apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I can't imagine it being cheap, but it would be really cool if you got some wood to pull in the color/texture of your cabinets. I know its the way it goes, but I never liked the stark contrast and absolute divide between cabinetry and appliances in a kitchen. A wood handle could be carved out underneath for a functional handle pull, and could be mounted to sit flush against the body of the fridge. See a woodworker?

I would think that you could have a metal-shop create a custom metal handle that would allow for clearance and fit in well with your fridge. You could have them make custom handles for all the doors on the fridge. It would certainly be less expensive than moving or changing cabintry or appliances.

First, I'd check with handle manufacturers just to see if maybe there exists a refrigerator drawer pull that has the same spread as the existing one.

If that doesn't work, a definitely cheap way would be to use two knobs instead of one pull.

is the freezer a drawer style? If so, could you remove the handle, fill in the holes somehow..or hid with magnets, art...and mount a handle to top rear of the freezer front in the center across to the point where the dishwasher would no longer hit it. In otherwords, have a slim piece screw in from the back, and wrap over the top of the fridge door so that there was just a thin strip to grip and pull. something like this but obviously deeper http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60116700

Or maybe call the manufacturer and see if it sells a fridge with a slimmer handle that they could sell you that would fit on your model too.

er...hide with magnets

I'd find a couple of matching men's leather belts - cut them a bit longer than necessary to make a grip and install them as handles for both the fridge and freezer.

How about a chain across the drawer? Metal on metal shouldn't show too much, and it's so low it wouldn't be too distracting. At rest, it would be pretty flat to the drawer. But you might want a handle to grip, maybe a metal, wood or plastic tube attached to or strung on the chain like a big bead........

What's behind the refrigerator? It is possible you might be able to recess the refrigerator just the depth of the wall (about 4" - the depth of the studs plus the thickness of the wallboard). Might not work if there is pipes running back there or the other side of the wall is your bedroom (it would be a little louder).

You cut out the opening in the drywall, cut the studs, install a header, add drywall sides and mud it all (using the back of the drywall still elft as a very thin back wall).

Try googling around, there are pictures and info out there; or you could hire someone to do it.

plexiglass pull - cut to custom size

Stainless steel knobs?

I'm with JG, steal some space between the studs, that sounds the best.... We have a similar problem here. We have a drawer in the kitchen that can only be opened if the dishwasher door is fully down. It's ridiculous. I am too lazy to figure out a solution for now, I'm just hoping that when we get a new dishwasher we can solve the problem.

I agree with JG. Pull the refrigerator out and look behind it. If there are baseboards in the refrigerator opening, it's quite possible that removing the baseboard from the back of the opening will give you the 1/2 inch you need. You might also try removing one of the side baseboards and shifting the refrigerator sideways. The combination may create the clearance you need.

Another approach is to consider reinstalling your dishwasher on a slight angle away from the refrigerator. Your dishwasher may look slightly askew in the cabinets, but you will be able to open the door unimpeded.

Stealing space behind the fridge won't be easy. The electric outlet, with it attendant inflexible electrical box, is probably right there. But, anything flexible would work for the handle. Take the handle off and attach anything (including rope) to the resulting stubby little screws. The color of the rope at your local hardware store could stand for its strength, but that only means you've got plenty of options. Check out a craft store like Michael's and you'll have terrific color choice (including black) in plastic that you could braid. Try attaching whatever you use with a hot glue gun or epoxy. The knob idea might not work since they would protrude.

Measure carefully then try: http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=1&p=58141&cat=3,43520,43564&ap=1 It looks like there a few low profile handles that might work in your situation. You might even consider changing the other appliance handles to match.

You should be able to find a lower profile handle and, in fact,one that will be more attractive to that stock black plastic. Just search for "appliance handles" and lots of choices will appear. By way of example, try here http://www.thehardwarehut.com/catalog-product.php?p_ref=184263

You need to measure carefully to the center of the screw holes on the handle to get the right replacement. I agree with the others that taking down the drywall likely is more involved than the benefits -- the drywall alone probably won't get you enough room and if you remove the studs, you very likely will have to repaint the wall behind it (assuming it is yours) because the drywall screws will be pulled through. However, if you have a baseboard with quarter-round, pulling the baseboard might get you enough room.

Also, if it is just the head of the electrical plug for the refrigerator pushing the refrigerator out the 1/2" - you can find recessed electrical outlets. They have the outlet recessed into the wall so when the plug is plugged in it is pretty much all the way into it. Or see about moving the outlet to the side of the refrigerator.

Many (most???) refrigerators have extra holes so you can switch the direction in which the door opens. This way, the hinge would be next to the corner where the dishwasher is and the handle would be where the hinge is now. This would leave plenty of space for you to open the dishwasher and would probably be more convenient anyway.