Refrigerator sticking out past cabinets?

[marjorine]

H and I are buying a house that needs a refrigerator. The depth on either side of the fridge slot is 24" (left) and 26" (right). We want to buy a French door style, but almost all of the ones we like are quite deep (around 33"). I have a found a couple of counter depth models, but they are more expensive (per cubic foot) and smaller (obviously). And, even the counter-depth models will stick out a bit by about 4 inches.

How many inches could it stick out past the cabinets without looking weird? Does anyone have a fridge that sticks out around 8 inches?

Here are some photos. Unfortunately, I forgot to measure the width of the kitchen but I think those are 18" tiles if it helps anyone to visualize. I think a deep refrigerator would look okay if one side of it was against a wall, but I'm afraid it will look odd since it is the middle of the kitchen/walkway with shallow cabinets on either side.

[reils]

We have sort of the same situation in our kitchen, the fridge is in the middle of the wall and it sticks out. We have gables on both sides of the fridge that stick out too though. I've attached a picture so you can see what it looks like in our kitchen.

ETA: I should also mention that I have never really noticed that it sticks out. I guess we always knew that it would from the plans and getting a counter depth wasn't an option for us but it's never bothered me or anything.

[puppydoggie]

I don't even know if ours sticks out past them. I honestly think it's one of those issues that seems so big when you're in it, but when you're not, it's not something many notice unless it's super obvious.

[SusanBAnthony]

This irritates me too (not your house specifically, but fridge depth vs. counter depth in general). Why are fridges not shallower but wider? Why are newer house kitchens not designed so the fridge is flush with the cabinets surrounding them? Drives me batty.

That said, if I didn't use my fridge a ton I would get the counter depth even though it costs more. We really need all the fridge space we can get, so I would have to go with the regular size fridge bc I need the space.

[thatgirl2478]

While we don't have a french door fridge (just a standard side by side) our fridge does stick out past the cabinets. It's honestly never bothered me. I think most people just expect the fridge to stick out a bit. I didn't consider counter depth fridges b/c they seemed so tiny sq footage wise.

[littlemisssunshine]

Ours sticks out quite a bit, about 8 inches, with one side up against a wall. I've never noticed it or cared. I wouldn't want to sacrifice the space!

[InBetweenDays]

Personally I'd go with a counter depth fridge. Having it stick out 7-9" past the cabinets would bother me. But the fridge does have to stick out some to make room for the swing of the fridge door.

Not the best photo, but here is our counter depth fridge that sticks out about 3-4". Which is necessary to open the doors.

[Susie]

Our house didn't come with a fridge either, and we opted to shell out for a counter depth fridge.

This is what the sellers' regular depth fridge looked like:


and this is what the counter depth looks like:


(Those are the same cabinets in both, just painted and with different hardware.)

Since the fridge sticks out into the main walkway between the dining room and the hall/family room/eat-in area of the kitchen I really prefer the counter depth. The regular depth was so clunky and stuck-in looking, and interrupted traffic flow.

I do admit that we have an entire separate fridge in the basement for overflow/drinks/holidays, that we got as a hand me down from my parents. I notice the reduced volume of the counter depth fridge more in the freezer drawer than the fridge itself, excepting hosting.

[countthestars]

We are going with counterdepth. It's worth the extra money for us. We will buy a cheap fridge off CL for our garage/basement for extra space.

[Deleted]

We chose regular depth, but installed 28.5" depth cabinets which made the countertops 30". So the fridge will look like counter depth. We'll also have an extra refrigerator and freezer. I think the refrigerator will end up in the garage. The freezer may end up in the pantry, but H wants it in the garage too. We'll see.

[stephm0188]

Ours sticks out around 7". Couter depth would have looked better, but the space wasn't there. We didn't want another fridge, so we just deal with it.

[april37]

Our fridge sticks out 8" (not including the handle) and I've never noticed it. To be honest, I knew it stuck out but didn't think it was that much. After I read your post I measured it and I still can't believe it's 8 inches. To be fair, there is a wall on one side of the fridge that comes out further than counter depth. The fridge sticks out about 5 inches past the wall on that side. It's in a high traffic walk way and at the narrowest point, there's only about 3 feet of space between the fridge and my island. It's never been a problem.

