Companies like LG, Maytag, and Jenn Air have introduced a “built in” looking well designed french door cabinet depth refrigerator.  Such models have all the perks of recent cabinet depth models, with twin butterfly style doors that swing open from the middle of the unit to the side.  Splitting the door into two smaller ones, frees up more space in your kitchen, as you only need half the clearance on either side of the appliance. Anyone who has ever run into an open fridge door will appreciate this design also – again two doors that are half the size, means less door sticking out on either side of the appliance.  Anyone having trouble picturing the concept just picture how a book opens, the french door design is no different.

Popular Models

Jenn Air has popular french door designs with a slide out freezers on the bottom. They incorporate max cool technology, temperature controlled lunch meat lockers, and digital controls to appeal to modern buyer needs. 

LG’s Panorama line is also a french door cabinet depth refrigerator, and features a bottom mounted telescopic freezer.  They feature max cool technology, digital controls, along with built in ice maker, and cold water dispenser.

Other popular models include the Maytag Trilogy Line, Kitchen Aid Architect, and Neff Cooling Mania Trio. Keep in mind when selecting your model, that quality is the main deciding factor, as all major competitors currently offer similar features, and benefits when it comes to the new french door cabinet depth refrigerator concept.

The demand for appliances that are energy star rated has increased considerably in the last ten years with global warming issues. Along with that, customers are streamlining their appliances in an effort to maximize the interior space, and usability of their work areas within the home.  The “built in look” is becoming the new standard for all household appliances. The engineering trick for manufacturers appears to be building what the customer wants, while maintaining product longevity, and improving user friendly features in this digital age.

If you prefer a single door design for your refrigerator, the companies mentioned earlier do offer such models.  This author would much prefer a french door cabinet depth refrigerator design: Once again due to increased usability and also less weight swinging on each of the doors hinges, will make for less repairs if you have a hungry family that makes frequent visits to the fridge.

Lately cabinet depth refrigerators have grown in popularity and numbers. This current trend has come about as a result of homeowners wanting to get more out of the space they have in their homes. Without going into a detailed product description I will summarize the product line by making it simple. They have all the features a customer would want, but are engineered to be wider. The extra width is complimented by less internal, and external depth (front to back). This makes for a fridge that lines up flush with your counter-tops.

Brands such as LG, Maytag, Kitchen-Aid, Whirlpool, and of course the Jenn Air cabinet depth refrigerator all offer the same space saving features, and comparable gadgets. Just like most products a consumer will cross paths with in life, it all comes down to quality. As I tell my many customers…”price has to always come second to quality”. Of course this rule is rarely followed, and it doesn’t matter how rich, or poor someone is.  We all want to find the cheapest product, that can do the same things as the product that costs hundreds more. Chalk it up to human nature!  

Many modern manufacturers such as LG have focused their attention on this growing refrigeration design trend. Cabinet depth styling is most common in side-by-side models, but can also be found in top freezer models, bottom freezer styles and the trendy french door models. Many models along with the Jenn Air cabinet depth refrigerator offers convenient features such as roomy interior, and push button controls. Now that you have a very brief overview I’ll go back to my conversation with the Jenn Air guy, Ill call him Ted. He wanted to get my input about the Jenn Air cabinet depth refrigerator models of late.

I promptly told “Ted” that I would not be able to give him any input. I snickered to myself as I could sense his confusion on the other end. “I don’t have anything for you Ted” I cleverly quipped. After a little more bantering back and forth I had to break the tension and let him know I hadn’t had a chance to rip any Jenn Air cabinet depth refrigerator models apart yet. I let him know I was sure the day would come. As an appliance repairman, my job depends on it.

LFX25960ST

Sharp looking, with modern stainless-steel design. This LG cabinet depth refrigerator features a bottom mounted telescopic sliding freezer, along with an ice and water dispenser mounted in one of the doors, This model also features 4 easy adjustable, pull out shelves so you can easily get to items buried in the back of the fridge. This feature eliminates the customers need to open or close the compartment doors in a particular order, making it a user-friendly appliance. You can adjust the shelves to whatever order suits you to make quick and easy access to your most commonly accessed food, and drink items.

The built in ice storage bin is removable, allowing for simple, easy cleaning. One drawback of this model that doesn’t particularly suit me is that the water filter is placed inside the main compartment, which can make for messy removal when cleaning, unless your emptying the entire fridge.

LG LFC25760ST

This model was inspired by one of the very first LG cabinet depth models, the LRFC25750. This french door model refrigerator is rated by many customers as the best in their respective category. With this model LG did away with the cold water dispenser. This change suits me just fine, as they still kept the ice dispenser and it is far more important, as I can easily throw a jug of water in the fridge if I want a cold glass of water.
Like all LG cabinet depth refrigerator models they have created a spacious, organizable area inside with 4 adjustable, pull-out shelves, 2 separate crispers for fruit and vegetables, multiple smaller compartments on the bottom – for things you want to store at a slightly colder temperatures…such as soft drinks or yogurts. The doors are also equipped with functional, useable space and are equipped with 5 separate shelving units.

LFX21960ST

This stainless steel LG cabinet depth refrigerator comes with LG’s standard 24 inch cabinet depth, which will fit almost any customer’s installation needs. With this model LG had both the water and ice dispenser installed along with their water filtration system, designed to produce perfect ice cubes every time. I mentioned earlier that I have no use for the water dispenser, but this article isn’t for me, and I’m sure some of you will enjoy the feature. Being among LG’s elite in the “affordable” category I found some other features interesting also: A built in wine chiller, the patented Bio-shield seal – designed to prevent mold and disgusting mildew, humidity control, fully digital display and temperature controls.  Also like all LG cabinet depth refrigerator models, this appliance meets energy star’s rating requirements.

I have given you the information, and in my typical unbiased fashion – I will leave it up to you, the customer to decide what is right for you.

A cabinet depth model refers to the “built in” look already mentioned.  Basically the fridge lines up with your counter-top, and do not extend past the existing, or newly installed counter.  These models also open up your kitchen space as an inch here,or an inch there can really add up when you take steps to increase the square footage all over your home.

A coworker of mine owns one. Her “Maytag cabinet depth refrigerator” was purchased from a local Sears store about 8 months ago. As she tells anyone who will listen, her model is part of the “Trilogy” signature line.  While I’m sure anyone would be impressed by the name Trilogy, I tend to dig a little bit deeper when examining a product.

On the surface everything looks kosher, the spec sheets let me know that they all have the energy star compliance sticker, and feature an alarm to warn you when the kids leave the door open. The alarm alone could save a parent hundreds over a period of time. The Maytag cabinet depth refrigerator boasts a self sealing center bar, which I’ve read actually seals the french style doors together in the center to completely eliminate cold air leaking out. The shelves are designed to isolate any spills that may come about, so they don’t spread all over your precious perishables. The unit also features temp assure controls, humidity controlled cripers, adaptive defrost options, and my favorite “four point leveling”.  Four point leveling gives you the flexibility to adjust all four corners of the fridge, from the front of the appliance.

If I was going to buy a Maytag cabinet depth refrigerator, I was going to have to see it in action myself! I went over to my coworker Jan’s place to see what this technological marvel looked like in person. She took me through it, and showed me all the nick nacks like the multitude of storage options like customizable storage rack configurations, the “patented” anti mold and mildew coating, temp controlled deli storage, and digital back light display that controlled everything. I decided to buy this fridge, mainly based on Jan’s excellent sales skills. I have only owned mine for a month, but Jan is still running strong after 8 months so I’m confident this relationship will be trouble free for some time to come.