It depends on how you use the kitchen and the layout. If the fridge is sticking out and dominating the space going for a counter depth one is usually best. Lots of my clients find they don't actually miss the extra space from a 36" since it was too deep for them to really use it effectively. For a beach house I think the 30" would work fine.

A 30" counter depth will stimulate the economy more.

I had a narrow refrigerator in my last house, and I hated it every time we had guests over (to be fair, it may have been 24 inches). I would consider how many people you'll regularly have at the beach house (family and guests) and whether you need room to cool any significant amount of drinks. The refrigerator can get crowded quickly if you are stocking sodas, water, and beer or wine, in addition to groceries or leftovers.

For a beach house I would go with the 30" if you are not using it that much. The storage and shelves are not as convenient as a 36" but it would look better. We have the 30" now, with the kids out of the house and the way our kitchen is laid out we really like it.

How much food do you need to store? Are you going to have a separate beverage fridge?

My friends have a lake house on Lake Winnipisaukee. Guests typically show up with multiple 6 packs. They have a fridge and an overflow drinks fridge. Not a lot of food, but lots of beer wine and other beverages.

I prefer counter depth. It's plenty deep for everything I need to store, while NOT having extra depths into which things can get lost.

Since the average counter depth is around 24", it's funny that they call a 30" counter depth. I was terribly excited about my counter depth fridge, and recently realized it will stick out a bit. Random, and not really the advice you were looking for ;) We've not moved into the house yet, so I can't report back on my skinny, European-style fridge. I know my realtor is horrified that I went with it, :D We're a family of 4, and I like to eat what's in the fridge on a weekly basis, as opposed to losing track of stuff and tossing groceries which I was very guilty of in a former life with a cavernous fridge. It's also a pretty compact kitchen (10 x 12) and I didn't want a big box dominating the space.

Is this a second home? Is your kitchen small? If so I'd go with the smaller refrigerator. Stash a couple of coolers in the garage for extra beverages that accompany weekend guests. If you live here full-time, have lots of guests and the luxury of space, get the big guy.

If your kitchen is small get the 30". If you have space though more frig space is always welcome. You will pay more for a counter depth frig no what size though.

My old house was built in 1959 standard size then was 32" when we remodeled we kept our refrigerator that we had just replaced a few years earlier. They don't last like they used to and when we needed to replace that one, since 36" is standard now we had to pay more and had fewer choices to pick from. Because of that I would recommend 36". But get the counter depth if you prefer. If you really only have a small efficiency kitchen though go small for the refrigerator too.

I prefer a counter-depth refrigerator. Even these are not truly the depth of the counter, but they're a heck of a lot closer to being than a standard refrigerator.

As to the decision of getting a 30" or a 36", well it depends on the size of your family, how often you like to shop and how much room you truly need in the refrigerator. A counter-depth refrigerator will hold less - there is just no way about that, even if it is taller. I have a 36" in my kitchen, and when I stock up on refrigerated goods, the over-flow goes in my basement refrigerator. I live alone.

The first purpose of any kitchen is to store food and drink. When you go to a vacation home, there typically isn't convenient access to a grocery store either. So having plenty of space is important. Buy a counter-depth 36" fridge, you won't regret it. 36" is the standard, and the counter-depth does hold about 5 cubic feet or so less than a full size fridge. And the freezer space in a 36" is awesome. A 36" would be better for resale too. I have the KitchenAid 36" counter depth fridge and it is a dream.

I've a 30" and it has been plenty big enough for 3 people. In fact, when I upsized to 30" many years ago, my neighbor (with a 4 person family) wondered what I would do with such a big refrigerator!

There are 33”W fridges also. That would be a happy medium.

I am a huge fan of counter-depth fridges. So much more accessible and the actual usable capacity isn't really reduced by that much. If you can make it actually flush with the cabinet fronts, that's even nicer. Some expensive fridges are built that way, for others you can sometimes cut out the wall behind it or you can make all the cabinets just a few inches deeper. But that costs more money.

What I would do though is try to find an all-fridge. It gives you so much more usable space. And in many households, a freezer is more usefully located in the pantry or in the garage. This type of configuration is common in higher-end kitchens. Unfortunately, manufacturers have realized that, and all-fridges often cost a lot more than fridge/freezer combinations. So, for a second home, this might not be an option.

That's why we bough a commercial "True" brand all-fridge for our garage. We love it. Just what we wanted. And the price was right. But probably not something you'd want to put into a kitchen. It's a bit too noisy for that. Also, in a residential installation, it doesn't have any warranty.

I have a beach home with a 33 inch refrigerator. It is not counter depth. We built the house in 2011 and we are on a second one. The ocean environment is not kind. Ours is a second home that we rent so a different dynamic since you didn't mention renting.

But rust was not the renter's fault - at least not entirely. It doesn't help to leave windows open in the summer which I am sure some renters do - or at least the shoulder seasons.

So the 33 is a bit of a pain since the variety of replacements is less. Supply effects price. But no way would I be putting a counter depth one in - the replacement cost is too high especially if you are not using it everyday.

This is what I see - 20 days a year, replace every 5 if you are lucky. So you only get 100 days of life from a fridge. So buy the $1000 model not the $3000 model. I have Subzero columns in our primary house - it is really hard to spend more on a fridge.

Then there are the hurricanes. There is a reason why most beach houses are not all that fancy .....

Our house is 2100 sqft, 5 bedrooms. It will be full Memorial Day. With multiple kids per bedroom. We don't do bottled drinks much but our guest do. But every brings coolers anyway. But a 33 standard is bigger than a 30 counter - and we run out of room. FIshmarket + sports drinks + everyone bringing eggs - so there are 3 dozen in the fridge.....

Have you compared costs of a "standard" depth refrigerator with a cabinet depth refrigerator?

For a second home or pantry I would recommend Thor HRF3601F counter depth. It is relatively inexpensive.