That looks like a DIY job. Who uses this beach house, what types of things might you want to store there, and what is your budget?

Photos of the rest of your kitchen would also be helpful. I’m thinking a built-in pantry cabinet might work well, but there are so many variables.

A bigger fridge is going to turn those adjacent shelves into black holes. The fridge needs to find another home if you want that for s pantry.

Here are some other pictures. There really is no other place for the fridge

Depending on size, budget, etc. In order of preference: Remove the weird framed out closer thing and treat it just like a wall. Add some full height built in pantry cabinets with a framed out fridge location. Or: Buy a freestanding pantry to fit in next to the fridge. Or: rip down the black things and put up a closetmaid/Rubbermaid adjustable shelf system- they make ones specifically for pantrys with left to right bars and narrow spacing.

I think they could put a tall, counter-depth fridge and still have room for a pantry cabinet with pullout shelves. OTOH, if they buy one of those ginormous French door jobs, then the space becomes useless.

It looks like this space began life as a closet.

i'm at my beach house for 3 days with my husband and daughter and son in law.... with a counter depth fridge. its SO not big enough. i have very few pantry items but fresh food and beverages take up a lot of space. if you can put another fridge for just beverages some place thats great, you can go smaller on this one. but if there is only one place for a fridge in your house, don't kid yourself that a small fridge is just as big inside, its not.

i'd go for the ginormous french door fridge and skip any sort of pantry.

Do you need all that pantry space in a beach house? It seems you'd only have food for a week, and there appears to be plenty of cabinetry. I'd be tempted to turn the refrigerator area into a "butler's pantry" type thing. Instead of shelves around the refrigerator, put a countertop there. If there is an outlet, put the microwave there as well to get it off the kitchen counter. You could keep or install new upper shelves to accommodate the new refrigerator and counter.

Just remove those shelves and add a basic shelving unit with pull out drawers or baskets (because the new space will be narrower, but deep). Something like thes Ikea storage cubes that come in a variety of sizes and configurations to fit the remaining space, and add in some pull-out baskets if you want. Easy, inexpensive, will stand up to salty weather and lots of sunscreen-covered hands.

cut out the closet opening to make it an open enclosure floor to ceiling and fill the space above and beside the refrigerator with cabinets. look for a tall pantry unit with doors hiding pullout shelving to make things more accessible or upper and lower cabinets as in the first picture if you need more counter space which is also nice to have beside a refrigerator. i wish my kitchen had just the pantry unit on one side and counter to the refrigerator on the other. these pictures show the general idea but in your case it would have a more built in look. the last picture is my own refrigerator wall with pantry units on both sides of the refrigerator. you can also just fill the opening you have with cabinetry within the framed area you have but there will be dead space that could be used if you open to the ceiling. get a standard 36" refrigerator it will make things easier if you need to replace it later.

tc

Unless the new fridge is a French door style, reverse the door swing so you're not trapped between the fridge and table when you open it.

Thank you everyone for your help. I will send a picture when it is done.