Kitchen Design Factors III - (Fridge)

The fridge seems to be the appliance hardest to implement in a kitchen design.  Its BIG...bulky.  It is a primary stop in the work triangle.  And its the most expensive appliance (usually).
I learned pretty quickly that if I want the face of my fridge inline with my cabinets I am going to pay 2 times the price.  These types of refrigerators are called "built-in".  These are designed to have custom door faces to match existing cabinetry.  With built-in fridges, they can look like a cabinet.  Nice.  But wait...that $3,000 fridge now costs $7,000-9,000.  Ughh.  There is nothing "extra" you get for that kind of money.  People who want a cool looking kitchen, have that extra cash.  Manufactures can charge the premiums.

I'm thinking more of people who may buy this home and have to replace the fridge...huge and unexpected dollar item.  What if I live here more than a few years more and have to replace the fridge.  I decided that a built-in fridge is not an option.

I will also add one more comment about built-in fridges.  All refrigerators need air to breath...fresh air.  This fresh air is for cooling the condensers.  All refrigerators have fans to move this air past the condensers.  I have not looked into how the built-in refrigerators move this air if only the bottom of the fridge (toe-kick) is open.  There is an old HVAC saying, you cant suck and blow from the same opening.  Perhaps there is a technique they are using to exchange air, but I cant see it.  Perhaps the extra cost for built-in fridges is part of some special air handling. I am a bit skeptical as well about long-term performance and compressor longevity if they are pushing the cooling cycle limits by restricting air flow.

What about "cabinet depth" fridge?  These are refrigerators that attempt to match common cabinet depths.  But they still stick out past the cabinet faces (door width) and they don't have the option for a custom door face to match cabinet styles (usually).  These refrigerators can be priced normally and you wont pay a premium for the "built-in" look.

If I'm going to redo my entire kitchen, I want a kitchen that has "clean" lines.  I think that nice looking interiors have consistent lines.  This is just my personal preference.

cold and clean

The opposite to this is more a complex look with lots of texture and broken lines.  Both photos above and below are considered ultra modern kitchens.

warm and woody

I have decided a compromise look would be the best. The door of the fridge will stick out a bit.  But I will make all attempts to integrate a cabinet depth refrigerator into my design to preserve the clean lines.