Thank you for that picture! That helps me picture the set up. And thanks again for starting this thread. I hope I'm not hijacking too much. Fwiw, I asked my GC if he could build a removable shelf to accommodate a taller refrigerator in the future.. I plan to store cutting boards there. We haven't started yet so I can't say how that will work out but he didn't seem to think it would be a problem. I actually have left 39 inches in my plan for a 30 inch refrigerator. That accounts for the cabinetry box around the space so I guess the actual space would be a 37 inch opening? I thought I'd need an extra inch or two to be able to get a new refrigerator in if necessary. Does that seem right or maybe excessive? I wonder if I could reasonably plan on 33 inch refrigerators being around and trim the refrigerator space down to 35 inches? All extra inches can go to the drawer stack next to the refrigerator as our cabinet line comes in just about any size.

And I don't mind saying I am 55yo. I just want to look and feel my best. I don't do manicure, pedicures or massages. I do not have a clothes, shoes or handbag fetish. I don't even have a product fetish. :D I always have been and always will be a house person. Oh, my goodness - YES. I'm 53 and am still not quite sure how I arrived at this age practically overnight, but it happened and I'm glad to be here. I do sometimes fret over the fact that I feel I've started to look tired, but I also know how to remedy that and it's my own fault for not getting after it. I sometimes think about having something done about the frown lines between my eyes that are starting to become more and more visible, but then I just go get my bangs trimmed and all's right once more in my world. I don't do manicures, pedicures or massages either. (My last massage experience was horrifying - had a brute of a therapist who coldly told me I had "control issues" because I couldn't make myself relax under her beefy hands!) I do like to have a couple of new articles of clothing and shoes with each season, but I am not and will never be a fashionista. Just don't care enough about that sort of thing. But my home? Yes, my home is where I always have invested and focused, and I can't see that changing - no matter how much deeper these lines go.

Hmm, not sure how it would look to have a cover panel on top of the countertop. May be best to keep it as designed. (ok, just saw the post above mine, agree with DIY2 with the caveat that some counter depth fridges require that their doors project beyond the side panels in order to open) I found these, they are pictured with internal pullouts so are probably the same zero clearance hinges. If so, you really don't need to worry about clearance for your pantries other than for the handles. Sektion 153 degree hinges You could use a low clearance handle like this. It is unobstrusive enough that it would not clash with your other handles. Ikea used to have a much shorter one but I can't find it now. Low clearance handle If you have an inch filler on both sides that should be fine. You need to verify about the hinges though by visiting an Ikea where they are installed in a Sektion system. Or looking up the equivalent hardware in a Blum catalogue. I also have a short pullout Ikea pantry and it has almost zero clearance to the wall next to it- I can get 4 sheets of paper between the door and the wall, and it works flawlessly. So again, no problem with the clearance there, an inch will be plenty. Personally the individual internal pullouts are a lot more useful than a pullout pantry and I prefer that configuration. Lots easier to change internal configuration if needed, easier to load from the top than from the side. You can play with the lowest hinge location to either allow a pullout drawer in the lowest possible location, or just use a cheap plastic bin. No need for an expensive drawer in that location.

i can barely keep my eyes open and for some reason msg got cut off. i think it was too long. to sum it up, can't move fridge in that area. stack will still be in way. i have a 30" fridge in garage that prob holds 20 cubic ft and 28 cubic ft fridge in kitchen that is 1.5 yrs old and ice box already irreparable. money is tight as covid has me out of work to a large extent and I care about the environment so I was contemplating using that fridge for a while in the spot and changing it for a counterdepth fridge later. If I did that it could be a few years, so I wonder if I could frame the standard fridge now and adjust that down the road. My guess is that will be tricky but I'll ask my GC. i don't like having to go to the garage now to get things but I'll have to see how much the standard fridge sticking out bothers me. I plan on asking the GC to let me sit with the pantries for a day and see how I feel with it in either spot, forward or fridge sticking out. I wrote more than that but I don't recall what it was. Maybe I was more efficient in my 2d post just like I'm hearing a counterdepth fridge could be. :)