The responders to your question will, no doubt, list various brands from which to choose. You'll still have to decide which among them will be best for your needs.I have enjoyed my Liebherr French door model for over three years. It is quiet in operation, very energy efficient, well laid out and makes the best ice cubes (not the traditional crescent type) of any refrigerator I have had over the last 30 years. Liebherr offers a wide selection of built-in and free-standing models in widths from 24" to 60". Check their website for more information.

agree with kitchenkat...have had my leibherr for over a year and love it. very quiet, great ice cubes, love the layout, lighting and ease of cleaning.
we have the FD with2 freezer drawers on bottom..model #hcb2062.. we do have the biofresh and it really works. can keep lettuce and veggies for at least 2 weeks. my old fridge, the lettuce would go bad in about 5-6 days. so i do love that feature.

while i can't speak to durability..so far its been a dream.
you seriously cannot hear it. you only hear the ice drop and water come on to refill it and even that is quiet.
everything stays fresh for a long period of time.

others talk about the high top shelf, but i am only 5'3" and i can reach it, but i will say, i cannot reach the far back of it which has not been an issue for me. everyone else in home is taller and they all can reach everything.

good luck !

Hi Chipster, I was asking the same question back in August. I was really frustrated and disappointed to discover that reviews and comments online suggest that refrigerators just don't last long any more. My last refrigerator only lasted 15 yrs and that was a disappointment, since the one before that was 25 yrs old. And now it seems you can't even expect them to last 15 years.

It took me awhile to come to terms with that sad fact and I did a lot of research and made a choice based on the same size you needed, with a budget of $1500. or less, and from my own happy experience with a bottom freezer. I started with the Consumer Reports.

In the end, I bought a Whirlpool Bottom Freezer and we are very happy with it in it's first 3 months. Also very quiet. We decided that if the refrigerator was not going to last long, and if the customer service complaints were frequent with a lot of companies, then we were going to buy from a local appliance dealer who we had done business with before, that has an excellent service department and we got an extended service contract.

Here is the thread about our shopping process....

Here is a link that might be useful: Which refrigerator?