How to Make a Counter-Depth Refrigerator Look Built-in

Cover the refrigerator with laminated adhesive paper in a shade or design that matches the design of your cabinets. The paper contains an adhesive backing that sticks firmly to the refrigerator. Cut the paper with a utility knife, making pieces the same size and shape as the exposed areas of the refrigerator. Peel the paper away from its backing and attach to the refrigerator.

Paint the refrigerator with appliance paint or paint designed for the refrigerator’s surface. Use a foam paintbrush, which glides the paint on smoothly, but does not create brushstrokes. Choose a paint color that matches your cabinets.

Add a new cabinet over the refrigerator that matches the same style as your existing cabinets. Pick a cabinet that is the same depth as the refrigerator. Install the cabinet over the refrigerator, making it sit flush with the original cabinets. The new cabinet creates a block around the refrigerator, which makes it look built-in.

Attach custom-made cabinet doors to the front of the refrigerator. The cabinet doors attach to the cabinets on either side of the refrigerator and meet in the center of the fridge. The doors make it look like the refrigerator is an extra-large cabinet in your kitchen.

Place the refrigerator in the center of your kitchen, as opposed to the ends. When you add a refrigerator on the ends of the cabinets, it makes it a focal point. When you place the refrigerator in the middle of the cabinets, it blends into the surrounding wood.