You know it's wrong and the contractor is wrong but you''re going to continue with this. Why on earth would you set yourself up for a total disaster?

After reading your post but without clicking on your link, my first thoughts:

Move where you don't have exposed pipes OR accept that pros cannot work miracles and find a way to work around -- literally work around -- the obstacles.

If the pipes and wires are against the walls and/or within a foot of the wall, consider boxing around those obstacles (literally build the wall around those obstacles) to which you shouldn't normally need access, creating a solid but uneven wall, paying attention to ensure you have and know the location of the (2"x2") framing to which you could attach a cabinet. Then build less deep cabinets to set in front of them and attach to that framing. Design what these cabinets are accordingly: perhaps a narrow broom closet (that could hold a broom and folding step ladder) that wouldn't need to be as deep would not seem out of place interrupting a countertop; perhaps a vertical drawer sized to store your small appliances.

For those obstacles which it is reasonable to expect you may need access, build a wall beside each of them as well BUT do not build the wall in front to cover them; instead, add a wood door which can be opened and to which you can add shallow shelves ... attaching them to the on the outside of the door.

Kitchen cabinets can be made so that the six inches next to the floor is not just an indented kick space but a drawer. Doing that wherever possible can help increase your storage area as can building your overhead cabinets all the way to the ceiling. That top shelf could have doors with top hinges and you could put the stuff you less frequently -- even rarely -- use on that top shelf.

Thanks suezbell - we are putting kickspace drawers in under ALL of the cabinets. I insisted on this even though my contractor questioned why we should spend money on it. I am not sure why they didn't show up on the plans, but now I will have to triple check that they are on the itemized cabinet list when he sends it to us.

re the obstacles, the cabinet door/shelving idea is a good one, but is difficult to use in the space taken by the gas meter which is above cabinet height - about 4 1/2 feet off the floor. This is why we thought we could perhaps open the bottom of the dumbwaiter and use that for storage.

Having looked, albeit briefly, at the images via your link, my thoughts are:

You cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear. If the pipes and wires cannot be moved, you and your contractor must find a practical way to deal with them.

As a safety issue: Use mini blinds or shades and never put curtains on the window that near the stove. If the window is open and your mini-blinds or other window treatment is not secured at both top and bottom, never leave your stove unattended when it is on. Consider moving the stove to left of the sink.

Consider creating angled walls in the corners to cover the pipes and wires that are in the corners, then design your cabinets and countertop around that reality.

Your island seems large and you may need to either shrink the size and/or round the corners and/or expect bruises from bumping into the corners of it. Instead of building in an island, you might consider investing in a prep table and/or a cart/cabinet with wheels -- something with storage below -- a sturdy/quality built piece of furniture that you could take with you if you ever decide to move.

Can you disguise the gas meter as if it were an appliance garage?

I think you need a CKD. I understand the constraints these old buildings have, but an actual kitchen designer will better know what is possible and what is not. The main problem I see here is with the sink. I can't imagine using it with those cabinets in my face. I'd move it to the peninsula, if possible.

If at all possible, I'd gut the dumbwaiter space, floor to ceiling, insert a thin plywood wall on both sides and the back and a strong board at floor level and ceiling level. Then use that entire space as cabinet space -- even if you need to create different sized, perhaps deeper, cabinets to use this part of your space.

Agree with groveraxle about a sink needing headroom. Since putting the sink in front of a window seems impractical, facing it toward the living/dining area by putting it in a peninsula would be a good fix.

we never really considered moving the sink before as our old cabinets over the sink never really bothered us... hmmm

Will your refrigerator be fully integrated? If not, and it's a French door model, it's too close to the wall and you won't be able to open the left door fully or even enough to pull out the left produce bin nor the deli drawer.

You already know this design isn't good. Trust your gut. Hire a certified kitchen designer, it's their job to create a functional design within the constraints.

I'm sorry but IMO your appliances are way too big for this space. I'm a retired restaurateur and do just fine on my Verona 24 inch gas range for example. Trust me, we cook, and our kitchen is 7 by 8.

Don't sign off. Poor design, bad contractor. Start over with a certified kitchen designer.

Agree with all above, a CKD is what you need. Yes, it will probably cost money but there are so many things that could go wrong. Clearances all need to be checked and code requirements do, too.

Your island is too close to the range and the clearance between the end of the island and the wall is too little.

