Thank you so much for your input! I went to a showroom yesterday to see the Electrolux Icon set (the only one around Baltimore that had them on the floor!) I was really impressed with the quality and the layout. The Thermadors give up just two inches but that seems to make a difference in the layout (There are no shelves on the whole bottom half of the Therm too.) The *only* thing that somewhat bothers me is that I wish the ice machine was in the middle like the Therm or the GE Monograms because I have two daughters who can't reach or will pull the ice down on their head, but I could always put in a second container of ice down on a lower shelf given how much space is in the freezer! We are also getting an ice machine for a wet bar but I hate to think of 8- and 10-yr old hands going in it every time they want a drink! I've also heard good things about the Electrolux ovens and particularly like the roll-out racks which are included (and all extra for the Therm.) So, that pushes me towards the Electrolux as well. There's a nice rebate going on right now and I'm up to three items b/c the fridge and freezer are considered separate appliances. That's an $800 discount, need to investigate a couple other Electrolux appliances (have heard good things about the bev center, wine cooler and/or ice machine. Not sure about the dishwasher vs the others) because I could get it up to $1000. And, going with the Electrolux is certainly lower than the Therm even with the 1-2-Free deal, especially since it's not guaranteed to be the best products for my situation across the board. Anyway, that's where I stand right now. Would love to hear more - Thanks!

I had a pair of Thermador Columns installed in December (30" Fridge, 30" Freezer). I love them. I had a hard time deciding between the above set vs. 27" pair from SubZero. So far, everything has worked perfectly and I'm very happy with my decision. My final deciding points were: For about 20% less money I could get 25% more storage. (The 27" SubZeros were about 25% more money compared to the 30"), and I had room for either. I LOVED the way the doors on the Thermadors swung fully to the outside of the fridge, rather than staying within the front of the fridge. Opening is so much wider feeling. As for now living with it, here are some thoughts on concerns others have brought up: I'm 5/2" and have no complaints about the top shelves. They are high, but I prefer that to stooping over for lower stuff. And the drawers are great! And I like the shallow shelves, with deeper door stuff because no more lost stuff in the back of the fridge. The doors hold ALL the condiment type stuff and the rest is wide open for large jugs of milk, juice, and everything else! One of the comments I get most when people look inside is: WOW, you can see EVERYTHING at a glance! It all seems to be at eye level and just item or two deep. No more hidden leftovers & stuff. The shelves are still deep enough to hold two gallons of milk, one in front of the other, as well as my big huge serving platter, cookie sheets, and pizza boxes. So no need for the shelves to be any deeper for me. I love the ice bucket location. Open the door and it's right at waist/chest level. Perfect. As I said before - no regrets so far!

We have had our freedom columns for a almost 2 years (is it really that long?). I have to admit I liked the layout better in our Subzero but both the fridge and freezer function fine, though the icemaker is very slow. My biggest regret is not getting the 24" freezer instead of the 18". It is really poorly configured and doesn't hold any more than my 30" SZ freezer basket did, which is very disappointing. Fortunately, I don't freeze much, mostly nuts, ice cream and left overs. If you need to store prepared foods, frozen pizzas and lots of meats, you won't be happy with the 18" freezer. We have a 48" Monogram at the beach and that freezer, also 18", has a much more functional layout.

You are making this too hard! Most cabinet hardware lines will have a matching "appliance pull", usually offered in a few different sizes. For the SZ columns I installed in my last kitchen remodel, the drawer pulls I ordered were 10" and the fridge/freezer door pulls were 16". Some people like them much longer. The certified SZ installers installed the fridge and freezer and also installed the pulls before mounting the wood door panels to the fridge and freezer.