I have the Subzero 601R refrigerator and Subzero 601F freezer
both in my kitchen both with decorative panels from Kraftmaid.
I have never figured our how to post pictures if you give me your email I will take a digital picture and email it to you.
I have a traditional kitchen and my cabinets are Kraftmaid Newport bisque with a glaze. I was blown away by the price of the door handles sold by Sub Zero or on line. I found some antique handles on Ebay only 12 inches long and although we worried they wouldn't be sturdy or long enough but they have worked out well and only were $20.00 for the pair. the two Subzeros were my splurge for me and I love
them. We may be birds of a feather my birthday is within
a few days of yours and I own a house named Plumeria.
AJ

I am trying to sort out truth from fiction. Does anyone have Sub-Zero panels that look like the ones on these plans, but with an ice-maker? It looks like a simple design to me. Nothing complicated.

Sorry the image isn't crisper.

{{!gwi}}

Here is the page from the website that shows a couple of pictures with various panels on ice-in-door styles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Subzero Website

For comic relief -

Here is a second try at a creative interpretation of the right hand panel for the Sub-Zero. There are two more rectangles for the left side of the unit, on the freezer. Total of 7 rectangles instead of 2 per the drawing. There's gotta be a better way to accomodate an ice dispenser. Regardless, it doesn't seem to fit anyways.

{{!gwi}}

I am surprised Woodmode doesn't have a standard "template" for Subzero with icemaker, since there are only two sxs models, 42" and 48".

In the pictures Subzero shows they seem to ignore the icemaker in the panel design and it just pokes out through the panel.

There has been some discussion in the Kitchen Forums over paneled refrigerators and icemakers, the thoughts being that ice an water in the door at least partially negates the idea of the panel anyway. It is kind of like trying to panel an oven--you wouldnt be able to reduce the appearance of its function--and no "armoire" would have a metal box that lights up and shoots ice out of it either.

So, there is one school of thought that once you commit to the ice in the door, you might as well commit to it looking like a fridge and have the metal door. I tend to agree with this most of the time. (Not always, because I don't think there should be a "rule" about it.)

This is a convoluted way of saying: since you are having so many problems with the cabinets in this kitchen, have you considered getting the stainless front for the Sub Zero since the ice in the door will give it away anyway?

If they delivered you a nice looking panel in one or even two tries thats one thing. But my gut is that you might end up with something hokey looking after multiple tries based on what seems to be going on with your project.

You'd never get what is pictured on the conceptual drawing. Those panels are just too long to not warp. Fridge doors have to be broken into multiple panels, and the usual choice is to resemble pantry door proportions. Your's actually isn't too bad as far as that goes. They will have to cut out for the ice maker, and that will ruin some of the "invisible fridge" look as Palimpset says, but choosing which drawback to live with is an aesthetic decision on your part.

So, the design wasn't even possible.

Are there any other creative options?
{{!gwi}}

And, I was promised nice, $600 Top Knob 18 inch handles. Those will look wrong on stainless.

Are there any other options?

How about

-one panel that lines up with the lower cabinet doors on each refrigerator door.

-one intermediate band that goes across each door the height of the icemaker.

-one panel on each door that fills in from the top of the icemaker to the top of the door.

So, it would be four panels total with a horizontal band for the icemaker area.

I have to disagree with LWO...that panel could have been designed much, much better. I'm sure it was the designer and not Wood Mode that came up with the specs. Panels mimicking the over under fridge freezer would look the best, IMO. So, one short panel on the bottom of each door, below the dispenser and one tall panel above on both doors, with the dispenser cut into it. Or stainless, which would still look very nice in your kitchen. In fact, I like it better with a built in (not intergrated) fridge because the wood panels always stick out further than the rest of the cabinets and you can still see the SS frame.

palimpest - could you describe what a band is?

Would it be like a flat wide piece?

Ok, to borrow klutterkara's pic of her fridge:

Rather than have four different sized panels as she has, I would refine the design a bit, so that the freezer door panel sizes matched the panel sizes on the refrigerator door. And try to line up the bottom two panels with some panel size that exists in the base cabinets.

{{!gwi}}

I think I can visualize that. Klutterkara's fridge is helpful as it shows the handles in place, too, with the dispenser. My handles are supposed to be about the same size.

I've talked with Sub-Zero people and the unit sitting handle-less in my kitchen is not compatible with any stainless fronts from Sub-Zero because it has an 0 at the end of the model number. It is a BI-42SD/O that sits in my kitchen, so, at least according to this Sub Zero person, I do not have the option of ordering stainless fronts and handles and grill cover.

One other question - minor detail - - is that a little SubZero tag on the grill cover on Klutterkara's fridge?

If the divide between the two larger panels is at counter height and are matched by the flanking fridge door, I think that your design looks better than the one on the subzero website or the other one pictured above. Just IMHO.

I am really not sure why it has to be small rectangles still. Is there any other way to make it look less choppy, even if it isn't mimicing the other cabinetry panels?

Does that make sense?

I think I have seen beadboard full length on Sub Zero refrigerator units, for example.

Any ideas that break out of the rectangular panel concept?

How about faux drawer fronts on the bottom and a large panel or slab on the top, ala David T Smith? See kitchens 1, 3 and 8.

