We're exploring having 30" deep counters on one wall of our kitchen to accommodate countertop appliances and give a little more space in general, since we have limited counter length.

The two appliances on that wall are the range and the refrigerator. The fridge seems like a win-win if we go to 30" counters---we can save money with a standard depth fridge and have it look pretty reasonable if we panel it in. Our current range, a vintage O'Keefe and Merritt, will happily slide into a 30" deep opening too since it's deeper than modern stoves.

What I'm worried about, though, is what happens if we replace the range someday. I don't want to have to modify the cabinetry and counters to get a new range in and want to put in a hood that will accommodate a higher BTU stove in the future, so we're building for standard sizes (e.g., opening will be 36" even though the vintage stove only needs 34", etc.) I've been hunting for specs on likely candidates (we'd probably get a freestanding pro-style range) but it seems like everything is designed for a 24" deep space. Are we really limiting ourselves by making this counter run 30" deep, or is it possible to slide a freestanding range forward or otherwise fit it into a 30" deep space without affecting function? The specs for companies like Wolf seem to focus more on minimums than maximums, so it's hard to tell.

Any thoughts or experiences would be great---thanks!