Counter depth fridge?

[adlove]

Trying to decide on a refrigerator for our house and we're kind of stuck on what will be the better option for us - counter depth or not.

A counter depth would be only for cosmetic reasons really, there isn't an island or cabinets near the fridge to where space or functionality is the issue. A standard depth would stick out about 6 inches from the enclosure they built for the fridge. 

Which would you choose? Or what do you have in your home and are you happy with your choice?

[emjacobs]

We have a standard depth fridge. It sticks out a bit on one side and enough to open the door on the other side (wall side). You can easily open the doors / drawer while standing in front of it with no problems, the peninsula ends right in front of it but there is plenty of space.

[boiler717]

6 inches seems like a big deal, IMO. How wide of a space do you have there?

The downside is that counterdepths have less interior space. If you have a second fridge that becomes less of an issue.

Our appliance guy really tried to sell us on the new 72" tall counterdepths that have more space, but all of that extra space (2 inches) is the freezer). We passed on paying the extra $1k for 2 inches of freezer space and will buy an upright freezer instead.

[Deleted]

I have one now that we got in November. We bought it when our old one died to test drive counter-depth for our next kitchen, (the new one is a really cheap one we'll ditch on CL when we remodel). It's actually a good bit shorter than a regular fridge too since it was so cheap. I love it. I don't like having a big fridge. Things tend to get lost in the back and rot, and I tend to collect leftovers. It's a little tight on grocery day, but not unmanageable. If it were more than just the two of us, it might be a bit harder, though a tall fridge would probabaly make up the difference. It's easier to clean, and I think it's cheaper to run.

We do have a second chest freezer in the basement. I need that even with the full fridge though.

[sjh722]

We got a standard depth and we have a fridge enclosure.

Our fridge is at the end of a run of cabinets, if that makes sense, not in the middle, so it doesn't bug me as much.

I am glad we got the standard depth since it has more storage space (CY) than the counter depth.

[adlove]

I guess I should explain we prefer the look of the counter depth, I just don't know if it would be the best decision as far as space inside the fridge. I found one that is 24.5 sqft which seems reasonable, I'm just wondering if the sticking out issue really is a big deal or not.

The problem with our kitchen is that the fridge is on the edge closest to the door so it'll be the first thing you see when walking into the kitchen. Here's a pic, it will go on the left side. We plan to add an island in the middle of the kitchen but that still should leave plenty of space.

[Deleted]

Where you're living now, could you somehow block off the back six inches with cardboard or something and live with it for a little while? Like I said, I don't mind the smaller space and actually find I waste less with it, but I can't speak for other people.

[tarheels]

Counter depth! I think these pictures illustrate the difference well. Look on the right.

[tarheels]

Oh my gosh, you have to put a counter depth in that kitchen! Seriously, it could be in a magazine, why are you even considering anything else?

[boiler717]

Umm your house is gorgeous.

24.5 is plenty big enough IMO. How tall is it? Ours is only 22 and is fine, although I do think I'll want a second fridge once we have kids (but I think I'd want that regardless of standard versus counter).

[boiler717]

Feb 18, 2013 15:42:41 GMT -5 tarheels said:

Oh my gosh, you have to put a counter depth in that kitchen! Seriously, it could be in a magazine, why are you even considering anything else?

This! And can we see more pictures?

[adlove]

Lol thanks! It's not ours yet we close next Thursday. I didn't measure the height of the space but I recall the builder saying either 75 or 76" because he was leaving enough room for door hinges at the top. It seems that most of the fridges are about 70" high though, where do I find one in a taller height?

[niknik]

I have a counter depth and two kids. I just prefer that it not stick out and not have my kids run into it. I do have a spare garage fridge/freezer for storage and overflow but if I had a regular depth fridge, it would just collect stuff (leftovers and whatnot).

I know Fisher and Paykel make taller fridges.

[boiler717]

Feb 18, 2013 15:55:20 GMT -5 adlove said:

Lol thanks! It's not ours yet we close next Thursday. I didn't measure the height of the space but I recall the builder saying either 75 or 76" because he was leaving enough room for door hinges at the top. It seems that most of the fridges are about 70" high though, where do I find one in a taller height?

KitchenAid has a 72" one, but that's the one I was saying was $1k more for 2" of freezer space so I would take good stock of where exactly you are getting the extra space. The height also should include the the hinges. For example, the KA 72" fridge cabinet is about 70 inches tall but the hinges make it 72 inches. The 70" fridge has a 68" cabinet.

We asked our builder for a piece of cabinet trim so we could cut exactly after the fridge came in and was leveled. You probably have some pieces laying around in your garage or basement you can use for that.

[boiler717]

Also, in full disclosure, I can't say I recommend my KA fridge. They are giving me some trouble right now although the FB people do seem to be fairly responsive. I'm still waiting on a final opinion on them .

