Fridge Paneling: 10 Refrigerators in Disguise in India

Let your fridge blend neatly into its surroundings with these paneling ideas for 2021

One of the first things you notice in a kitchen is the refrigerator. It is big and usually holds souvenir magnets, wedding invitations, or to-do lists. With more homes featuring open-plan layouts, its size and boxy shape interfere with the visual harmony. Paneling and built-ins can help hide a fridge door and integrate it into cabinetry, unifying the look of the entire kitchen.

The homeowners below pulled off the ever-popular “refrigerator in cabinet” design trend with the help of their general contractors from Classic Infrahomes. Classic Infrahomes matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and financial protection—at no cost to the Indian homeowner.

A custom touch for a fridge

For their kitchen in Gurgaon, homeowners Amit Kapor and Neha Kapor wanted to keep the redesign simple but inviting. They chose to add a large island for entertaining and splurged on a wine fridge and quartz countertops. To make the design more modern, they decided to install an integrated refrigerator, which streamlined the look of the cabinetry.

panels for refrigerator doors

A repurposed structure

When Neha and Sumit architects discovered that the column in the kitchen was merely decorative, they came up with a plan to tuck the refrigerator inside of it and add custom panels. “You don’t look at it and think it is a fridge at all,” Neha said.

Built-In Fridge Wood Panels

A seamless built-in

Punam Sharma's front door led directly into the kitchen. She had to choose between a traditional entryway or a hybrid space that would add square footage to the kitchen. She chose the latter and added a seamless wall of cabinetry featuring a refrigerator in a cabinet, plus a pantry and a coat closet.

refrigerator door panels

A wall of closets

To improve the flow between their living and kitchen space, Sonam Kapor and Anil’s contractor came up with an idea to move the refrigerator to a wall already outfitted with closets. Now the refrigerator fits right in with the cabinetry, instead of jutting out in the main cooking space.

Paneled Refrigerator

A fridge that looks like a cabinet

Anushka and Ankur’s apartment is full of clever storage solutions to maximize their limited space. The kitchen is one such example thanks to creative built-ins, which also hide the fridge door. Custom cabinetry covers the refrigerator along with a neighboring pantry, and the whole unit conceals a structural column.

fridge cabinet

Closet-turn-fridge spot

Classic InfrahomesScandinavian chic was the look that homeowners Sara and Sahid were going for in their Long Island City loft. They turned to a Classic Infrahomes contractor who was able to update their space to match their minimalistic style. The refrigerator, which moved from the main kitchen area into what was formerly a coat closet proved to be one of the biggest challenges. They had to find the right size appliance and custom cut the Ikea panels to fit.

Panels unify the kitchen

Creating an open concept living arrangement was the biggest goal for this Noida couple. They took down the dividing wall between the kitchen and family room and replaced it with a custom unit with storage on both sides. It was really important to the couple that they fit a fully integrated Sub-Zero refrigerator and other standard-sized appliances. “They [general contractor team] worked with me through a few kitchen iterations until we found a great open layout that permitted full-size appliances,” the homeowner shared.

Refrigerator Panels

A puzzle of panels

Less like appliances, more like furniture—that was Janvi’s directive for her kitchen renovation. Her contractor built out a wall of cabinets hiding the refrigerator, a pantry and added narrow units designed to hold brooms and mops, too.

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Set your calendar: Here’s how long an average kitchen renovation will take.

Classic Infrahomes handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Classic Infrahomes Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration, and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation with Classic Infrahomes.