I've seen alot of beautiful kitchens with this set-up. If you search the finished kitchens blog I"m sure you will see some. The one thing I would keep in mind is that you would then have no landing space adjacent to the oven or frig. I would hope that your layout includes an island or peninsula within a turn or step of the oven so you don't have to walk across the kitchen holding a hot casserolle. Additionally, you'd also need that landing space next to or right across from the frig so when putting away perishables after food shopping you won't be lugging handfuls of items from across the kitchen to your frig.

Our oven is also directly across from the end of the peninsula. We have 48" of space from the face of the oven cab to the face of the peninsula. Our oven door sticks out just over 20" when open, leaving almost 28" of space. This is more than enough. But I did try to mock up 20" and that seemed a little tight. Sometimes just a few inches can make a big difference. Hope that helps.

We had that arrangement for 20 years in our old kitchen, and it worked fine because there was an island directly across that was the landing space for both appliances. Also, the fridge was standard depth and stuck out, so there was no issue of the open refrigerator door hitting the oven handle. We'll have the same arrangement in our new kitchen, only with a built-in fridge. I worried about hitting the oven door handle; the double oven I eventually chose also has door handles with sides that angle in toward the center, giving a little extra clearance for the open refrigerator door. Also, the refrigerator door hinge has an automatic stop at the point (a 110-degree angle, I think) where the bins and shelves can just be removed. The door looks like it won't stop anywhere near the oven handle. Here's my warning: Check the wording in the refrigerator's installation manual that says what the manufacturer's policy is on placing it next to ovens. Some manufacturers ABSOLUTELY FORBID it in writing, in which case their warranty would be void if you do it. Other manufacturers advise you that it is not an OPTIMAL installation and to try to put 3 inches of space or material between the two appliances. In this case, their warranty will not be voided if you put the two appliances next to each other. I made sure that I got a statement in writing from KitchenAid that their warranty would still be in effect if I placed their built-in fridge next to my wall ovens.

Thanks! I stopped in Lowe's today and the appliance guy told/showed me that the new fridge doors only open about 120 degrees. My current fridge (c.1990) opens a full 180 degrees and I was picturing the banging of handles. I think I can proceed with the plan. Now, I just have to determine specific appliances.