[adlove]

Thanks boiler717 - the one I had my eye on is from LG which is a brand I really have no experience with but it has pretty good reviews. I might just go with the ~70" height and see if I can do something similar to you with the trim at the top.

Also good point @juno and niknik about being less wasteful with the smaller space, I think I'd definitely be more mindful of what I'm buying which is a good thing.

[sratsey]

I have a KitchenAid counter depth and (since I'm not having the same door issues as boiler) I'm happy enough with it. It provides adequate space for my family of four...not certain of the height. It has the freezer on the bottom.
In my last home I had a SubZero, which I was also happy with. I can't say that one was better than the other. On the inside, the SZ was much more high end looking, but at the end of the day, the serve the same purpose.

The fridge sticking out is a huge pet peeve of mine. In your kitchen I wouldn't even consider anything else an option.

[SusanBAnthony]

Our new house has a counter depth fridge. I is kind of necessary due to the layout- it is along the path from dining room into kitchen and then into family room. So sticking out 6" would be annoying.

When we moved into our rental house with its small fridge (comparable to a counter depth is my guess) it was annoying. But once I got used to it, it has been fine. The only time it is a pain is when I harvest the garden in the summer and need to find a place for a shit ton of produce before I freeze or can it. And this is with two kids. We just don't keep a ton of choices (like three differs kinds of lunch meat, multiple cream cheese and regular cheese choices, etc, at all times. And that is better for waste and the grocery bill as well!

We do have a small deep freeze, which I would need regardless of fridge size, as I freeze garden produce in the summer.

[Susie]

We have counter depth.  This is what it looks like:


compared to the standard depth fridge that our sellers had in the same place:

(same counters & cabinets, we just painted them.)

I really prefer the counter depth.  The standard depth stuck out in the room, impeded traffic flow, and looked stuffed-in. 

The down sides to the counter depth are the price tag, and the loss of storage space.  I don't notice that in the fridge as much as the freezer.  I don't mind, though, since we have a chest freezer (and a spare beer fridge) down in the basement.  It's a good trade off for the better traffic flow in the kitchen.

[countthestars]

We went with counter depth because I think it looks much cleaner. I agree that in your (gorgeous!) kitchen, you have to do counter depth. We haven't moved in yet so I can't recommend or not but we went with a GE Profile www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/PGCS1NFZSS.html

[TBM]

Feb 18, 2013 15:33:49 GMT -5 @juno said:

I have one now that we got in November. We bought it when our old one died to test drive counter-depth for our next kitchen, (the new one is a really cheap one we'll ditch on CL when we remodel). It's actually a good bit shorter than a regular fridge too since it was so cheap. I love it. I don't like having a big fridge. Things tend to get lost in the back and rot, and I tend to collect leftovers. It's a little tight on grocery day, but not unmanageable. If it were more than just the two of us, it might be a bit harder, though a tall fridge would probabaly make up the difference. It's easier to clean, and I think it's cheaper to run.

We do have a second chest freezer in the basement. I need that even with the full fridge though.

This is exactly the reason why we are considering a counter depth fridge when we move. 

[TBM]

Feb 18, 2013 15:59:26 GMT -5 niknik said:

I know Fisher and Paykel make taller fridges.

Fisher and Paykel fridges are the same fridge as Kitchenaid.  Just an FYI, not a comment on the brand or anything.lol

[InBetweenDays]

I agree with everyone else. I'd definitely do a counter depth fridge. We have the GE Cafe French Door counter depth fridge and love it. We're a family of 4 and have never felt like we didn't have enough room. We do have a spare freezer in the basement, but no extra fridge.

[thewop]

All I have to say is that I don't usually like white kitchens, but yours is pretty awesome.

[adlove]

Ok counter depth is definitely what we will go with. Thanks everyone for the advice (and the nice compliments!)

[midwest07]

I agree with the others, love your kitchen. No way would I want a fridge sticking out extra inches into the space. We went from a huge white regular depth fridge when we moved in to our house, to a counter depth stainless steel one. Part of the reason it looks better is because it's stainless and blends better with the black appliances, but it really does look so much better.

We prefer a side by side, and I feel like the freezer space is quite large. To me, the freezer has more space than a top or bottom freezer of a regular depth. The only space issue I notice on the fridge side is that the bottom drawer is more like half a drawer and is supposedly to store meat rather than a second produce drawer. And, I have a few very large platters that don't fit into it, but that's likely more due to the side by side configuration than the counter depth. Then we have an old fridge in the basement to use if we are having parties, etc, so we don't really have any space issues.

[315]

Another vote for counterdepth!

[pickel]

Gorgeous kitchens!! I also vote for counter depth.