinet.

What style is your kitchen? If it's all fitted and sleek, then cabinets above and a panel on the side will look very nice.

If you're more of an old-fashioned, unfitted kitchen, kind of person, then a shelf or display alcove will give you space for a plant, decorative platter or other decorative item.

Yes, they can be dust catchers...but I live on a farm and everything is a dust catcher. (LOL) It just depends on your style and what works best for you :)

My kitchen is Shaker style, which I feel is clean and sleek (not MODERN sleek, but not cottage/farmhouse either) and informal. I don't feel I'm the old-fashioned, unfitted kind of person, so i suspect I'd be unhappy having the fridge hanging on to the end of the cabinets by itself. I don't mind seeing the side of the fridge (doesn't bother me) but I think I'll dislike it looking like an after-thought.

We have a spot for vertical pan storage, so that won't do for us. I know we'll FIND things to put in there eventually, I just don't have a NEED for the space! (sounds crazy, don't it?)

Does anyway worry about "boxing" their fridge in (cabs or panels) and then having to replace the fridge in the future? What if refrigerators aren't the same size anymore??

I am using the upper shelves of our above-fridge cabinets for the good china serving pieces. They are awkward sizes and I use them infrequently enough that it's OK to use a stepladder. The lower shelves are accessible (we are on the tall side) so we keep cereal containers there. The cabinets come all the way to the front of the fridge.

I didn't worry about boxing the fridge in because in my kitchen, there is a doorway on one side of the fridge so I was going to have a maximum fridge size for replacement purposes anyway. I would think most people would have a size constraint in replacing their fridge whether it was boxed or not-- something is on either side of it, right?

Ditto what Shannonplus2 (and others) did.

As to worrying about future refrigerators, they seem to be standardizing on 36" wide and 72" high. That's the main reason we recommend people plan for at least that size of an alcove for their refrigerator regardless of their current refrigerator's size.

One thing we did, though, is make the alcove a bit taller in case refrigerators get taller...there's a "filler" piece b/w the bottom of the cabinet and the top of the refrigerator that can be trimmed in case a future refrigerator is too tall for the alcove.

I also vote for cabinets over the refrigerator. I think it does look more finished and up-to-date. What about storing holiday items there that you would only need once a year?

I have an open shelf. I could put books up there, but I use it to display nice pieces of china I collect.

It's a great place for vertical storage. I've loved the vertical storage above our fridge so much that we plan to convert the top shelf of our tall baking cabinet to vertical storage. It's much easier accessing items up high when they are stored vertically than when they are piled on a shelf.

You should search out pictures of buehl's kitchen to see great storage ideas.

Here's the storage above our counterdepth fridge.

DH recently (last week) modified the vertical storage to add the horizontal shelf. I have several items that are just too bulky and too little used to justify taking up the better storage spots in the kitchen. I hadn't yet put them on the shelf when the photo was taken.

This is how the storage looked before the modification. I use the pyrex bakers a lot and they are very easy to get since nothing has to be unpiled to get at them.

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We haven't put in our fridge yet, but we have a cabinet and an open shelf above it. The shelf will have lighting so I'm sure I'll find something pretty to display there!

The cabinets over the fridge are accessed 4-5 times a day, sometimes more. And I have plenty of storage space, so this arrangement is not because that is the only place to store things. It holds lunch boxes, boxes of dry cereal, coffee presses, tea pots and a tin of oatmeal. Things that I seldom use are behind the pull out trays: sterno, fondu pot, extra dividers for the freezer drawers. You might think being short (5'3'') it is a long reach, but nope. My storage philosophy is to have things at the point of use. For me, it works very well. My only regret is that I didn't have the cabinetmaker do full extension shelves. These are aftermarket.

Wow, great ideas everyone! Thanks for taking the time to share all your pretty pictures!

And looking at everyone's pictures, I definitely like the way the fridge looks built in and matches everything else in the kitchen. At the very least, I'd do it to make the fridge look cohesive to the rest of the room. And hopefully with the bumped out cabinets, I can make use of the space somehow, even if it isn't vertical storage for pans.

I do like the idea of making a niche or shelf over the fridge (saw a picture on here from houseful) but am not sure I like the thought of the dust that would collect on the items we display up there.

I debated this too, but since the space above would not be used otherwise and since ours is at the end of the run and I would want the part of the side where you see the back covered somewhat, they just made sense. We have way more cabs in the new kitchen than we had before so it was tempting to skip the over the fridge ones, so we had to put some thought into it.
We had the shallow ones in this house and they did not hold much, but were still worth it because storage was at a premium. In our last house, with a bigger kitchen, we stored all sorts of less often stuff up there and it also made a great hiding place for gifts (in the back part behind other things). We decided on getting the full depth ones and know they will get filled somehow. You can never have too much storage!

What do most people do when the fridge is at the end of a run where there is a wall? (Like swhite10's photo above.)

Do you still need a panel along the wall so that it matches on both sides in the front?

I looked at buehl's album awhile back, and I think she used a partial panel, but I don't recall for sure.

Would a filler piece alone look odd?

We used to have a full size refrigerator will a 12 inch upper cabinet over the top. We just some wine and matches and junk in it. It was hard to access. I am SO excited now to get a counter depth refrigerator with a cabinet on top with tray storage. I am going to put my cookie sheets, muffin tins, carving boards, trays, platters, etc up there.

I also like the open shelf that swhite has above her refrigerator. If you are worried about dust, you could put in glass doors. It is a nice display area.

My refrigerator is not at the end of a run but I do have built in cabinets over it. I am tall and I still have to pull over a chair to access most anything in it.

