We are building a house and we chose the Miele 36 inch--not yet installed. We were sold by the quality of the door, the way the custom wood could completely cover the fridge door, the beautiful lighting, the crisper, the completely movable shelves and lots of reading from these forums re: some of the issues with the sub zero. If you go to the showroom it helps to see the differences. We are counting on the Miele track record stated in this forum. Because it is counter depth, we know we will only have fresh items--within view. We decided on refrigerator drawers in our island to off load our fridge of drinks and such.

Yes we are putting them side by side and probably don’t want the panels. Yes we are getting 2 dishwashers. I really like the Miele with 3D cutlery tray at the top. I suppose we could still get 1 Miele dishwasher with the Thermador package but if we were to go with a 30 inch Thermador fridge and 24 inch Thermador freezer with external dispenser, with stainless panels and professional handles, would be about $5k more than the SubZero 48 inch builtin fridge for us. And Thermador like Subzero does not have printshield finish. And new Thermador freezer with external dispenser has no shelves on the door so less storage. So even though we really considered Thermador for everything, switched to Miele or SubZero/Wolf because we also want a combisteam oven which apparently are better by Miele and Wolf. Anyways, think I am leaning to Subzero fridge/freezer but worried will be sorry not just getting everything Miele. Miele’s prices just went up today too even though also started back up 10 percent off deal. Miele just seems like excellent quality and ease of use, even though probably more drawn to professional look of Subzero/Wolf. So confused!!!!!

Thanks so much, Anthony! By the way, I have seen your appliance videos on Youtube and they are great! The kitchen will be about 26 feet by about 16 feet. Do you think that size kitchen supports such a large fridge and freezer? As far as getting it in stainless, any concern with smudges/fingerprints? We would get it in stainless with professional handles or could get it paneled, but I actually prefer the stainless, but am still worried about it always looking messy. It would be nice to have an internal dispenser at least like in the integrated subzero, but the built-in 36 inch columns do not have that now - at least as far as I know, but I could be wrong. And the 36 inch freezer is really big. Wish we could get the built-in in 30 or 24 inches in Subzero (I realize we could do the integrated freezers in that size, but kind of like the look of the built-in in stainless with grilles above). The Miele is nice that it comes in the clean-touch stainless (SF version) but not the same "professional" look and more expensive, even with their current 10% promotion, and not as much capacity. Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks so much!!!

I think I can break this down. Subzero appliances are all "built-in". They have 3 lines, Classic, Designer, and Pro. The relevant, to this conversation, difference between the Classic and Designer are the hinges. The Designer hinges are fully concealed and articulated, and they don't need clearances on either side of the appliance. This allows for a tighter fit and less space on either side for hinge clearances. It created a more seamless and European look. Classic: These can be installed 2 different ways: Standard (stands proud of the cabinets) or Inset (flush with cabinets/panels). Designer: These are installed 1 way: Inset (flush with cabinets) Here is a great article I found today that helped me. https://www.designerappliances.com/blog/sub-zero-built-in-vs-integrated-refrigerator/ Another article from Subzero on the differences. https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/sub-zero/common/built-invs-integrated-series-comparison.html