I wouldn't want to get too attached to storing things in that space - when you do get a new fridge, the storage space goes away, and where will you put those things then? If you think it might be a long time - or you become so attached to the space that you buy a new small fridge - I would add shelves, attached to the wall side but open on the fridge side. That means something could slip between shelves and fridge, but it maximizes the space. Obviously you won't put small things there - too easy to lose them in the back. I would use it for cookie sheets, cake pans, extra boxes of cereal, extra paper towels, cases of pop or beer - things that you could reach from the front. Oops, before you do anything, check the owner's manual of your existing fridge, to see how much clearance you need on each side.

Based on the responses, I've decided to forgo the expense of adding a storage loft in the garage. It sounds like it would not improve the resale value of my home. This means I cannot repurpose the storage room on the upper deck into a walk-in-closet. I sacrificed the walk-in-closet in the master bedroom to move the laundry room upstairs. I still have a closet in the bedroom, although the architect proposed that I take out the closet to create a sitting area with a TV. Instead, I will have some over-the-hood cabinets built in the garage. Not sure what I will put into the cabinets - most items won't fit, such as bicycles, hockey sticks, and ladders. It makes no sense to stack cabinets up to the 14'7" ceiling in the garage. At my age, I shouldn't be climbing up on a 10' ladder to take down a can of white paint or a box of tennis balls. Besides, this is "earthquake" country - where anything placed up high is at risk of falling down. Most of what is in the garage is either too useful to sell or not worth selling (Halloween decorations) or both (broom and dust pan). I will try to sell some of the leftover building materials that were stored into the garage this week, as the renovation is coming to a close. I have already donated to Habits for Humanity my 3-year old kitchen cabinets (remodeled kitchen 3 years ago, and remodeled it again this year).

Here's a pic of mine. The cabinets were salvaged, and I had about 10" left at the end. I'd always used that side of the kitchen for baking, so I realized the cubby would be perfect for the mixer, with open shelves above. The little cab underneath was built as a filler also--perfect for storing the cooky sheets. The upper cabinets are not as deep as standard, so I made the bookshelves a couple of inches deeper and rounded the right side edge. How will you handle the shelves being 24" deep? Or will they be more shallow and just 'set back'?

Studio MB...don't mean to hijack this thread, however we are about to replace our current curved island countertop and looking to both extend our current kitchen island and change the shape to rectangular. The current base of the island (without the countertop) is 3 x 5'6" and we would like to extend it to 4.5 x 7.25 with posts at either end. The inside opening will be 63" with a clearance of 19" for seating. The reason for the weird/odd extension is that we would like to make the island as big as possible and still have the recommended clearance in the kitchen for prep and etc. I would post picture of our current area, however unable to do so. Thank you!