Thoughts:

1. if it works for your layout, get the adapters/new door necessary to hinge the refrig. on the other side. If its old, maybe buy a new energy efficient refrig hinged on the other side. Alternatively reconfigure your cabinets so the fridge isn't on the end

2. Corners are inherently inefficient for uses other than corner pantries. It would be be relatively cheap to take out the oven and replace it with a 2' angled door opening to a small (4' along the back walls) pantry with floor to ceiling shelves on both back walls, giving you TONS of added storage.

Thanks!

I would have to agree with your idea of extending the refrigerator wall in order to move the fridge over. I was under the impression that you were looking to do a minimal amount of construction in your kitchen, and most people would not consider adding, removing, or altering a wall as being a "minor" project. If you are considering that route, you would have many more options available to you, and it would be a good idea to consult an interior designer in your area who would be able to visit your home and take measurements in order to provide you with a variety of options to fit your lifestyle and needs. If you do not currently have a relationship with an interior designer, www.asid.org has a search feature that can help you locate one.

The pantry photo that I posted was for reference purposes. There are many people who will read these posts who may not be familiar with this type of cabinetry, and I find visual aids often help. I'm sorry that you did not have a positive experience with your previous configuration, but this type of pantry cabinet can be designed in a variety of ways with countless options available. For someone wishing to create storage space without making any changes to walls, this is a great option. I appreciate your comments about some of the challenges that you encountered with yours. I'm sure this will give any readers thinking about this option lots to consider when choosing the cabinet's interior storage features. I also need to add that while some people may think the pull-out shelves are complicated or a hassle to use, they offer a great benefit to others. In situations where the user has difficulty with bending and reaching, these shelves can become a valuable tool.

The most important part of this discussion should be however, that each person is different and has his or her own preferences for how they use their homes. What might be considered a lousy option for one person could be a perfect option for someone else. Discussing your specific preferences with an interior designer will help you plan a space that will fit your needs perfectly.

Sorry, I didn't see your second post, before responding to the first. I find all those complicated inside racks a total waste of space, and expensive to boot! My old pantry was a standard 2' cabinet depth. By carefully considering what I stored, I was able to adjust the shelf heights, so that I could see everything all the way to the back of each shelf, and be able to reach in & get it out. I could also see everything at one time, when I opened the double doors, and didn't have to be flipping racks around to see everything. I put rarely used things on the bottom 2 shelves, so it didn't matter that I had to get down on my hands & knees to get that stuff out, once or twice a year.

Hmm .. personality is personality; I guy the same kind of handbags, as I design kitchen cabinets .. wide open space without lots of dividers to be hunting through!

Thanks for all your effort!

When I redid the kitchen in my last house (total renovation), I added another 7' or 8' floor-to-ceiling cabinet unit, that included a narrowish cabinet for a "broom closet", another top & bottom cabinet for ironing & small tool supplies, and a 36" wide pantry with fixed shelves. Something the width of my ovens (27"?), where you lose another 3" if you have pull-out shelves, winds up only being 2' wide, and not worth the effort or expense. I'm also not a big fan of the kind of pull-out draws I have, because you do loose 3" between the cabinet & actual pull-out width. Adding up all the cabinets I have, I'm losing 24" of linear storage space that way! Maybe some manufacturers make better use of the space.

In my old kitchen, I made sure I had counter space on either side of each appliance & the pantry, which was really convenient. I'm thinking that one of the easiest fixes now would be to extend the wall behind the refrigerator another 3', move the refrigerator in front of the new section of wall, and put a 3' pantry closet where the refrigerator is now .. but that would leave the pantry without any counter space next to it, to stage groceries being put away.

Photo taken from Universal Design for the Home by Wendy A. Jordan. Shows pantry incorporated into cabinetry.

Quck sketch of possible relocation of appliances.

Thanks for posting these photos! This makes it easier to envision what you've described. You do have some very nice appliances, but I can certainly see the problem areas you were mentioning. I have a few suggestions for you, but please understand that a scaled floor plan would be needed to accurately measure and give you detailed options.

The thing that stood out to me the most in your initial post was the fact that you have no pantry. While the other issues can be annoyances, I saw this as a major issue. Because your intent is to do a minor amount of work, I would suggest a tall cabinet with pull out shelving as opposed to building a pantry into a wall. A cabinet maker could build it to match your kitchen cabinetry, and it would look like it was installed with the rest of your kitchen. As for location, if you were to relocate your wall ovens, the cabinet could occupy that space.

You'd mentioned that the wine refrigerator and wine rack aren't things that you really use, and that the bar unit divides the kitchen and dinette areas, making the dinette much larger than it needs to be. If the bar unit was removed or moved forward towards the dinette, the cabinetry along the refrigerator wall could wrap around the corner towards the dinette. This would provide some additional space to move the refrigerator...it could be placed facing towards the cooktop wall so the fridge door wouldn't block traffic flow. You could have a small set of cabinetry in the refrigerator's current location, then relocate the wall ovens beside that. This might be difficult to envision, so I'm going to attempt to attach a quick sketch.

I hope this helps. If I can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask! Good luck on your minor remodel. Please keep us posted!

This is the "bar unit" side of the kitchen, with the dinette area beyond; the refrigerator is to the right:

This is the view of the kitchen from the foyer entrance, with the refrigerator on the right, and bar unit beyond it. The cooktop is on the far side wall:

This is the front wall of the kitchen, with that corner double oven; this is to the left of the entry door:

This is a view from the dinette towards the back side of the bar unit. This shows the previous owner's furniture. I plan to take advantage of the large windows, by moving the dinette table & chandelier closer to the outer wall, which will leave a lot of space along the inner wall of the dinette: