Where will you off load stuff you want to put into or take out of the refrigerator? Usually you need some kind of counter area within easy reach of the fridge. Ours is on the island right behind. In our old house it was a counter surface right next to the fridge.

Annie, you make a very good point. I didn't even think about this until you just mentioned it and of course you are right.

We don't have a refrigerator landing pad right now and use the opposite counter and the counter over the dishwasher. It isn't a perfect system but the trade off is to lose pantry space and I would hate to do that. I don't think there is a solution to this problem.

If you replace the pantry to the left of the fridge with a cabinet and uppers, you're really only losing a little bit of storage space, but what you gain will be essential to how your kitchen operates. You will also have a lot of storage above and below the advantium.

Glad you're going induction...I love mine.

Also, where the deadspace is in the corner, my GF solved it by putting cabinet fronts on the eat-in side of her peninsula...all of them are dummy but the one on the far right which opens to give access to that corner...she stores stuff in there that she uses in the eat in area.

I like that idea for efficiency, but if I replace the pantry to the left of the fridge with a cabinet and uppers, how do I cover the side of the fridge that will be showing? Also since the space is 30" inches deep do I still use a 13" upper - would that look weird?

This is the way it looks now

I had a pullout pantry next to the fridge in my last kitchen. I had the cabinet people put a pullout cutting board in between the upper and lower pantry pullout sections so I could off load. However, we also had an island counter there to put bags on, and I had not accounted for the actual height and width of the cutting board when I envisioned it....The result was more of a "handy cocktail landing" at slightly above elbow height that we never pulled out except for a laugh. Still, your pantry is wide enough if you keep the full width (believe me when I tell you that 12 inches won't do it!) that it might work as a landing.

Looks like you are familiar with this issue in your current kitchen and it shouldn't be a much of a problem.

I had a pullout pantry next to the fridge in my last kitchen. I had the cabinet people put a pullout cutting board in between the upper and lower pantry pullout sections so I could off load. However, we also had an island counter there to put bags on, and I had not accounted for the actual height and width of the cutting board when I envisioned it....The result was more of a "handy cocktail landing" at slightly above elbow height that we never pulled out except for a laugh. Still, your pantry is wide enough if you keep the full width (believe me when I tell you that 12 inches won't do it!) that it might work as a landing.

Looks like you are familiar with this issue in your current kitchen and it shouldn't be a much of a problem.

You have a french door fridge which makes it hard to place anything from the fridge onto counters beside it. You have to go around the doors to do it. I suspect you will still take things out of the fridge and do the step and turn to the counter behind you. My aisle width is 5' and it is what I do. I do have a bit of counter beside the fridge and never use it. I'd leave the pantry/fridge set-up the way you have it.

I think the lack of a landing pad next to the fridge is one of those "flaws" that I am going to have to live with.

I actually would love to have countertop in that location for a different reason. It would be a good place to toss stuff when I come in from outside instead of above the dishwasher.

I am fretting now about the "speed oven". Is it redundant? I know there are a lot of people who would ditch their big ovens and use only speed ovens, but I just can't see doing that. I am starting to waver and might just install a nice microwave instead.