I bought my first new refrigerator 12 years ago, a basic white Frigidaire for $500, a scratched and dent special. The previous fridge in my rented house died and I need one the same day. Then 10 years ago I bought a house, gutted it and rebuilt it like new, now that Frigidaire was beginning to look dated in my new kitchen but it refused to die.
Wirecutter, the NY Times review supplement, has a recent article "The Best Refrigerator Brands of 2022".
"Most refrigerators work fine. And fridges come in so many different looks and layouts that we can’t pick the “best” ones. But based on a survey of more than 5,000 Wirecutter readers and an AI-assisted analysis of 28,000 customer reviews, we can give you guidance on how to find the fridge that’s right for you."
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-refrigerator/Wirecutter is subscription based, here is a chart for people who can't access the article, there is a lot more and worth the subscription fee.

I passed the article onto a friend who was looking for a fridge. I wasn't planning to buy a fridge but read the article out of curiosity. Well, we all know what happened next.
LG has a brand new model that exactly fits my small space,
it is counter top depth and only 15 cu. ft. but is big enough for me. Huge bottom freezer and super quiet, can't hear it running at all. Of all the brands, there are only 2 models that are counter depth and fit my space, luckily one is the top rated LG. The other is Haier but I didn't want the LED temperature display in the middle of the door. I read bottom freezer fridges are quieter too.
At 27.37" wide and 67.75" high it fits in a standard 30" opening, and at 23.375" (less door) the fridge doesn't stick into the kitchen. Total depth is 27.37" and with no handles it's a slick design. My house has an open floor plan and for all practical purposes this fridge it totally silent at my listening chair.
Ordered it last Thursday and Melissa at
Home Depot got me the previous days sale price of $1,168. Unfortunately the price has since gone up and it's backordered but with everything going on in the world I doubt the price will go down anytime soon.
Link:
LG LBNC15231V
I built the white oak cabinet and chopping block too.
Wayne