Here is a link that might be useful: David T Smith kitchen gallery

The traditional look of a built in fridge is to mimic a pantry. That's why you usually see the bottom sections be 44" tall doors wih the smaller doors on top,leaving you with 4 doors. The problem is the ice maker breaks that look up, so you have to deal with it's intrusivness. The pic doesn't show the whole door assembly, so I'm only guessing, but it looks like they attempted to do the "traditional" look on the freezer, but let that icemaker flummox them into 3 panels that don't "match" on the fridge side. (Do you have a pic that shows the whole assembly better? Your remark about the number of doors is confusing.) THe icemaker forces that door to be in 4 sections, minimum, so it'd be a better aesthetic choice to have the freezer panels heights match the fridge.
rather than do a half/half like it seems they did.

But, as I said above. Of all the things in your kitchen that are wrong, this is one of the "less wrong" and the workmanship does't look shoddy in the pic. (Of course, it's the install that has been the problem all along and this isn't installed yet.) If you're not going to make them rip it all out, and are going to be dealing with them on a piecemeal basis, this is one thing I think I could live with--if they install it correctly.

Better pics of the whole assembly would help. Obviously we're only seeing a part of it.

Livewire,
I believe the fabricators made a pair of doors that had a total of seven raised panels on them, when the original drawing had two, one for each door. Its been established that two panels on each door would probably be better, if you are going for panels at all.

The Subzero website itself shows this fridge with one panel for each door with the icemaker poking out through the middle. (In other words, they ignore the icemaker). Perhaps the way that they are attached to the refrigerator door itself prevents a large panel from warping. Its not a free large panel as a pantry door would be, its attached in multiple points and it some cases the entire perimeter is secured.

Everyone's ideas are helpful.

Yes, I certainly know there are other problems in my kitchen that need to be solved, and we are trying to get everything addressed.

Getting doors on our fridge is one of our priorities. Our food is in there and we do not have handles.

I wonder if there is a Sub-Zero door design person who could shed some light on the situation. I'm going to have to look into it during business hours.

I have to think that there are at least hundreds of these overlay fridges sold each day. There's gotta be aesthetically tolerable solutions that do not warp.

My dealer/designer did show me one side of the first set of doors that were ordered for our fridge. They were so unusable, they were never brought to the house. She admitted that they were not aesthetically pleasing rectangles as well, plus they were not usable because of another error supposedly of the manufacturer.

So, with the current set-up and the fact that there is beadboard here and there in the kitchen, would it make sense to do something with beadboard instead, or would it be too busy?

Paneling it just seems so problematic and choppy, I just need to know even what choices could be made.

Since it needs to be re-done, it is time to think outside the box.

Does anyone know a specialist in Sub-Zero door designs?

{{!gwi}}

Here's an example of someone who thought outside the box - - it doesn't solve my design problems, but it does show creativity. From modernsilver.com

{{!gwi}}

My refrigerator has a dispenser and it will have several small panels like Live Wire Oak was talking about.

I finally found a picture I could copy. This is from the AJ Madison website, but it is a picture directly from Subzero. One panel on each door and they ignore the icemaker.

You could do the same with two panels on each door.

{{!gwi}}

Thank you for doing that research, palimpest!

I definitely do prefer this type of a look where the icemaker is ignored!

This is moving in the right direction, IMHO.

Also, look at the specs. The specs for my refrigerator had the panel information.

According to our Wood-Mode designer, Wood-Mode can't make panels that ignore the icemaker.

At this point, we are requesting a refund on the panels so we can go elsewhere to have panels made. We have been without panels and handles for nearly 3 months.

Does anyone have any idea if $1100 plus sales tax would be a fair price to ask as a refund? Would another $200 for installation also be reasonable? This wasn't broken out as a line item by the designer in the kitchen bid.

I have feelers out for estimates on door panels, but nothing firm has come in yet.

My panels with dispenser look similar to klutterkaras.

My panels were around 2k.

Also, I think you will find most other cabinet makers will make panels that look like those that you have. (Google paneled refrigerators.) Is there something wrong with them?

The main problem is that none of the panels that have come yet will even fit the fridge. Again, I am told that it is "Wood-Mode's error."

I had several cabinet errors. The turnaround was 7-10 days. Were they not able to do that for you?

(Also my contractor was able to say if the measurements of the door would fit or not and if not, what the measurement should be if the designer needed to reorder due to ordering the wrong measurement.)

None of my replacement pieces were replaced so quickly. Not even a piece of scribe that I am still waiting for.

The damaged sink cabinet took two months to be replaced. The "wood-mode" errors on the washer-dryer cabinet took two months. The fridge panels, they are not replaced yet. We've been without panels for months.

I've been told that there are delays because of Wood-Mode factory shut-downs due to the slow economy and a variety of other excuses.

Can't believe that Wood-Mode let these people deal their products.

Thank you for telling me that fridge panels might be as high as 2 k.

@plumeriavine -- that Asian-inspired fridge design is just about the coolest thing (no pun intended!) that I've ever seen on this site. I am so jealous. Talk about the "wow" factor!

Yes, I wouldn't want you to lose 1K.

Can you deal with wood-mode directly, and tell them you are posting about the troubles you have had on the internet---perhaps they will give you a quicker turnaround time?

I got a cabinet door in today and it was last week that I said it needed to be replaced. And that's normal from my experience.

Plume, as expressed in numerous other posts from you, it's the designer giving you the run-around (I doubt it is WOod-Mode). I asked for replacement doors (2) for our kitchen from our Brookhaven (Wood-Mode) dealer. They didn't even come to look at the doors to decide whether or not to replace them. They took our word for it. The replacement doors arrived at my house a week later. You need to speak directly to Wood-Mode.

I agree with tam184, talk to wood-mode.

I only say there is a problem and poof there is a new cabinet or door. They take my word for it and it's fixed literally as fast as it takes to produce and ship it.