When I moved into my house a couple of years ago, I loved everything about the kitchen except for the fridge space. Because I purchased a spec house, it was missing a lot of details such as cabinet hardware or refrigerator. The builder said they intentionally passed on those details to make the house appealing to a wider range of people. Ultimately, I got to choose the perfect kitchen hardware, so no problem there. But I wasn't a fan of the fridge space.
When I was viewing the house, this fridge wasn't there. It was just an empty space, and I just assumed whichever fridge I bought would fit inside flushed. I bought a then-brand-new freestanding fridge before the move-in day and sadly discovered that it didn't look quite right. I might sound vain, but I wanted this kitchen to be my dream kitchen after hopping from one apartment to another.
Apparently, a freestanding fridge requires certain clearance around it to ensure it doesn't overheat. On top of that, the fridge was sticking out like a sore thumb in my otherwise perfect kitchen.
Other than that, this fridge was phenomenal.
kitchenaid.com
I honestly expected the fridge to look like this in my kitchen, and it was my fault for not measuring the space before ordering. It's a beautiful and amazingly utilitarian fridge.
kitchenaid.com
You get so many fridge compartments, and you can utilize each zone based on your storage needs.
kitchenaid.com
I will do a separate post on this fridge as it has so many pros and deserves priase. This fridge was literally perfect except for the way it looked in my kitchen, haha.
So after months of deliberation, my husband and I decided to get a built-in refrigerator and modify the cabinetry around it.
kitchenaid.com
It seemed fitting that we went with a KitchenAid fridge as all other kitchen appliances are from KitchenAid. And this 42" Built-In Side-by-Side Refrigerator with Ice and Water Dispenser was the perfect candidate. There was a French-door fridge as well; however, it didn't come with an ice and water dispenser, so that was a dealbreaker.
kitchenaid.com
Still, I think it gave an optical illusion that the fridge was larger than the side-by-side fridge.
kitchenaid.com
If we had a separate water dispenser and ice machine, I definitely would've gone with this one.
kitchenaid.com
And this French-style refrigerator has much better and more organized compartments than its side-by-side counterpart.
kitchenaid.com
Fortunately, the 42" side-by-side refrigerator was in stock, and we got it delivered within a week. But the installation was proven to be trickier than we thought. Because we were working with pre-existing cabinetry, the size of the fridge was pre-determined. Essentially, a 42" built-in refrigerator was the largest our current cabinetry could accommodate. When I went to the showroom and saw the fridge in person, it felt slightly smaller than I had expected because built-in fridges are shallower in depth.
kitchenaid.com
We had to do an extensive cabinet modification, so converting a standard freestanding fridge space to accommodate a 42" built-in fridge was more complex than we initially anticipated.
As you can see from the photo, we had to reduce the size of the cabinets above the fridge to accommodate the new fridge's taller height. But I got the perfectly streamlined and smooth fridge - one of the best perks of a built-in refrigerator.
We carefully chose cabinet hardware as well and installed it. The cabinet pulls were pricier than knobs, but they were worth the extra bucks. With some personal touches, this kitchen was getting closer to my dream kitchen!
And the fridge is so brightly lit and showcases the content clearly and openly.
The fridge has designated storage zone settings to keep your contents fresh longer.
The freezer is on a narrower side, but with proper grouping and organization, it's perfect for two people. And since I have an extra fridge in the mudroom, I can store any extra there. Remember the fridge I first bought before I moved in? Yeah - that's now in the mudroom). The multiple freezer racks display the frozen content better, especially if you use baskets or bins to group similar items. This way, I can check inventory easily and only buy the ones I need.
The fridge compartment is much larger than the freezer, and you get ample storage on the door, as well. You lose some freezer space if the ice and water dispenser is located there. It was a tradeoff for us, but we didn't mind having a smaller freezer.
I like to portion dinner and smoothie ingredients to make weekday meal prep as seamless and easy as possible.
Soon later, we replaced the pendant lights above the kitchen island to add more stainless steel, and the kitchen is my favorite room in my house.
