If you sketch out your layout (graph paper helpful) you'll get much more helpful advice.

You don't say how critical of a loss is that 6" of countertop space if you go with a 36" CD fridge. I don't think there is enought space to place a fridge on the perpendicular wall, since the wall is only 5 feet long. Countertops are approximately 25.5" deep, that leaves 34.5" for a fridge. And depending on the fridge door swing requirements, it is going to be a challenge even for a 30" fridge to fit in that space and you will lose the added countertop workspace, because the fridge will somewhat block access to that corner, which doesn't seem to gain you much. My daughter has a Bosch FD (B36CL80ENS) with two drawers and two doors in her tight corner. The door swings above the countertop on one side and since she doesn't have a wall on the other side, the other door swing has no impediment.

Show a sketch. It'll help. It sounds like you want to squeeze a fridge into a corner which is a fridge that won't open. :)

I think that 6" in a fridge is more useful than 6" of countertop, unless the kitchen really is that small. (If counter space is that much of a concern, have you already made the easy accommodations for it, like an induction cooktop/range?)

I have a family of 4, including two teenagers, and have a standard depth 33" fridge...a side-by-side. I feel for you. 🙂

Sure, here is what we have now (and the existing wall and casing to the DR, and the bottom is what a 36" SD would do (and what we hope to accomplish by removing the partition.) There will also be uppers on the run to the hood and then open shelving on the other side of the hood, and a shallow pantry on another wall, and a rolling 52x24 cart that we are keeping that is also 'counter space.' Just looking for the flow/counterspace here and not so much storage/ uppers/pantries, etc. Also, this is the wall I am looking to move (I am aware I should have more room next to my range - though it is induction at least, - this is the original 1954 Youngstown Kitchen, it has served this house well but I am excited to renovate!)

@fori - yes, 16 and 12 here! And yes, the existing space is that small, and we do have an induction range to accommodate. I have a 52x24 rolling island that is our main prep area and that will remain. I have considered 33, but it seems if I'm going to lose 3" I might as well lose 6" of counterspace.

@theresa21 That's what I am trying to balance - the counter that it would take up now is where we have a mw and coffeemaker.

What is opposite the countertop wall? That is, behind the rolling cart? Do you have a wall there, or is it open to another room? Wondering whether you could convert this to a true galley kitchen.

Is it possible to move the window? If you are locked in to a one-wall design, it would be great if you could have fridge/DW/sink/range, for optimal work flow.

It's too tight for a galley kitchen plus the cart, which I am keeping because it holds a ton. the wall behind will be shallow floor to ceiling pantry ( to replace that wire shelf pantry you see in the dining room).

As far as the window goes, anything is possible with enough money! But I am fine with it where it is now.

I don't understand that at all. If it was a galley kitchen, with full-depth lowers on the wall, wouldn't it hold a lot more than your cart?

No, not as efficiently. It's a workbench from Home Depot, holds all of my pots and pans, spices, mixing bowls, baking stuff, spices, plastic wraps/bags vitamins, knives, and all silverware and cooking utensils. And I really don't like doing prep work against a wall. The builtin will go away and I will do something similar on the dining room side to use the depth (maybe a beverage fridge?) The composite below shows all it holds (and what it replaced, a basic big box we called the pot-hole.) I've also since added a knife block the sharps drawer. The pantry will be for dry goods, small appliances, etc. In talking with my KD, she loves it and gets why I want to keep it. (we aren't at design phase until I can nail down what I have for available space, the builder comes later this month to discuss merging the kitchen and DR - and it can't be fully open because there is a chimney encased in that wall that the cart is butted against.)

A rough sketch of the 4 walls/doors/windows of kitchen is what we need.

(Can you move plumbing and venting?) (Not that we have to move it...but...)

That still makes very little sense to me. You could have base cabinets with drawers configured almost exactly the same. Holding the same stuff. If you want a little more distance from the wall, you could make them extra-deep cabinets, or just standard cabinets that stand out from the wall, with extra-deep countertop. And you could put the range on that side (I'm guessing, because you haven't shows us the whole room). That would give you better prep space on both sides of the kitchen, and give you ample room for a fridge of any size.

No, the range won't go on that side because I want it vented outside. That is the whole room, trust that I am focusing on this wall for a reason! It's a small 1954 house, the kitchen has 4 doors, including a basement entrance that protrudes into the kitchen, so all of the mechanics have to go on the outside wall. I can't move plumbing and venting (more than back and forth on this wall that I am focusing on. We have been in the house for over 18 years and have no plans to sell anytime soon, so resale is not a huge consideration.

This is the existing floorplan - but the outside wall is where stuff needs to go. (Yes, the basement door opens to the exterior door, again - 1954 house.

The fridge cannot go into a corner without enough space to fully open the doors. You need to be able to pull out the drawers to clean them. There are a number of discussions on Houzz and a little research now will save you unhappiness later. In Search, type in things like fridge door won’t open, too tight to fit fridge, etc. In essence, the doors must open more than ninety degrees. Field trip to the appliance store to see what I mean.

@remodeling1840 thank you! Yes, thats why I am wondering if 6" of counterspace is worth getting a 36" fridge. Really, it will be a little more because I won't want it butted into the corner completely (like mine now, there is a 4" gap between wall and fridge where a plumbing stack runs) but it's still tight, so a 6-9" space for ... something, broom and stepstool? would probably have to go in too.

How much wall space between the ridiculously cute ironing board (?) cabinet and the living room door, with the drawers and door opened?

(I'm not tossing out your island cart just yet. Just trying to get an idea of the place...)

I will be removing that (I know, it charmed me too - it's actually a built-in hutch, and if we can tear out everything but the chimney I want to put it in on the dining room side and make that flat wall.) So ignoring the doors/drawers, It's 4 feet - I'm ignoring the trim too, raw measurement is 52" like my cart.

Frig space.

I can't follow quite all of the specs and issues put forth, but if you have a freezer in your basement, just put a refrigerator down there, too.

We have a big family, and a big refrigerator, but we also have an undercabinet frig in the kitchen and a garage refrigerator. I feel like you can find ways to store your extra refrigerated stuff, while keeping the most used items handy in a reasonably sized frig in the kitchen.

What do we store in the extra refrigerators? My daughter uses the under cabinet frig to "hide" her favorite items, plus we keep some of our pets' food in there, and a few drinks. The garage frig holds sports drinks, sodas, many waters for our athletes, and grab n go items for the college boys so they can take stuff for the road when they go back and forth to their colleges. Also, our garage frig is a single door, so can hold a sheet cake and a huge turkey brining before Thanksgiving. It comes in really handy.