IMPORTANT! You've got your trash can base next to the range. Just imagine the aromas you'll get when the oven is going full blast right next to it! I'd put the trash cabinet next to the fridge, fill with a 9-12" tray base cabinet beside it and put a small drawer base next to the range.

Toekick drawers are a waste of money, unless you're going to store seldom used things in them. I'm not going to put my flatware or cooking implements that close to the floor, especially in an old building where there are plenty of crevices for insects and rodents to travel. The bottom of the cabinet is open to the floor.

And there are conflict lines on that B15 trash base. There is no filler at the side of it either. If it's too close to the wall, the door and drawer might not open properly.

Double check your measurements. From the floor plan, it looks like you have 113 1/2" on the sink side. Pull a tape measure out and confirm that.

Your fridge looks crowded, too, so check the specs of the fridge you're considering. Read this [thread.[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/fridge-hitting-wall-help-dsvw-vd~5301195) It talks a lot about that and may bring up other questions in your mind.

It looks like you're trying to cram a big kitchen into a small space. Really question whether you need a 36" range.

Yes, you're short on time but like I said, read the thread I posted above, entitled "Fridge hitting wall - help!" This lady can't open her door enough to get the drawers to pull out.

There's only one thing worse than making major mistakes in kitchen design - rehashing in your head what you could have and should have done before the cabinets were ordered. Seriously, that's the worst feeling in the world.

Efleisher7, a right-hinged single door refrigerator model would be just fine, not withstanding whether or not you have enough space between the refrigerator and the island countertop. Photobucket wouldn't stop loading ads, so I couldn't revisit your plan.

In case you didn't know, 20/20, the program this kitchen is designed in, has a function where you can open the doors and drawers of the cabinets and maybe even the fridge, depending on the version that's being used. Ask whoever did this design to do that for you. If they can't or won't, don't trust them for reliable kitchen design.

sorry for the photobucket issues - i used it only because that is what houzz recommended in the "read this first". we were previously told that the refrigerator we picked (a samsung 4 door) wasn't in his program, but i will ask again.

zsmith, I totally disagree. It makes using the kitchen and cooking a meal much more inconvenient.

It's likely not in his program but is he competent enough to be able to show open doors and drawers? What fridge have you picked and has anyone compared the specs to the space?

CKB, less convenient for the cooks, perhaps. Although, you simply open the door wide and deposit food on the island. How is that inconvenient? Definitely less intrusive of kitchen activities. Someone doesn't have to enter the actual kitchen to retrieve an item from the refrigerator.

ETA: I forgot about the sink location. Yes, the RH fridge may be an obstacle with that sink location. However, with the sink on the island, not so much.

Efleisher7, you can upload images to your Houzz idea book, then import those into a post via the photo link below the comment box.

I just did a quick check with Samsung regarding the refrigerator and they said that because the handles are integrated, the fridge only needs to be 1 3/4 inches from the wall for the doors to open wide enough for the drawers to come out. I know we checked this a while ago, but I will run to the store tonight to check again...

Carolina Kitchen and Bath - the trash is not next to the range. There is a cabinet between the range and the window. The trash is under the sink. The distance between the wall and island is supposedly 30 inches. As there are other doorways in our home that are this wide (and some smaller) this seemed OK to us. I think the distance from the front of the range to the kitchen island was 36 inches, but I will check.

efleisher7, check your specs, does the range require an "initial burn" before use? If so, do it before the quartz or granite goes up on the backsplash. The high heat required for something like that often causes the stone above it to crack and warranties don't cover that.

Wow! I never heard of that, but good to know. We aren't sure that we are putting the quartzite on the backsplash yet. We likely will wind up doing tile, but we will definitely look into "initial burn".

The distance from the range to the island needs to be at least 42". You've got to be able to stand in front of the range and still have space to open the doors.

Sorry about the trash mistake, I got a lot of pop-ups, too. Does it make sense what I said about toekick drawers and pests?

Is it true that the range next to a trash pull out will cause smells? We are about to start a renovation and that was the only place we could fit a trash pull-out. Will the heat really come through the cabinet? Is there anything we can do to prevent this problem?

if you have walked around in Manhattan on garbage day on a hot summer day, or driven through Staten Island past the landfills on a 95 degree night, you will know :)

I get that, but will the trash pullout actually get warm? I have never noticed any heat in my current cabinet next to the oven. Should we have them install a heat shield?