Fairytalebaby- I know where you're coming from :) We are in the planning stages of our new home and I was thinking about a paneled fridge too. I talked to several people who had counter-depth french door fridges and they were very disappointed with the actual amount of useable space the units have. Our fridge will sit between two doorways so I can go with a standard depth and have no problem-- the bigger the better. I also started worrying about the possiblity of something going wrong with the fridge in a few years - I've been lurking in the appliance forum- and all that money for the fridge and custom panels is down the drain if a new unit is needed (unless you can find the exact same model and the panels fit- yeah, right- not usually my luck). I've decided to put the fridge into a cupboard surround with pull-outs on either side and cupboard doors up above. The sides will be finished nicely and so I get my built in look- or sort of- without the worry. The area between the doorways is large enough that a fridge sitting there alone would look just plain stupid, so it was a given that the fridge would have to be surrounded by something. Is it a compromise? Sure. Am I saving money? Not likely, but I am saving heart muscle and stomach lining not having to worry about those fridge panels, LOL! ;) There are so many other equally deserving details to obsess over! Good luck on your project!

"They're more expensive, and really do not look as nice as a simple stainless model." I've had both SS and now I have a built in a paneled. To me , it looks great, and is sooooo much easier to keep looking nice than my former GE SS fridge. My built in sits flush with the adjacent cabinets, but it does have an SS frame that does not bother us in the least. Some like to play the game, "Let's hide the fridge", yet I've never seen a kitchen where I can not tell immediately where the fridge is, (Integrated or not!). I in fact, watch a lot of home buying shows, and you wanna hear some complaining by potential buyers, listen to them when they discover there's no fridge in the kitchen!!! So, if you like your's integrated, great, but don't run down built ins for those of us that like those!!! "Different Strokes for Different folks" (Next time just say "really don't look as nice as a simple SS model, to me.) Gary

I like paneled appliances. They can very organically fit into a kitchen. I personally don't like appliances that pretend to be cabinets though. So, we opted for a built-in rather than an integrated fridge and then recessed it to be flush with the rest of the cabinets. Very happy with that choice. As for the overall design of your kitchen, I have similar concerns. It's really hard to tell from the one picture, but if feels as if there are a lot of details that aren't quite right and that will come back and haunt you. Designing a pretty and functional kitchen isn't easy. Not every kitchen designer or architect is up to that. Just adding up 30 plus 30 plus 30 plus ... doesn't make for a good design. I don't know where you are in the process, but if you have the option, I would post a full floor plan and ask for more input. There could very well be a bunch of changes that you will be very happy if you made them.

I have a Bosch Panel Ready fridge that was just installed. I ordered panels to match kitchen cabinets, but the fridge didn’t come with any handles. Since I have Bosch wall oven, I ordered the handles to match (from the other fridge which is exactly the same model just stainless steel). The handles had the i satiation hardware to install them on the stainless steel. What should I use to install them on the cabinets panels? I believe the thread of the screw is different and my installers said i need to get another screws however the top of the screw must be as is since it goes inside handle and get fixed in there, so i either need to find the same screws with different thread or find a piece which goes into panel from opposite side and handle screw goes in there. Hope my explanation is clear.