I would call a custom cabinetmaker in to solve this issue, mine can do wonders in awkward spaces.

It looks like you've done a lot of work in this space!

So... I hate to suggest it but... I think you would be better off moving the existing upper and lower cabinets to the left, and adding the pantry next to the refrigerator. That way you keep the taller, more blocky cabinets and appliances together. You also don't have to buy new uppers or lowers, you can just use those again.

I am not sure what is on the other side of the refrigerator (to the right), but if it is a wall or it doesn't have cabinetry you need to match up to, you would then have a custom cabinet maker make you a full depth upper above the fridge(24"), and match the 24" base cabinets with the depth of the pantry. The upper and lowers then can end wherever they end without any concern.

If you don't want to do a huge renovation like that, have the custom cabinet maker make you a stand alone cabinet the exact size you want. You might pay more then what you would pay at Ikea or something, but the quality will be there and it will fit like a glove.

Can we see the rest of the kitchen, please?

I love the Architect's idea. Take the uppers down, put in the pantry and fill the space with shelves.

Also, just curious, why not store food in upper cabinets?

Here is the rest of the kitchen. Also, to clarify, the previous owners put the cabinets in. I'm not sure what they were thinking, or what used to be there, I just know it doesn't work for me.

Architect, that is a great way to make the cabinets even out! I'm not terribly fond of open shelving, but I might be willing to try it if it gets rid of that awkward unevenness. Getting my husband on board may be a different matter, though.

As for why no food in the top cabinets, my husband was afraid that the weight would cause the shelves to bow.

I store food in my upper cabinets. Never considered that. We did see minor shelve bowing in our pantry in our old house. I just took the shelves out and turned them over. :)

What a cute little "model"!

Do you like the layout of your kitchen? It seems to me you have very little prep space by your stove & your fridge seems to be in an awkward space as well. If I were going to redo the space I'd move the fridge (probably get a smaller fridge as it seems too large for the room/space) to the stove's location and put uppers and lowers on either side of the stove on the wall opposite the sink. I'd probably build a small pantry 1/2 the size of the fridge where the fridge is currently.

No, I don't particularly like the layout. As you say, the fridge is in an awkward spot and has to be kept far from the back wall because otherwise the doors can't open. It also kind of blocks the doorway into the kitchen. I usually do my prep above the dishwasher. What really irks me, though, is that the dishwasher/sink is so far away from the cabinets that can store dishes. (I can barely reach the ones above the dishwasher, so those store less-used items like my waffle maker, or my husband's foods.) It's a good 5 steps away from the dishwasher to the cabinet, so putting away dishes is very inefficient!

I do kind of like Carly's suggestion of moving everything to the left and building a pantry where the fridge is currently. I'm not sure what all would be involved in terms of moving the electric and water lines.

In an ideal world I could completely reorganize this whole area to be more efficient.

If you are able to; I would move everything on that wall as far down as possible and add the pantry between the fridge and wall. It will look less awkward there and get the larger fridge out of the doorway.
It would effectively rearrange the space without the expense of tearing everything out and starting all over.

Is it just my impression or is the countertop sticking out too much over the cabinets?

I see what you mean! But I think it may be an optical illusion. They don't overhang all that much over the front-- maybe a couple of inches? They might go too far over the sides, but I'm not really sure what's standard for that.

To clarify, you currently have enough storage for your needs, but it is not healthy for your knees to access it? In your case, tell hubby a new shelf is cheaper than a new knee and store your food where you need it.

I had to have a talk with Husband early in our marriage--I'm an at-home mom and homemaker. Husband had to hear "this is my workplace, these are the tools I use to do my job, and it will be arranged to my satisfaction so I can do my job effectively."

The layout is problematic. So save your pennies for a renovation, and assert yourself in the small stuff now so that when the time comes, the big stuff is less of a battle.

In my opinion.

I was going to suggest either

1) what the ARCHITECTS, dpc drew above, or

2) putting a 12" or 15" deep set of cabinets there (you can get a pantry cabinet of various depths, or get all high wall cabinets and build a pantry-equivalent) next to the uppers, and then find a little filler for the bottom, like a 3" spice-rack pull-out.

Either of those approaches would be easier than moving your cabinets all over the place, but of course next to the fridge you could have a full-depth pantry. Still, unless you can match the cabinets very well, it could look odd stuck in the middle...

If your husband thinks that boxes and cans of food weigh more than stacks of ceramic dishes, he's a nut! That's what most people keep in wall cabinets! Either they're screwed into the studs or you're in trouble anyway... ;)

Forgot to show an example or two of shallow pantry cabinets:

Pantry next to the fridge is probably a good idea. If you can incorporate the microwave somehow I think it would help your kitchen.

call cabinet shop.sounds like you really do not like anything about kitchen.
perhaps cabinet man can just rearrange a little without much expense then you can get what you really want. makes life more enjoyable to love your house.

Just wanted to say I have stored all my food in uppers for the last 14 years on super cheap cabinets without any bowing. I do keep most of my cans on the bottom "shelf" of the upper (which is not actually a shelf) and has much more support. Really, it is not a problem.

Disclaimer- I am not a designer- just went through a kitchen remodel recently. Many designers ( including ours) suggested a pantry next to the fridge, but I felt that functionally this may not work that well. I like to have counter space near the fridge to put stuff on

Wouldn't a window seat be great for your daughter to lay down and play?