Your kitchen designer is correct: It is preferable to create a pleasing balance on the upper even it you can't get it on the lower. It is also preferable to create a balanced appearance on the lower rather than to try to match the cabinet sizes from upper to lower. Think about the following arrangement: Door of corner susan = 12" (the susan is 36w but 24" turns the corner) Trash pullout = 18" Dishwasher = 24" Sink base = 33" Drawer base = 15" Pullout base.... Etc. By function, many of the base units vary in size. If you matched the uppers to the lowers, the door sizes would be all different sizes with no rhyme or reason. It would be better to make an arrangement with a nice balance of doors across that wall or around the sink area.

I no longer have mine. But doing the math - the cabinet box was 24", and the sides were 12". That makes the angled face just under 17". However, they were builder grade face frame, so the cabinet walls and face frame took up anywhere from 2 to 4", leaving 13 or 14" for the opening. I honestly don't think widening the opening by 3 or 4 inches would have helped a whole lot. The only items in an angled cabinet that are readily accessible are those right in front. Of course the same is true of a rectangular cabinet, but in the angled cab, you have the side corners and back that can hold stuff, but are impossible to reach without moving the items in the front. And because the angled corner cab is deeper than a standard wall cabinet, there is even more stuff lost in the back. If you're short, like me, it is impossible to reach things at the back, even on the bottom shelf. Sure, you get a lot of storage, but unless you have a lot of things that you use rarely, it's not very useful storage. When I cleaned out my angled uppers prior to renovation, I was embarrassed by how much crap was in them - things I had no idea I even had. Most things got tossed or donated - if I haven't used them for years (because I don't know they're there), I don't need them. In the 25 years we had those cabinets, I did clean them out periodically - and it was the same story every time. Stuff just gets lost in those back holes. I did a little sketch, and a little math. For the sake of simplicity, I'm ignoring the actual width of cabinet walls, and assuming the corner cabinet is 24" x 24", and adjacent cabinets are 12" deep. With an angled corner, I'm considering usable space to be that in front of the door - the square space outlined in green. But because that square is 17" deep, potentially only the first 12" are easily usable (shown by the dotted green line), cutting the usable area down from 576 square inches actual space to about 200 sq in usable space. Applying the same criteria to the easy reach, where the corner is considered less accessible, you have 432 sq in actual, and 288 sq in accessible. Obviously, YMMV in both scenarios, depending on what's in the cabinet. Another thing to consider - I put an extra shelf in one of my easy reach cabs, giving me more total usable area in that cab. While it's possible to do that with an angled cabinet, reducing the height makes the back and sides even darker and less convenient.

My layout is almost identical. My range wall is a few inches longer and the legs of my U are only 92". I wanted the drawer stacks next to the range to be as wide and functional as possible. When I researched storage options, I read where someone "did the math" and found that there is actually more square inches in storage when you close off the corners and use all drawers instead. I like the quick access of pulling open a drawer rather than pulling out and pushing back a contraption or opening a door and spinning a Susan. Not to mention the $$ savings. Your long U would allow you to put another drawer stack to the right of the sink. Then you can eliminate that 9" tray storage. I had a 12" one in my old kitchen and it was too cramped and too low to find what I needed quickly. Trays can go over the fridge or you can design a space in the pantry. My tray storage is in a cabinet over my pull-out pantry. You do not want your trash between the sink and stove, as suggested. One, you won't be able to pull it out while prepping in that corner, and two, while you're at the sink or the stove, someone will want to use the trash, making you step out of the way. My trash cabinet is only 13" and is between the sink and DW. Close to the sink while prepping and accessible to the table clearer without bothering the dish washer (DH!). I'd suggest two other layout changes. Make your pantry 24" if possible and move the fridge down. You'll appreciate a little more counter space in the corner where the microwave is more than you will the shelf space to store a few more cans of tomatoes. Is there a dining room on the other side of the peninsula? If so, I would eliminate seating and do a one-level peninsula. You have no large prep space in your kitchen. I use mine like a mini-island.

Well, Christmas is over... Though it would have been cute if they'd had one for today with pine needles, scraps of wrapping paper, half eaten cookies and a broken red bauble. :)