pictures of built in refridgerators both with and without panels,

11 years ago

Hi All,

New to this forum. Trying to figure out which we want for our refridgerator...

I have a 60" alcove which I want to place a 30" fridge with a 30" pantry adjacent. I like the idea of having a seamless cabinet look, by putting panels on the fridge. Our budget really only allows the Liebherr 30" panel ready but it doesn't look quite seamless to me, at least the pics that I can find. Does anyone else have a small space where they crammed in both cabinetry and a fridge? I would appreciate any visuals available. /thanks in advance. fiona

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Comments (12)

loves2cook4six
11 years ago
This is our fridge next to the sink. I've yet to have anyone walk into the kitchen and know that is the fridge. Most think it is a pantry.

The fridge is a 36" all-fridge from Miele. The freezer, with a similar panel is in the butlers pantry between the kitchen and dining room.
loves2cook4six
11 years ago
This is our fridge next to the sink. I've yet to have anyone walk into the kitchen and know that is the fridge. Most think it is a pantry.

The fridge is a 36" all-fridge from Miele. The freezer, with a similar panel is in the butlers pantry between the kitchen and dining room.
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breezygirl
11 years ago
There's a big difference between a built-in fridge with panels and a integrated Miele unit like in L2C46's kitchen. I think that's what didn't look quite right to you in the Liebherr picture you mentioned. A fully integrated fridge disappears into the cabinetry, but a built-in cannot truly do so. And you pay much more than even for a high-priced built-in.

Check out the Appliance Forum for threads on these types of fridges and issues. Sometimes it can be a little unfriendly over there, but asking about fridges is usually safe. ;)
loves2cook4six
11 years ago
Breezygirl is correct.

Before we got the fully integrated Miele we had a GE built in.

Same place

{{!gwi}}

The GE was a piece of junk, to be polite, with mold issues the company claimed was within normal operating parameters so the company we bought it from replaced it under warranty and we were able to pay the difference.
beaglesdoitbetter1
11 years ago
There are three different types of fridge you can put a panel on. Paneled, you are basically just sticking panels on top of a regular fridge that may or may not be counter depth. This is your lowest cost option:
)

Built-in. Here, the look is more seamless than the panel but the fridge does not completely disappear because you are usually unable to cover fully either the vents or the toe kick or both. I believe the Liebher falls into this category because the toe kick is not able to be covered

Finally, the fully integrated, never, ever able to tell it is a fridge at all, no toe kick or other sign of fridge-ness. The most expensive of your choices Miele, Bosch and Subzero I believe are your only offerings in this line.

We use the fully integrated model (we got a discontinued floor model Bosch at a steal) and you'd never ever guess which of the cabinets is a fridge in our kitchen :)
breezygirl
11 years ago
Add Thermador and Gagg to the list of fully integrated fridges.

Since your title asks for pics of built-ins with our without panels, here's a shot of my built-in KA in stainless without panels that I scored in eBay for a great deal. I would have loved a fully integrated unit, but the price wasn't in the same neighborhood of my budget. Still, I'm happy with the look.

And I should have said 'welcome to the forum' in my first post. Welcome!
abbeys
11 years ago
Hi Fiona44!

I think previous posters have done a great job of showing the differences between "built-in" and "fully integrated". We just installed a fully integrated Miele - and it truly disappears - but it was a big splurge for us.

I just wanted to also mention that it's really important that the cabinet around the fridge be built to the exact specifications of the refrigerator model - otherwise it may not look right. If you decide to go this route, you'll want to talk with the cabinetmaker and GC to make sure they know how to make it all fit perfectly. Sometimes the printed specifications from the manufacturers don't provide enough information. (you'd think that they would, but apparently not always.) Our cabinetmaker had to come back and install an extra trim piece above the fridge because there was a space above the fridge when the door was open - it wasn't shown in the drawings. It all looks perfect now, but I'm glad the cabinet guy figured out what to do to make it right.

Good Luck with your kitchen! You'll thank yourself for taking the time to understand your choices before you start.
soibean
11 years ago
Liebherr does make a fully integrated fridge. I was planning on getting a 48" SxS unit (SBS19H0), but looking closely, I noticed that the storage capacity of a fully-integrated unit is about 15% less than a built-in unit. Also, because it has to be shallow enough to fit inside a cabinet, there is no gallon storage on the door. Not sure what experiences others have had with the fully integrated fridges, but I'm worried that it would be too small.
sochi
11 years ago
My Gaggenau is fully integrated into the cabinets around it, no panel though. I LOVE my fridge.
pricklypearcactus
11 years ago
Thank you so much, beagles for explaining the differences between paneled, built-in, and fully integrated. I had certainly seen differences in pictures, but I had no idea how these different types were classified. Very informative! Thank you!
abbycat9990
11 years ago
We recessed the fridge into an adjacent space"
lala girl
11 years ago
great fridge porn! Love these photos (and the kitchens)

pictures of built in refridgerators both with and without panels,

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loves2cook4six

loves2cook4six

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