Should I buy a fridge now due to color changes? (granite, floor)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Opinions wanted. I am a frugal person sometimes to a fault. I also have a very nit picky side when it comes to the design of my home. These two personalities traits fight against each other sometimes. Right now they are duking it out.
We are making some changes to our kitchen. We are replacing counters. We have a stainless steel stove and microwave. Our dishwasher is white and our side by side fridge is black. Our goal is to eventually have all the appliances match. Its a slow process of upgrades but we are getting there. Since the fridge is black it goes with the stove so replacing it right now was not the plan. Now my husband and I are complexed on what to do as we realized something today. The appliance manufacturers are now selling stainless steel appliances with gray cabinets. What I mean by cabinet is that the sides of the appliances are now going to be a light gray. I looked at many brands and its seems most are doing this. Our newer SS stove and microwave have black sides.The way our kitchen is set up, one side of the fridge will be visible. The gray cabinet on the new appliances is very light in color and actually makes the appliances look a lot different. I think it will look odd when we eventually get around to replacing the fridge on how it compares to our stove. This is my nit picky side taking over.
The second issue is our current fridge is a pain in the butt. Its too large for the space. The previous owners must have really wanted a side by side because they squeezed it into a space that doesn't work. They even took the floor molding off to get this sucker in. It is really squeezed into the spot. No gap on either side and it does rub against the wall and cabinet that its squeezed between. The door also hits the wall if you are not careful. It simply was not meant to have a fridge that big in that spot. Its a stupid set up and needs to go back to a fridge around 30 inches in width.
Right now the appliance stores are discounting the stainless steel fridge that goes with our stove. It has a black cabinet. They are phasing them out to make room for the new design. I really didnt want to buy a new fridge right now. That is my frugal side telling me that our current fridge works fine so why replace it. Then my nit picky side is telling me to get the fridge now before I end up with something that doesn't match. I have to admit the fridge we have now is too large for us. We are a small family and most of the time at least one crisper drawer is always empty and so is half the freezer. This fridge really suits a much larger family. So in a way I would be saving energy costs. Also the set up is stupid and really needs to be addressed but its not crucial in the grand scheme of things. The fridge that matches our stove is pretty plain on features. It seems the cost is mostly due to the exterior. So it bugs me to spend money on something so basic. Since they are phasing out that style, I can get a 200 discount on it but to me that isn't a whole lot since I feel its overpriced for what you get in the first place.
So would you bite the bullet and just buy a new fridge while the correct cabinet style is still available and since the current set up is not ideal? Or go the frugal route and wait till the current fridge dies?
I say pull the trigger if the box sides of the fridge is not going to match the other appliances.
Normally I would advise you to wait, but this isnt one of those times.
If the fridge doesnt match, you're never gonna be happy, I wouldnt be happy either.
Funny, I knew something was due for a phase-out, as they change colors every 10 years or so on appliances, but I didnt see this one coming.
I would take the old fridge and put it in the garage for overflow.
In all but the lowest end kitchens the look of any kind of fridge that is not in at least some of kind of a cabinet strikes me as unfinished. Ideally I suggest that homebuyers get panels to match the fridge to the cabinets.
I would not buy a fridge that "visually matched" the rest of the appliances if it did not have features that I wanted.
I say pull the trigger if the box sides of the fridge is not going to match the other appliances.
Normally I would advise you to wait, but this isnt one of those times.
If the fridge doesnt match, you're never gonna be happy, I wouldnt be happy either.
Funny, I knew something was due for a phase-out, as they change colors every 10 years or so on appliances, but I didnt see this one coming.
I would take the old fridge and put it in the garage for overflow.
I didnt see it coming either. For years SS appliances have had black sides. The darn manufacturers wait until I buy my stove. Go figure. I actually like the gray sides better, gives the SS a softer feel but unfortunately we already invested in the stove and microwave. We won't have room in the garage for the side by side. We park both cars in there. The winters here are brutal (although this year has been mild). There are only 3 of us so overflow probably wouldn't happen unless its around the holidays. UGGH.
You know how it is, one home improvement project turns into 2 and 3 and....
There are also firms that will do a beautiful job WRAPPING SS around ANY kitchen appliance. Now it ain't cheap as even the thinner gauge SS (which is often "quilted" for rigidity) is over $10/sq ft for material alone -- Speedy Metals - 24ga (.024") 304 Stainless Steel Sheet #4 Finish but it definitely will "trim out" an ordinary side panel into something VERY bright and high end looking. I have seen a few lofts finished out with fridges like this as you can often save so much to get a top of the line fridge in plain white that even with the custom SS it is still THOUSANDS less than a designer brand...
There is another option as long as you are redoing the counters. You can have a wood panel that will match the cabinets put on the exposed side of the fridge. I am including a link which explain it better than I could. Hide that Ugly Refrigerator
There is another option as long as you are redoing the counters. You can have a wood panel that will match the cabinets put on the exposed side of the fridge. I am including a link which explain it better than I could. Hide that Ugly Refrigerator
Love this option. I will bring these photos when i get my cabinets.
I think a fridge is the absolute ugliest thing you can have in the house, yet very necessary.
There is another option as long as you are redoing the counters. You can have a wood panel that will match the cabinets put on the exposed side of the fridge. I am including a link which explain it better than I could. Hide that Ugly Refrigerator
Thanks for the suggestion. We had this set up in one of our other houses. I had thought of this but my husband isn't up for the task. After renovating 4 houses he is burned out and I can't blame him. He told me he would rather buy a new fridge that go through all that work. Plus the expense. We have existing cabinets we need to work with. Also the fabricator is coming tuesday to complete the template and something like that would be need to be built before he shows up. I decided before I make the decision to buy a new fridge I am going to see what the fabricator thinks about how our current fridge is set up. Since the current fridge is squeezed into the spot and it is right up against the counter edge, the granite might not work. So we might be forced to buy a new fridge anyway. I have to admit after looking at so many plain fridges, I am a bit spoiled by our side by side. I like all the compartments.
There is another option as long as you are redoing the counters. You can have a wood panel that will match the cabinets put on the exposed side of the fridge. I am including a link which explain it better than I could. Hide that Ugly Refrigerator
In all but the lowest end kitchens the look of any kind of fridge that is not in at least some of kind of a cabinet strikes me as unfinished. Ideally I suggest that homebuyers get panels to match the fridge to the cabinets.
I would not buy a fridge that "visually matched" the rest of the appliances if it did not have features that I wanted.
I so agree...... and not just because I of what I do for a living but because it is right
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For years SS appliances have had black sides. The darn manufacturers wait until I buy my stove. Go figure. I actually like the gray sides better, gives the SS a softer feel but unfortunately we already invested in the stove and microwave. We won't have room in the garage for the side by side. We park both cars in there. The winters here are brutal (although this year has been mild). There are only 3 of us so overflow probably wouldn't happen unless its around the holidays. UGGH. 
