This one is just bad design--it looks like a flip given the sales history so I doubt they were thinking it through. But a more typical layout with an island close to a refrigerator wouldn't have an overhang where this one does (how the heck would you sit there??) and would have a counter-depth refrigerator (this one looks like it's a standard depth crammed into a space built for counter-depth--probably because they wanted the cheapest stainless option). Then you'd have no issue, assuming you left a reasonable pathway between the island and the cabinet run (30" minimum, but ideally 36"-42"--any of those widths would give you room to pull out and maneuver a counter-depth refrigerator, though I still wouldn't want to do it often!)

May have to pop the island top, but that's not a big deal.

My sister has a similar situation that is more obstructive (removing the island countertop won't help) than the photo linked above. She knew the original owner/builder of the house (who died recently) and also his daughter and SIL who live in the neighborhood but has no info on how the refrigerator was installed or whether that was perhaps done before the island was built. Either she hasn't asked or they don't know. Perhaps in her case the refrigerator can be maneuvered if the doors are removed.

Mine is such that I can barely squeeze behind the pulled-out refrigerator for service access ... but the island is not anchored to the floor so can be moved if necessary.

It is obviously a flip and not a well designed one. They jammed an island into a relatively narrow aisle which was never intended to house an obstacle. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ The island makes the space dysfunctional as the island blocks access to the prep area by the sink. It serves no purpose as the orignal footprint of the kitchen had no island but ample space for a nice sized table. Not to mention that none of the lower cabinets are deep drawers. 🤷‍♀️

But it is white 😂😂😂 and has quartz counters. And stainless appliances. It is a gourmet kitchen for sure 😂😂😂😂 And the cabinets have enough of a gap on top so grime can accumulate.

And you didnt ask but the master has the obligatory freestanding tub crammed into the space where a standard bath would be infinitely more functional and shich it no doubt replaced. 😂🤷‍♀️

I think the photo may be too distorted to be sure it can't be carefully eased in. It might be a counter depth fridge that just didn't get pushed in all the way because the fridge hole is too small (see where the hinges hit).

I think it must barely fit.

I think the photo is distorted.

You can reach the plug on the other side although to connect the water up you may have to do something awkward like lie on that bit of counter and reach down with the fridge pulled out a little bit.

It is not a good design:

1) Kitchens still get designed as if most refrigerators are a little over counterdepth. Obviously they are not: some are even just over 3 feet deep now. This one looks 30+ with handles

2) This is another "island at any cost" type of design

I think it's not even "island at any cost," but specifically "island-with-seating at any cost." (Maybe to check an "eat-in kitchen" box? Though it seems like there could be space elsewhere in these layouts for seating!) Palimpsest's photo is not unlike the refrigerator/island relationship in my own kitchen (though our "island" is actually freestanding, so that helps too). But ours has no overhang for seating--it's just a 25" x 42" table in the middle of a 13' wide kitchen, which gives us perfectly usable aisles on either side of island, and room to pull out the refrigerator even without moving anything around. When I sit at it--which I sometimes do though we didn't intend it for that--it's always on the short side. Trying to sit on the long side would put you smack in the middle of the walkway. If you cut down the top in the photo to fit the cabinetry without the overhang, you'd be all set.

Look at the distortion in this photo: the island at right end appears to not have the deep overhang and the refrigerator appears to project past the adjacent counter by a foot.

Weird--probably some wacky photography going on there to make the room look larger. Either way, though, they need a counter-depth fridge!

All real estate photos at this point are stretched.

I live in a high rise condo and most of the units are the same size and layout although obviously people have remodeled and changed the specific configuration of cabinets.

There was one bathroom that was photographed and the owner had installed a washer dryer unit at one end and two sinks. I knew there was no way in hell that all of that stuff wouldn't be squashed together in real life although the photo made it look as if the remaining counter and two sinks were spacious. If he wanted the stacked W/D unit in the master bathroom it would have been better design to then go with one sink.

I compared the number of floor boards covered by the island and compared that to the number showing between the island and the fridge. Without the countertop, there is room to move it forward past the adjoining cabinet. I agree that the design is poor even if the fridge can be pulled out of its space.

Not every kitchen benefits from an island

It is impossible to tell with photos if there is "enough" room to get the fridge out without popping the countertop, but my guess is there is just enough. Photos of homes are distorted. Everyone wants to make the rooms look bigger than they are. When going to homes always take a tape measure.

You are saying that you are seeing this in a lot of homes. Although we do see posts from people who have refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens or drawers that won't open, these are the exceptions. Many kitchens are not well designed, but most function as intended, they may not be optimal, but they aren't broken.

I cannot pull the refrigerator out in my current home and get behind it. I don't want another with the same problem. I am seeing lots of places where this is an issue, in person, as well. I don't know if there is some magic trick people are performing to install and uninstall refrigerators with islands on close proximity or not.

Fridge clears the island. But the right door doesn't fully open. Forget pulling out drawers or shelves for cleaning.

@worthy There is so much wrong with that kitchen design like the stove angled into the corner which abuts the dishwasher and the cabinet that sits on the counter which wastes counter space in a relatively small kitchen where it would be at a premium.

This looks like a remodel in which a wall was taken down or there might have been a peninsula. I suspect whatever the former configuration was it was infinitely more functional.

@worthy We are in the midst of our kitchen remodel. When we moved into our current house, the fridge position was set. They had a woefully small fridge in there, but we knew the previous resident was a very old woman so we just theorized that she didn't need much room.

Over the years, we upgraded. We always ended up with a 33" wide fridge, because that's as wide of a fridge as we could fit in the space. French door, bottom freezer like the photo you posted. The only difference is that ours was alongside the left wall instead of the right.

Just last night we rolled our existing fridge into the empty space of the kitchen. Our cabinets are on order and most of our new appliances (Including new 36" fridge) are at a warehouse awaiting their installation after cabinetry is in. So we have a big open space in our kitchen, just new walls and a new floor.

So we rolled the old fridge into the new position, which is on an opposite wall from where it has always been. It will have a counter on one side, and a slightly recessed pantry unit on the other.

DH and I were both awed that we could ACTUALLY OPEN BOTH DOORS all the way. It's ridiculous to have to contort to get a big bowl out of a fridge when you can only open a door partway.

Here's the original size kitchen (different house, same model).

The wall on the right abuts a hall to the rear entry. Some of that space was incorporated into a new powder room and broom closet and a shallow kitchen panty by a p.o. The sacrifice was well worth it.

Aside from the lack of a proper stove hood (and the constricted fridge door) it works well for a family of three.

The house was built in 1971, so may not have had an island. (Islands became popular in the 1970s and we lag behind US trends a bit.)

@worthy I think the original kitchen configuration is infinitely more functional than the new configuration. The refrigerator doesn't have one door not operational and the stove doesn't waste valuable space by being placed caddy corner.

I think any island in this kitchen isn't particularly functional as it only serves as an obstacle between the refrigerator and the stove.

It seems an obstacle in the b&w kitchen. Fridge & stove are in-line in ours. Though, NYC style, we all brunch and breakfast standing at the island!

*****

The Honeymooners' kitchen was functional but oh so blue collar!