Ours are in an alcove of the kitchen...does that count? I used to have to go to a garage outside or a basement to get to a freezer and this is so much nicer...and there was always the problem of trying to stuff too much into the little freezer at the top of the fridge so it could be at hand in the kitchen. Neither of our units (all-fridge or all-freezer) have ice or water in the door, so I can't help on that question. This is the first time I've ever even had an ice maker in the freezer, so that is a big step up for me! :-) If I were planning a new kitchen, and could manage it in the space I was given, I would definitely do it again.

I have the Frigidaire Twins and we absolutely LOVE them. DH jokes that when we move, we're taking them with us. Having one huge refrigerator and one huge freezer (esp the freezer) works really well for our family. We buy a lot of frozen meats, veggies, etc in bulk and having all that freezer space is like nothing else.

We're temporarily renting a house in Maryland which has a Subzero with a pull-out bottom freezer, and it is so frustrating how limiting the freezer space is. Everything I buy has to be taken out of its original packaging so that I can creatively cram it into the tiny freezer. Forget about putting a frozen turkey in there. When we entertain or for holidays, we have to rely on using coolers for overflow.

I would not give up my Twins and my full freezer for anything. And when we move, I will insist on having the same or similar full fridge/full freezer setup, even if means remodeling yet another kitchen! (and who wants to do that? I do, I do! So TKO :-))

I've got the 27" subzero all fridge and all freezer. Love it, would definitely do it again.

This size freezer was more than enough room for my family - and we do a lot of costco-meat-freezing stuff. I'm finding myself buying more ice cream and frozen treats...not so good for my waistline! This has the ice in one of the bottom freezer drawers. Our previous unit (a cheap fidgedaire) had the water/ice in the door, but just had to pay $300 to replace a broken valve. I am more than happy to not have to worry about another item breaking down.

I love the all fridge as well. My unit has 2 bottom drawers that store all the fruits and veggies, plus my kids yogurts and cheese sticks for an easy and healthy snack they can grab on their own (also thankful for the 'alarm' beep that goes off when they don't close the drawer all the way!!). Since these are integrated units they are counter depth (well, even less than!) which I am VERY happy about. no more forgotten old sour cream or left overs, no more purchasing yet another tub of parmesean because I couldn't see that I still had one in the back!!! HTH

fridge on left side of cooktop, freezer on right

mine aren't in yet but i bought the thermador 30" fridge and a 30" freezer. i'll also have a second storage freezer in the garage. i've had every possible configuration fridge/freezer known to man and i haven't been happy with ANY of them. i can't wait to have my kitchen with separate units!
although i didn't, you can get water/ice through the door of the thermador fridge.

There is an interesting thread by Huango, who has a 30" fridge and 30" freezer side-by-side. That is a lot of inches where you need both the above, and below counter space so, it can cause some challenges to layout in an average sized kitchen, but it can be done:)

Here is a link that might be useful: Huango's kitchen layout thread

Morton5, I forgot to add that yours is a *great solution.

Dang  those get expensive donÂt they... But I really like this idea...

IÂm really blown away by prices. I stopped by an appliance store. They sell the Frigidaire Twins for $800.00 a piece. The next "cheapest" fridge started at $6,000!!! The freezer would be an additional $6,000. Yikes! IÂm really surprised there doesnÂt seem to be anything in the middle. Although I would prefer the other models, the price is really hard to justify and the Twins do look nice with the trim kit. IÂm just not gaining as much fridge space over what I have now with the twins. I am gaining freezer space though  so that will help.

The sales guy suggested I purchase two free standing counter depth single door refrigerators with the freezer drawer on the bottom and put them side-by-side (handles facing each other). Not a bad idea if I could make it look ok. Has anyone done/seen this???

GRowing up, we had a regular fridge with a freezer on bottom, and a full size freezer in the kitchen. It was great.

