All other counters are quite a bit more than 48" away except a small 15"deep counter right past the entry doorway- it could be a temporary landing space but it's partially blocked behind a swinging door so it's not ideal either. I'm also just picturing how right now we often stand slightly to the side of our (single door) fridge when we open it, and just open it a little bit to get what we need. We rarely open up the fridge to a full 90 degrees right now to get things- only to clean. If you have to go to the corner to open the door (hinges on the right), you'd have to stand right in front of it and open it wider to get in there- it feels like you would have to be almost "in" the fridge to get stuff out, whereas if the hinges were on the other side you can be standing a little more next to the fridge and access things without opening the door wide. I don't know if that makes sense, but I feel like if we had the hinges next to the wall it still might work as long as we could get bins out for cleaning. So the 3 1/2 in clearance to the wall required for the french door fridge I'm looking at doesn't necessarily mean you could get the drawers open with that spacing?

I think it depends on the handles and how wide the fridge door opens. We had the same concern, as the kitchen layout called for them to be separated by just a bit less than two inches. Lucky for us, we were considering the GE Profile double ovens and GE Profile French Door, counter-depth w/double drawer freezer. The KD looked and measured ahead of time and said the curved oven handles would allow the french door to open cleanly all the way without a problem. At least on this one thing he was right.

Design generally doesn’t need a license. In many states though, the term is state regulated and requires registration and testing. Georgia is one of those states. To be a Registered Interior Designer, you must prove that you have the education, tested abilities, and you must register with the state. You can call yourself a Design Consultant, or Room Stager, or any number of things to get around that requirement. You would need his specific wording of him describing his job to pursue that. Georgia prohibits anyone from performing residential or general contracting over $2500 without a valid license. When licensing is required and an unlicensed contractor has agreed to provide work – the contract is “unenforceable in law or in equity.” Electrical and plumbing are required to be performed by separately licensed plumbers and electricians, NOT a residential basic contractor. Only a fully licensed General Contractor can perform some plumbing and electrical. Any good GC would just hire the subs beyond basic reconnects anyway. https://sos.ga.gov/PLB/acrobat/Forms/49%20Reference%20-%20Licensure%20Comparison%20Chart.pdf He is in violation of GA requirements. And you are legally not required to pay an individual who is contracting without a license. Contact your local attorney general to file a criminal complaint over fraudulent representation. That goes into the public record, which should also be a source to check when initially investigating. Also file a complaint with the contractor board, as he will not be able to get a license with that on his record. https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/licensing/submit_a_complaint

Got it. It's about 15". I measured 14" first but then realized the handle sort of protrudes a bit past the edge of the door and that's what you'll need to clear it. Ours only opens fully on the one side. Not ideal, but it's never really bothered us. Sashadog, the doors don't open flat (180), so the measurement is less than the width of the door.