The Samsung Bespoke 3

The philosophy of Samsung’s Bespoke home appliances is exactly what it sounds like — a customized option to inject color and flair to what can be a less-than-exciting shopping experience. And though the first Samsung Bespoke refrigerator was launched in 2019, the company has now expanded its mix-and-match lineup to include 15 categories, with everything from ranges to microwaves, dishwashers to washer/dryers, even air purifiers and vacuums. I’ve been silently eyeballing the sexy Bespoke fridge since it caught my eye at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2021, though I never had a good enough reason to add one to my kitchen. Until now.

Nobody knows how depressing it is to lose a refrigerator until it happens to you. And a few months ago, our fridge bit it. After purchasing a dorm-size mini fridge to store basics, and throwing myself into researching a replacement that would fit in our Brooklyn kitchen, I couldn’t stop thinking about the shiny, modern design of the Bespoke 3-Door French Door Refrigerator with a 24-cubic-foot capacity. So Samsung sent one over for me to ogle review.

With removable colored panels that you can switch out at any time, it lends itself to a more whimsical style sense — without forcing you to make a decision you might regret after a year (or three). But is it as good to use as it is to look at? Here’s what you need to know before you decide to plunk down cash on the premium-priced Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator.

If you’re interested in a new fridge that kicks up your home style, the Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator is worth a look. You get a ton of room in your fridge and freezer as well as a fully removable tray that makes two types of ice, plus tons of color and finish options. The higher price tag also equips you with control over the temperature and ability to monitor whether anything is going wrong.

If you think about it, and I sure did when my refrigerator conked out, we probably use our fridge more than most anything in our home. How many times a day do you open it, sometimes just to see what’s in there rather than take anything out? And for anyone with an open kitchen design, like myself, your fridge automatically becomes part of your home decor. Which is why Samsung’s Bespoke ideology makes perfect sense. Why shouldn’t looking at an appliance bring us more satisfaction?

I received the Bespoke 3-Door French Door Refrigerator — mainly because it’s the only one that would fit in my city kitchen. I was extremely interested in Samsung’s newest tech choice, the Bespoke 4-Door Flex With Family Hub+, but that one is for folks with a little more space. And, of course, there are a litany of other sizes and configurations to choose from, including a side-by-side door option and two with four doors, the Flex and one with French doors.

The first thing I was asked to do was choose from 11 colors and two finishes (glass and steel). You can also choose to add color with one or two of the three door panels. I’ll admit, I had grand plans while checking out the 11 different hues, which include Clementine, Emerald Green, Pink and Sunrise Yellow. And Samsung gamely lets you play around with the design using AI in this Bespoke Design Studio. But in the end, considering I was working with dark granite and pale blue tiles in my kitchen, I stuck to the gleaming white glass option for the entire fridge — with the knowledge that the panels could be changed out in the future. Once installed, we were thrilled with the sleek, polished look that at once invited the gaze yet didn’t conflict with the other colors in our kitchen.

If you’re not satisfied with Samsung’s basic offerings, you can also further customize your Bespoke fridge by uploading your own photos or designs or choosing from one of the limited-edition designs from Italian creative studio founded by artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari, TOILETPAPER.

But apart from its design, the Bespoke refrigerator also shines in other areas, including the adjustable shelves that let you decide how you want to organize the space. And even though this is the smallest Bespoke fridge available, I was amazed at how much more I could fit in it from my last model of the same size.

Another exclusive Samsung design feature is called the Beverage Center. This option is available on all Bespoke refrigerators and is sneakily built into the front of the fridge. Just find the handle on the bottom of the left-side door and this hidden oasis offers access to cold, filtered water as well as an AutoFill pitcher with a snazzy, built-in infuser. Just open the top of the pitcher and add whatever flavors you’re craving, such as tea leaves, fresh fruit, veggies or herbs. Just this morning, I had some farmers market nectarines nearby and cut some into the infuser, to be rewarded with a fresh-flavored water I could pour all day long.

You’d never know the Beverage Center was there by looking at the Bespoke 3-Door, and in addition to the filtered water and pitcher, it has plenty of storage for cans and bottles. I have not bothered buying my favorite seltzer for so long because I could never offer up the space for the cans in my fridge. Now I can stack it to the hilt, along with beer, wine and even a bottle of Italian Cocchi Rosa for makeshift aperitifs to go with the cheese and charcuterie I can comfortably store in the customizable FlexCrisper drawers. Best of all? The Beverage Center somehow doesn’t eat into the storage space inside the fridge.

You know, sometimes it’s just the little things that make the most impact. And when I opened the bottom freezer drawer and found a dual-ice maker, I almost shed tears of happiness. It’s not brain surgery, no, but Samsung’s ice maker has two compartments for different-sized cubes — one with larger cubed ice, which I use in cocktails, and what the company calls Ice Bites, which are smaller and will more quickly cool your drink. Beats the crushed ice that used to spit out of my last refrigerator’s door.

Apart from that, there are three different compartments to store food in the freezer, and I was surprised at how much I could fit into it without worrying about properly closing the door. With a family of four, including two teenage boys, having that extra capacity to keep copious amounts of chicken fingers and fries is well worth it.

• Related: How to clean your refrigerator in six easy steps, according to experts

Another key component of the Samsung Bespoke products is that they are all connected via the company’s SmartThings app using Wi-Fi. Here you can do things like check your energy usage, directly troubleshoot any minor issues, set the temperature for both the fridge and the freezer and even choose the more hardcore Power cool/Power freeze option, which will temporarily bring the entire fridge down to 1 degree Fahrenheit. My favorite thing about being connected to SmartThings, however, is that if SOMEBODY (ahem, my kids) leaves the door open, I will get an alert on my phone AND my Samsung The Frame TV. Catastrophe diverted.

This is getting nitpicky, but as much as I love the idea of the pitcher’s infuser inside the Beverage Center, it’s rather shallow, which means that you have to keep refilling it so the ingredients will keep steeping. Most infusers go all the way to the bottom of the container so you don’t have to worry about this.

There’s no getting around it: The Bespoke 3-Door French Door Refrigerator is expensive, though right now it is on sale for $2,400 from $3,400. And that’s the smallest size. But you’re paying for that “wow” factor with the customization of both colors and finishes — and the ability to change your decor in the future. And for me, it seems worth the extra cash, especially if your kitchen is part of an open living room.

Not everyone needs a new refrigerator, but if you do — and you’re interested in kicking your home style up a notch — the Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator is worth a look. Not only can you choose from a wealth of colors and finishes to add some personality to your kitchen, but you get a ton of room in your fridge and freezer as well as a fully removable tray that makes two types of ice. Add to this a connected aspect that lets you control the temperature and monitor whether anything is going wrong, and the higher price tag makes a whole lot of sense.

It isn’t often that something we need is also something we want, especially when it involves plunking down our hard-earned cash for what would usually be a boring appliance. But I can attest to feeling better about this purchase when admiring the chic, personalized aesthetic that is, YES, my refrigerator.