Considering how wide your walkway is and the placement of your fridge, I don't think it would be an issue to get a fridge that sticks out.

Here's my fridge:

[TBM]

I would guess that until recently, the majority of the population thought that the fridge sticking out was the way that it was supposed to be. We've only had one fridge that didn't stick out, and that was because it was tiny apartment sized fridge in married housing.

Now that we are aware, counter depth seems like a good idea and what we will likely choose in the future, but I would guess that in the big scheme of things, most people don't really care or notice...they just want something that keeps their food cold.

[hereonceagain]

In your space I think counter depth is better.

[pitterwoo]

Oct 18, 2012 21:41:53 GMT -5 TBM said:

I would guess that until recently, the majority of the population thought that the fridge sticking out was the way that it was supposed to be.

Didn't fridges used to be smaller in general? Our fridge sticks out, but only like 3 inches, not 8 like a pp. It's just H and I so we don't need a big fridge. Our fridge isn't ancient, but it's a handmedown from MIL. Of course I like counter depth better though.

[TBM]

Oct 18, 2012 23:06:09 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

Oct 18, 2012 21:41:53 GMT -5 TBM said:

I would guess that until recently, the majority of the population thought that the fridge sticking out was the way that it was supposed to be.

Didn't fridges used to be smaller in general? Our fridge sticks out, but only like 3 inches, not 8 like a pp. It's just H and I so we don't need a big fridge. Our fridge isn't ancient, but it's a handmedown from MIL. Of course I like counter depth better though.

I remember fridges always sticking out, or being off by themselves so the difference in depth wasn't noticeable. My parents had a monster of a fridge when I was growing up, and when they replaced it, the new fridge had a smaller footprint, but had a similar capacity.

Our 17 yr old fridge doesn't seem to be much different in size than the new refrigerators. It sticks out a fair amount from the cabinet, which doesn't bother me so much, but the fact that it sticks out beyond the opening to the kitchen (just a few inches) really bugs me.


One of the reasons that we are considering a counter depth for the future (our fridge is showing signs of failing, and we will be moving soon so once we move we will get a new one) is because it is shallower and we won't lose food in the back of the fridge. We like to grow/buy fresh food and use it up, and our fridge has always been a bit of a black hole.

[marjorine]

Thanks everyone for your opinions, and to those who posted photos. I'm still 50/50 on the matter, but I think I'm leaning slightly towards getting a regular refrigerator. We did look at some counter-depth models in person and it seems likey they may be too small. I'd hate to drop a couple thousand on a new fridge and have trouble fitting our food, you know? I think the next time we are at the house, I will bring a cardboard box to sit inside the slot and bring it out about 8 inches to see if I can get a feel for how it would look.

[lmdbww]

Our island is at a wierd spot in our kitchen so we had to get a traditional top freezer model. I got the largest capacity "counter depth" fridge that I could find and it still sticks out a few inches past the cabinet on one side (the other side has a wall where the pantry is).

Thankfully it doesnt stick out any further because the fridge door clears the counter on the island by literally 1/4".

[lolc]

The previous owners of our new house had a standard fridge.

Not only did it stick out TOO much, but it prevented you from really getting good access to the counter on the left side of the fridge. It made the kitchen seem very small when you were standing in it.

Once we moved in, we opted for a counter depth and I am so happy we did. I prefer standard side-by-side though, so I'm not sure how much smaller a french-door fridge/freezer might be.



Before (seller's things & standard fridge):


It was awkward to access the counter directly to the left of the fridge


The few extra inches it jutted out made the kitchen seem smaller


After (a few days after we moved in, so don't mind the boxes):



Not perfectly flush with the counters (not sure any fridges are?) but saving those few inches of floor space makes the kitchen feel a lot more spacious.


Also FWIW, check out appliance outlets. You can get great prices on counter depth fridges for much cheaper than you can at a regular store. We had to buy a (counter depth SS) fridge for our last house and bought it at a great price at the Sears outlet. For the fridge in our current home, we went to Famous Tate's. It was under $1,500.