Personally I don't like panel-ready non-built-in fridges. I think they look like fridges with panels stuck to them.

Only way I'd personally do panels on appliances was if they truly disappeared into the cabinetry, and there would have to be some similar scale doors etc. in the kitchen to balance it out.

I don't think having a stainless fridge and microwave close to each other is a big deal. Here's mine.

BTW - the 1 1/2" thick gables on the sides of my fridge are 25 1/2 inches deep, to accommodate the tubes on the backside of the fridge, and to provide a nice flush end for the counters to butt up against (like my plywood counters?).

The fridge pushes right back into it, with even a tiny bit of the doors recessed.

Remember, counter-depth means the main body of the fridge is 24" deep. It does not include the doors (of varying thickness) NOR does it include any clearance you need to leave BEHIND the fridge.

Here's what a KitchenAid KFCO22EVBL French-door counter-depth fridge looks like with panels attached. Basically the fridge sticks out the thickness of the doors and the metal trim is visible. In this case the doors are about 3" deep plus the 1/2" depth of the door seal, and the custom panels are about 3/4" deep. So the fridge will stick out about 4" from the surrounding cabinet.

We have the KFCO22EVBL and ordered faux-leather paneling from West Coast Built-In Fridges (should arrive soon). I have a question about the handles. The fridge doors are pre-drilled for 24 3/4" center-to-center handles. We are looking at smaller handles, similar to the photo you provided. How did you install them? Did you drill into the fridge door?