When I moved into my house a couple of years ago, I loved everything about the kitchen except for the fridge space. Because I purchased a spec house, it was missing a lot of details such as cabinet hardware or refrigerator. The builder said they intentionally passed on those details to make the house appealing to a wider range of people. Ultimately, I got to choose the perfect kitchen hardware, so no problem there. But I wasn't a fan of the fridge space.
When I was viewing the house, this fridge wasn't there. It was just an empty space, and I just assumed whichever fridge I bought would fit inside flushed. I bought a then-brand-new freestanding fridge before the move-in day and sadly discovered that it didn't look quite right. I might sound vain, but I wanted this kitchen to be my dream kitchen after hopping from one apartment to another.
Apparently, a freestanding fridge requires certain clearance around it to ensure it doesn't overheat. On top of that, the fridge was sticking out like a sore thumb in my otherwise perfect kitchen.
Other than that, this fridge was phenomenal.
kitchenaid.com
I honestly expected the fridge to look like this in my kitchen, and it was my fault for not measuring the space before ordering. It's a beautiful and amazingly utilitarian fridge.
kitchenaid.com
You get so many fridge compartments, and you can utilize each zone based on your storage needs.
kitchenaid.com
I will do a separate post on this fridge as it has so many pros and deserves priase. This fridge was literally perfect except for the way it looked in my kitchen, haha.
So after months of deliberation, my husband and I decided to get a built-in refrigerator and modify the cabinetry around it.
kitchenaid.com
It seemed fitting that we went with a KitchenAid fridge as all other kitchen appliances are from KitchenAid. And this 42" Built-In Side-by-Side Refrigerator with Ice and Water Dispenser was the perfect candidate. There was a French-door fridge as well; however, it didn't come with an ice and water dispenser, so that was a dealbreaker.
kitchenaid.com
Still, I think it gave an optical illusion that the fridge was larger than the side-by-side fridge.
kitchenaid.com
If we had a separate water dispenser and ice machine, I definitely would've gone with this one.
kitchenaid.com
And this French-style refrigerator has much better and more organized compartments than its side-by-side counterpart.
kitchenaid.com
Fortunately, the 42" side-by-side refrigerator was in stock, and we got it delivered within a week. But the installation was proven to be trickier than we thought. Because we were working with pre-existing cabinetry, the size of the fridge was pre-determined. Essentially, a 42" built-in refrigerator was the largest our current cabinetry could accommodate. When I went to the showroom and saw the fridge in person, it felt slightly smaller than I had expected because built-in fridges are shallower in depth.
kitchenaid.com
We had to do an extensive cabinet modification, so converting a standard freestanding fridge space to accommodate a 42" built-in fridge was more complex than we initially anticipated.
As you can see from the photo, we had to reduce the size of the cabinets above the fridge to accommodate the new fridge's taller height. But I got the perfectly streamlined and smooth fridge - one of the best perks of a built-in refrigerator.
We carefully chose cabinet hardware as well and installed it. The cabinet pulls were pricier than knobs, but they were worth the extra bucks. With some personal touches, this kitchen was getting closer to my dream kitchen!
And the fridge is so brightly lit and showcases the content clearly and openly.
The fridge has designated storage zone settings to keep your contents fresh longer.
The freezer is on a narrower side, but with proper grouping and organization, it's perfect for two people. And since I have an extra fridge in the mudroom, I can store any extra there. Remember the fridge I first bought before I moved in? Yeah - that's now in the mudroom). The multiple freezer racks display the frozen content better, especially if you use baskets or bins to group similar items. This way, I can check inventory easily and only buy the ones I need.
The fridge compartment is much larger than the freezer, and you get ample storage on the door, as well. You lose some freezer space if the ice and water dispenser is located there. It was a tradeoff for us, but we didn't mind having a smaller freezer.
I like to portion dinner and smoothie ingredients to make weekday meal prep as seamless and easy as possible.
Soon later, we replaced the pendant lights above the kitchen island to add more stainless steel, and the kitchen is my favorite room in my house.