I can't nudge you; I'd hate to spend thousands on an appliance about which I wasn't enthusiastic. Then again, you have to put your food in something. I'm getting a 42" french door counter depth KA Architect and thought it looked much better inside than the new LGs I saw. I have an LG now (which will become the garage fridge) and I have liked it quite well, but the new ones seemed much too gimick-y, plastic, etc. I thought the KA was simpler and classier by comparison and because mine was a great deal (floor model) I didn't really look further. But you should, maybe SZ or Thermador will be better for you?

It's sexy enough on the outside.

I would wait and see if next year's model is more appealing, but that assumes your old fridge will fit and not be too ugly.

But don't listen to me. I did that on my previous 2 kitchen remodels and ended up with ugly mismatched sticking-out fridges until one broke (first kitchen) and the second? Well, I've moved and STILL have the old preremodel fridge.

The thing is, fridges require a little gap to install so they aren't that finicky which means as long as it's a freestanding fridge and not a totally weird size (Liebherr!), you don't absolutely need to order it ahead of time.

Have you looked at other models and decided this is the best of the lot? I have a Samsung French Door 25.8cuft that is deeper(at 32inches till the door) but I love it. I also opted for no water/ice on door. It is so quiet and all the shelves are glass for the most part. Yes, it has the annoying light from the top but I find lowering the shelves helps with access. Good Luck with your search.

If you are doing a remodel, do you really need to confine yourself to a 30" width?

At AJ Madison they list 37 fridges at 29-29.9" and 115 at 35-35.9"

There are nine at exactly 30 and eight of them are Subzero or Liebherr.

You may have to, I dunno. But I had a kitchen that I designed with a 27" Subzero and after ten years I got anxious about selling the apartment before I either had to buy a new fridge ($7000 ish) or replace something major.

If you found this was the only fridge you really liked that fit your criteria, and you don't even like That---you may find even less in 10 years when you need a new one.

Just something to consider while you are still in the planning stages and not structurally locked in to 30".

We don't have exactly this fridge, but its slightly larger cousin, counter-depth (25" deep body), 20 cubic feet, interior ice maker (which we removed). We've had it about 2 years. It looks good, fits everything we need it to fit, keeps cold things cold and frozen things frozen, and has given us no trouble. We may not be in love with it, but we have solid respect for it. We chose it because it was the shallowest counter-depth available at the time, an overwhelming concern in our small space, and excellent comparative energy ratings. In retrospect, I'm glad we set those criteria and stuck with them, or we might still be fridge-less.

Thanks, all -- re the size, no, I am not stuck -- anything in the 29-30" neighborhood will do. Cabinet maker will build cabinets around whatever I buy. BUT I need a small fridge to maximize counter space and to suit our lifestyle. We have a big fridge now and it's seldom full -- I shop frequently and am not a Costco shopper :) Plus, one kid is heading to college this fall and the other has 2 more years to go. I have a preference for single door fridges -- that flapper thing on FD's bugs me but I suppose you get used to it :).

Yes, I've done many searches on AJ Madison. There aren't too many to choose from once you select single door! I also want real SS (not platinum or clean steel), further limiting my choices. Cannot afford (and not sure I'd want it anyway) Liebherr. Cannot accommodate width of SZ (or price :).

lcm_maine, I love your comment about not loving your fridge but having solid respect for it. I think that's where I'd land if I buy this fridge.

vinudev_liny, I must say that the Samsung FD fridges look very, very good to me. I just wrote to my appliance guy asking if this one is "real" SS and asking for pricing info: Samsung RF220NCTASR

Thanks everyone for your help. Come hell or high water, i am ordering a fridge this week!!