Thanks, stacey! Good point about being able to open the doors all the way. We are thinking about getting a counter-depth frig, so I definitely want a 36-wide to make up for the loss in depth. Anyone out there with a 36-wide single door frig? (I suppose this would include top freezers too) Is the door too big and heavy? Too much strain on the hinge? As far as French door refrigerators go, I am also wondering about having your door in the way of your countertop landing area. We will have a pantry cabinet, then refrigerator, then countertop. I wonder if it will be awkward to have the french door in the way. I guess the same would be true with a side-by-side, but I have never had one of those either. I am just so used to opening the frig with my left arm, grabbing what I want with my right and putting it on the countertop to my right. Those with french door frigs, do you always open both doors? I dont know if I like the idea of having to use both arms to open the frig. It's not that I'm THAT lazy, but it just feels odd. Any further input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Are you still working on this? I have questions about more than the fridge. This is an awkward layout and there is enough space there that I think you must have better options. Have you looked at moving the dining room entry to the right? Shifting an opening is not a huge ordeal, even if that is a load bearing wall (not sure if it is but someone mentioned the possibility in an earlier post). I'll try to post something mocked up best my crude skills allow here. As I have it, I think that would be a 36" fridge and there is a pinch point. I'm not sure of the depth there, but with a counter depth, an 18" DW or some other tweaks with proper measurements, I think you could improve the function of the space. On the dining room side, any crown would remain or be replaced above the opening and a good contractor should be able to adjust the baseboards. Keep working the plan until you get the kinks out. I lived with two horrible kitchens (we're talking 2 burners and they aren't flat or heat that well, dying ovens, DW tiled in and praying it wouldn't die -- even though it was so loud I hated to run it) for ten years between the two of them until I was able to do my kitchen. I learned a lot along the way and had time to explore outside the box ideas, come back and go off in different directions. All that exploration really paid off in the end, and I plan to use it long enough to make up for any delays. Anyway, here's one rough idea in case you hadn't though of it.

I personally think the Sunrise slider is nicer than that the Provia in this comparison. The Hinged patio or French equivalent of the Provia door would be more expensive as a standard when compared to their slider variant. Most folks have the idea that the French is a more premium door than a slider but the slider works better for most people because it does not encroach into the roof vs. and Inswing French and it has a screen as a standard whereas an Oustswing will not.

Do the stairs go up or down? If there is no second story, consider a Sun Tunnel skylight for the hallway. I have stayed in a cottage with a french door to the bedroom, and I slept in our sun room with a french door when I had Covid. In both cases, the lack of privacy (even with curtains or blinds over the windows) made it not the most pleasant experience. I would never want french doors to a bedroom, even if it was a guest room. I would also want more privacy in an office, if I ever used it to work from home.