Now, I have a full size regular fridge with the freezer on the bottom, which I love, and then separate freezer and refrigerator drawers. I love it. One regular refrigerator/freezer would always be jam-packed with stuff so you couldn't find anything, and food would get lost in the back etc. We had an extra fridge in the basement, but that was such a pain. Now, we got a built-in fridge, which I love, but it is much smaller without the depth. I wanted more cubic feet, not less, than I had before, so we used the drawers, and gave up the basement fridge. It is great. We always have enough room, even when we are planning a party. Food doesn't get buried and lost, so food doesn't get wasted.

In stainless? If they would be off in an alcove, like Rhome410 has, I think it would be okay. But if they would be smack in the middle of your kitchen, and your kitchen is open to other rooms, that is a big expanse of stainless. And, I would want landing space next to the handle side of the fridge, which you wouldn't have if you follow the salesman's suggestion.

They don't have to be right next to each other. They could flank a run of cabinets at each end, something like that.

Other than having multiple doors instead of one each, there would be nothing too esthetically different about two conventional refrigerator/freezers. (Subzero has a configuration of all fridge or all freezer with 1 door two drawers,,,it looks like their conventional combo)

A pair of convential fridge/freezers will be more than the twins though.

I was prepared to pay up to $2500 a piece for the built-ins. I just never knew that built-ins cost so much more!

I actually like the all stainless look :-) I guess this is a YMMV sort of thing. We donÂt have the house yet  I canÂt wait to post the layout for all of you to help me with. Right now, the fridge wall is not seen from anywhere but the kitchen  so that should not be a problem. Unless you all convince me it should be somewhere else! LOL.

This is a fairly large kitchen and I just remember seeing kitchens from this site that used the full fridge and full freezer and thought what a neat idea that was. Now, I have the space and wanted to check it out. I never dreamed these things cost so much.

I also never considered refrigerator drawers hmmmmÂ.

ItÂs really fun thinking about all of this. I go to sleep at night thinking of this, and I lay in bed for 10 minutes every morning doing the same. I find I think clearest at those times. :-)

The Electrolux units, like I have, are in the middle...about $1500 a piece, I think it was. Much nicer inside, IMO, than the Frigidaire. Kenmore also has a set (Kenmore PRO) that is looks like it's made by Electrolux, too, but has their own tweaks to them.

I think the idea of the 2 bottom fridges next to each other is a fine idea...No more big stainless mass than an all-fridge and all-freezer of a brand like Monogram. But the freezers wouldn't be as nice to use.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kenmore PRO

We, too, have the Electrolux Icon -- thank you rhome -- b/c I knew I wanted separate frig. and freezer in the kitchen and these fit our budget.

We also looked at the Kenmore Pro, but at the time we ordered, were still toying with the idea of a cabinet panel and the Kenmore does not accept them b/c of the exposed thermometer on the door, and Electrolux could take a panel. We ordered the trim kit for "built-in" look and then ended up modifying that. The top grate of the trim kit was 9" high and I just could not justify losing that much cabinet space above as the grate is just for looks. The grate was actually two pieces and we used the 4" piece and then cut the sides to fit. All went together just fine and I can reach my upper cabinets! (the bottom grate is not installed in these pics as we had one more floor finishing step left). We have been very happy with this model and I would not hesitate to purchase them again.

We have older (30 y/o) Subzero's: Counter depth 36 inch each. We love them, affectionately call them the "body keepers". With the remodel planned next year, we'll be switching over to a single combo unit: I know that it's going to be hard and we may need to go into rehab . . . I'm considering keeping the freezer in the garage, but don't know what that will do to the utility bill, as they can't be energy efficient. If they weren't so darn expensive to replace, I would.

I am looking for a full size refrigerator with an ice maker inside. Is there such a thing?

I absolutlly LOVE mine. We will be building another new home in a few years and I will do the same thing! I love to take advantage of the sales and with these I can do that AND it's so convenient to have the freezer right in the kitchen where it's needed!! I HAVE TRIED TO POST A PICTURE BUT IT WON'T LET ME, let me know if you want to see ours. They are stainless steel, Kenmore, 10 years old and we have had zero trouble