We recessed ours as well and like John need to have it stick out about 1.5 ". I didnÂt even know there was a difference. You will see the fridge  not the 1.5 inches of the door on the sides. Now I want to go find one that is truly counter depth installed to see the difference  it doesnÂt stick out at all??? The handles do  right? So it really isnÂt flush and I really have a hard time thinking it matters. But I suppose it will to some. I just had a hard time spending more $$ for less space. I never have enough room in the fridge as it is!

Hericles, I put a 36" wide CD fridge in my last kitchen. I'll put a standard depth in my current one because my limiting factor is cabinet frontage, not floor area. If I can't install it so that it will not interrupt the cabinet and floor plan, I'll probably go CD again. And I'll have considerably less space for food storage. And it's not even a frugality issue: we were going to go with a Thermador built in but alas: for the same amount of kitchen real estate, doesn't hold as much. You seem to have missed that the point of this thread is in fact dedicated to how to use a standard depth fridge in such as way as to NOT look weird!

Honeychurch, I am looking for the same thing. I posted my question on the kitchen forum and someone suggested a site called Frigo. If you do a google search with "kitchen forum custom panel macgyver", you will find my question and other suggestions for achieving the same result. Let me know what you find. Good luck.

yes exactly what is happening to gthigpen... That would have easily been avoided with a panel cut at the depth of the countertop... Don't over think this... follow the requirements of the ref and make the panel at least the depth of the counter... I even do a 25 - 25 1/2" deep panel with built- in ref like subzeros just so the counter lands flush on the side of the panel... I feel like it looks more finished.. ..