Hi there, did you mean to attach photos? I don't think they posted. I know this is from a while back but I'm interested to hear what you ended up choosing.

What is going on with the cabinet, or is there a cabinet? Does it have doors that create a center line? Does it have an opening for a basin or is it a vessel sink basin (a bowl that sits on top of the cabinet). A picture would help us help you in the best possible way, but not having seen it- 99.9% of basins must be centered under the faucet. For splashing and for aesthetics. Exceptions are rare. Good luck! I hope to see a pic and get more specific!

Usually when you get side panels you automatically have space on the sides. If you have a full depth cabinet on the top, you automatically have space at the top and in most cases you will have leave at least 1 inch of extra room for the back of the refrigerator, so there is always air circulation since everything is enclosed. In the 70's they use to make a small recessed space behind like Fred said, today you don't have to do that, most Ref have flat backs, recessed wiring, not to mention the supply for ice-maker also comes in a flush mounting kits for the wall... so pretty much everything is recessed and only space you need is for air circulation and 1" is more then enough. In addition, if you make recessed area now and you push ref to far you will never get your doors open so doing all that is a waste of time, in addition most manufacturers starting to make 30" side panels.

I would recommend a soft gray...see photo below...