Slim Refrigerators

My hubby and I are going to update our kitchen. Originally we were planning on a total renovation, but after receiving a quote of $20,000 from NYKB we decided to scrap that plan. (Oh, and that price only included the cost for demo-ing our existing kitchen - it didn't include the cost of cabinets, countertops, flooring, backsplash, appliances, etc.) So now we're going to change the cabinets, countertops, flooring, lighting, and get a new stove and refrigerator. Our kitchen is tight, to say the least, and we have a washer and dryer shoved in next to the refrigerator.

I think the washer/dryer may be the most important element in our kitchen. It is an incredibly luxurious convenience, and I would definitely rather be without a stove if I had to give up one of the two. The problem, however, is that our washer/dryer needs some more space on either side of it so it doesn't rattle when it is on the spin cycle. So how do we do that? We've decided to get a refrigerator that is 24" wide rather than 28" wide as we currently have. I think it's referred to as an apartment-sized refrigerator.

We've done some research, and here are the best options:

1) The Liebherr CS1350, 78" H x 23 1/2" W



pros: aesthetically the best, tall (I am 5'11" and my husband is 6'2" so height is good!), supposedly a great refrigerator, freezer on the bottom

cons: cost ($2900)

2) The ConServ,



pros: like the Liebherr it also is good-looking, tall
cons: currently unavailable from the importer

3) The Summit CP171SS, 79 1/2" H x 23 5/8" W



pros: tall, looks pretty good, less expensive than the Liebherr and the ConServ ($1100)
cons: manual defrost (big bummer!)

4) The LG LRBP1031, 67.3" H x 23.4" W



pros: the least expensive of the choices ($600)
cons: not as tall as the others


Now, having shown you the options, I know that our first choice is the Liebherr, but it is too darn expensive. So, we'll probably end up going with the LG unless we hear something terrible about it. It looks good, has the freezer on the bottom, is not manual defrost, and will not set us back almost $3000.