I store my Christmas decorative candles and other items I can't place in the attic with the rest of the Christmas ornaments. I also have a spare set of cutlery up there, cookie tins, and matches so my children can't get to them.

These are definitely items I don't need to get to very often.

Ohh, glass doors. That'd be a good compromise! Would it look odd if those were the only glass doors we had in the kitchen, though?

Our over-fridge cabinet is 24" tall and 24" deep (pulled forward to be asflush as possible with the fridge). I have vertical pan storage elsewhere, so this cabinet holds big mixing bowls, the rubbermaid cake carrier, glass cake stand and cover, and some small appliances that never get used. I can reach the bottom shelf easily, but need a stool for the top shelf.

Our fridge is at the end of a run next to a wall -- actually next to a pantry, so not a full wall. The original kitchen just had the fridge sitting in that spot, with the side open to the adjacent cabinets. When we were planning we considered just doing a panel on the left, with the pantry wall on the right. But then we hit on the idea of a wall in lieu of the panel. I didn't mind losing the 4-ish inches that were required, and it gave us a neat, symmetrical, contemporary look.

Another vote for cab above fridge. Mine is boxed in with cab above pulled out to be flush with surrounding cabs. Matching filler between the fridge top and bottom of the cab incase we ever need to go with a taller fridge. Why would an above fridge cab be any less accessable than other cabs to the ceiling?

Typically store seasonal items or stuff I don't use that often. Ice buckets, summer stuff, paper plates, party supplies, margarita mix or alcohol. When I remodel I'll probably go with dividers for baking sheets, etc.

oops, I think I technically hijacked.

Sorry, ImaCurvyGrrl. :(

I say cabs above pulled forward to fridge front like others suggest.

DH is taller than I am, and tends to pile things on the fridge. First it was just the sleeve of paper napkins and a few plastic things, but now it's a grimy tumble of junk. Whether I can reach it or not, we are getting a deep cabinet up there to prevent this.

Well crud! I hadn't thought about the dust that's going to collect up there! Just like I hadn't thought about how dusty my black island will get!! It's okay, I guess, because we're all shorties and so are most of our friends so it's not like people will be able to see up there--I'll clean it twice a year if I'm lucky! :0)

If you don't like the look of cabinets, maybe go with deep shelves that bridge between the pantry and end panel. Or basically a cabinet with no doors. You could set it up so that if ever you DID want doors, they could be easily attached.

You could use the open shelves to put something decorative, a collection, or your lesser used cookbooks. It will give that wall a finished look, but an open shelf will keep you honest. You probably won't start piling things up there when you look at it every day, especially once everything else has a place. My first clue that I don't have enough storage is when things start getting piled up. I agree with the previous posters said, an empty space above the fridge looks unfinished, like something was meant to go there, but didn't.

We're on our 4th house in 13 years of marriage. I've had several combinations, open, short shelves, wine rack above, and deep cabinets. My favorite, by far, is the deep cabinets. We did it on our current remodel. Even if I don't use it for everyday items, as someone else said, those items would be taking up valuable, reachable space otherwise. I also prefer the end panel for the fridge. I've had it on the end with no panel, and it just looks off, plus ours gets junked up with those advertisement magnets, pizza coupons, calendars, stickers, etc.

We're not done with our kitchen yet, it seems we're getting one functional wall completed at a time. My run from L to R has a narrow pantry, counter depth fridge w/deep cabinet, and a tall oven/pantry cabinet. I haven't installed the shelf in the over fridge cab yet, but as of now it's got the extra rolls of paper towels, paper napkins, ziplocks - all bulk items. Before this, I had to store these items in the garage. I REALLY appreciate not having to do that anymore, especially when it's 15 degrees outside.

We did an open niche/shelf and love it for storing useful but presentable items. Personally we don't find that it gets terribly dusty or dirty, but everyone's mileage may vary.

We put cabs that are flush with the front of the fridge. I LOVE them. They have dividers (Brookhaven created them with the dividers) and they're the perfect size to store sheetpans, bakeware, etc. I'm only 5'4 but I can reach most things without a stool (as long as it's right in the front of the cab).

circuspeanut, I love that shelf above your fridge!! It continues from the bookshelf and give a nice open feeling to that area. Good idea!

Thanks for all the pictures, they've all been really helpful. I can't believe how many generous people there are here!

We're going to stick with the deep cabinets for now, and we're asking the KD if we can fit in a narrow cabinet on the other side of the fridge to finish off the end like grlwprl's picture above. Don't know if it's doable but we're going to ask.

The cabinet above the fridge will probably NOT have glass doors, as we have no other glass doors in the kitchen. And I know we'll have things to put in there...I'll just have to invest in a good step stool! :)

"Do you still need a panel along the wall so that it matches on both sides in the front? "

Visually, I think it would look correct to have both sides match w/ a panel. However, it does not have to be a panel. It can be a piece of trim on the drywall that mimicks the panel's look. So, it does not have to "fit" ... it can just go over the wall.

This isn't the best photo of our fridge situation, but it just has trim legs on either side (no panel.)

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Hey everyone. I am also very curious about options for over the fridge. I was wondering if anyone tried pulled-down cabinets. I haven't tried it yet but I saw a couple of designs and wanted to see the publics' taught/experiences out there. A "double pull-down basket kitchen cabinet accessories pantry organizer magic collector" looks doable. What do you guys think?

@Jeff Ravix - You raised a 10 YEAR OLD THREAD

Ha Ha! Jeff Ravix, “Anyone? Ladies? Hello?”

lol, ok, sorry for bringing it back from the dead. Thx all