I'm sorry Gary, you are just wrong here. I understand you like the variable speed set up, nothing wrong with that. And I'll even get on board that it is newer. But that doesn't make it better ! There just isn't enough acceptance from the engineers designing residential fridges for you to make any kind of broad statement that this is the way to go for the mass market. Your 8 track analogy is pretty stupid. That format has been dead, not produced, sold or serviced for 30 + years. The regualr old embraco system that you loath is still alive and kicking and still has something like 80% + market share. It ain't going anywhere any time soon. Better would be halogen lights vs. HID , vs. LED technology for the headlamps. Or a gas combustion engine vs. an electric would be even better. The elect engine on the Tesla S that's all the rage with the green crowd these days up against that old fuddy duddy gas engine tech of the Maseratti you mentioned. Is the point coming where the variable speed units take over? Perhaps, but it will not be this decade. The majority of manuf. are still using the regular old setups and with sometimes spectacular results. Sub Zero fridges are still going strong that were purchased the same time as your JAir even with their old style compressors. Like I said there are benefits to both types. The fact that YOU feel the benefits of the vari speed type works best for you does not make it a slam dunk for everyone and neither does the opposite. Back to the OP - in his case he'd be silly to base his choice solely on the use of one type of compressor over the other-or-even weigh it that heavily. I bet at the end of the day he's only REALLY interested in the thing working well for 20 years or so - not in how that's accomplished. Good engineering, plain ol luck, superior parts, magic beans or the tooth fairy , few people care. And to throw a wrench in phooey's weekend. Suppose he's swayed by your argument for the vari speed setup and gets the miele only to find out his spouse hates the waaa waaa waaa noise that particular VS setup makes and which is exacerbated by the acoustics in some kitchens ? Or that the hidden controls are just a plain a PIA to use and adjust ? Are you going to send him a check for the thing so he can get something that works better ? FWIW _ I have a fridges with both types. I got them for the purpose they served and my needs - not because of the specific internal parts. Just think if the IT crowd started sticking their noses into the electronics some of these fridges have !

I have what KristianCO has, but without the wine slots in between. At least at the time, that required ordering a panel that goes between them -- an insulation panel, I think? She mentioned the ice -- another reason I liked the Thermador over the SZ. The SZ had the ice down at the bottom, nearly on the floor. That just doesn't work for all the ice we can use here in Texas. Fori, it's not having a second fridge to make up for the failures of the first one. People who spend $3 million on a house as well as the guest who walk into one expect a certain lifestyle to go with it. Even if they don't cook, they probably entertain. If they don't entertain, they want to look like they do -- or at least they could. In my area, people look for a space for a second fridge in homes by the time they hit $250-350K. By $1 mil, they expect a second fridge regardless of how big the one in the main kitchen is. Beverage fridge somewhere in the house or in an outdoor kitchen is probably also desired if not expected. I've seen homes below $1 mil (at the time) that had built-in fridge, second fridge space in the utility, a wine fridge and a small beverage fridge in the master suite. Those homes are probably between $1 mil and $2 mil now, but they give a clue what folks look for when they reach a certain price point. Yes, you can design for change and tear out a pantry, assuming you also left the upper clearance, and maybe it won't make a mess of flooring and cabinets, but in a $3 mil home, I don't think you are going to save a lot of money in the long run. First, you have to plan the layout to include a tall pantry and cabinet above the fridge that would be lost or have a 12" or greater opening and dress that off. That would all be lost when changing the fridge and you could have the cost of cutting down the above fridge cabinet and doors or a new cabinet. All the crown on that wall will probably need to be removed to change the upper cabinet. Your toe kicks will have to be removed and adjusted. Not a big deal, but another detail. And if any of these trim pieces split when being removed, you have to match trim and finish. This won't break the bank for anyone living in a $3 mill plus home, but it is enough that you can see the savings may be negligible or non-existent. Not to mention that after suffering through an entire build out, the last thing you will want to do is any reno any time in the reasonably foreseeable future. Most folks are exhausted well before the build is done. Ok to do it - but be honest with yourself about the cost, especially if you are not a DIYer.

Considering how much you've put into the kitchen already (much of it sweat equity, but I'm talking materials here), I think it wouldn't be that much more to put a cabinet in to match the others - call the place where you bought the others. They make them in standard sizes for standard fridges, I don't know how deep your niche is but I'd go just to the edge, since it looks like one side is deeper than the other, and trim out the whole thing with the trim you used around the windows and doors. I *love* the curved "rosettes" - very Art Deco looking! That way your fridge would look built in, in a unique way instead of the "trim out with matching side panels" like I have in my kitchen. Can you bump out the wall on the left side of the fridge to even up the niche depth? If you can't afford the cabinets for now, you could just trim out the opening (either on the left and over the top, deadend into the wall, or wrap around the right too and run the trim up that edge on the right of the fridge). I just want to see that sharp drywall edge over the fridge softened like your other beautiful casings!

The horizontal hinge is nice because it holds the door open. An ordinary hinge will allow it to fall closed if not held up by you or something. So not absolutely needed but nice to have. Check with Ikea, I have the impression that, although they don't show the lift-up hinges separately in the website, they could be bought separately. Or, I think that if you bought the cabinet, it might be possible to just keep the hinges and return the rest of the cabinet. (I think this because I have read how people created custom sized cabinets by putting parts of various standard ones together, then returned the extra pieces.) Someone on the Ikeafans website might know the answer -- or just call Ikea. If the base cabinet on its side isn't the right width for the space, then you could get a 30" tall wall cab with door and another wall cab without door, put the cabs together to fill the whole depth of space. Just carefully measure your dimensions and the dimensions of the cabinets. Return the extra rear wall.