Refrigerators
The latest modular, undercounter, and drawer refrigerators often appear in multiples, installed around a kitchen, pantry, or great-room just where they’re handy. Store drinks and snacks where the kids can grab them after school and stay out of your work zone. Keep salad fixin’s in the island, adjacent to the prep sink. In any size or configuration, however, insist on flexibility in what you store and how you store it. The biggest fridge on the planet is useless if you can’t find what you need, or if it has gone bad once you do. Look for bins, racks, and shelves that tilt, lift, or subdivide to organize everything from deli trays to yogurt cups. Whatever your family eats, there’s a refrigerator designed to store it. And whatever your kitchen’s style or budget, there’s a model that fits it.

Follow these pointers when looking for a new refrigerator:

• Know your measurements. Standard refrigerators protrude beyond standard (24-inch-deep) cabinets. You can ensure a streamlined look by buying a counter-depth (also called cabinet-depth) refrigerator, available as a built-in or freestanding unit. Be prepared for a jump in price of several hundred dollars for this feature.

• Opinions are split when it comes to through-the-door dispensers for ice and water. They are convenient, but perhaps too handy for kids who don’t bother to pick up stray ice cubes. Also, they eliminate energy lost from opening the door, but cleaning the doors takes more than a swipe. Talk to friends who have dispensers before you buy. (Note: Manufacturers are now starting to include this feature on French-door refrigerators.)

• Although many freestanding refrigerators come in stainless steel (or a stainless-steel look-alike) for the effect of a high-end built-in model, typically only the doors are stainless steel; the sides are black.