Eager for an answer to this question as I'm in a similar conundrum myself!!

The time I did it for a client we basically created a "Doorway" and the door opening was covered on the room side (the dining room side in your case, with a layer of plywood and a layer of drywall to a flush finish with the wall.

The opening was wider than the refrigerator by several inches so a surface mounted outlet box could be mounted off to the side in the recess.

I believe we also placed an outlet in that surface mounted box like this, to get the plug out of the way:

Here is a link that might be useful: Leviton

He is correct about the wall thickness.

If your walls are already in place, the best thing to do is purchase a counter depth fridge, or if the budget allows, go for a true "built in" fridge. No "recess" is needed for either one.

I have used both in my builds with no issues.

48" is not enough between seating and the adjacent counter with fridge. A full size fridge is between 32"-36" deep, much deeper than the 25.5" counter. (Even a "counter depth" fridge is 30"-32" deep.) And a fridge is a major traffic destination. Ideally, it should never be located behind any seating unless you can arrange for 54"-60" behind those stools. Otherwise, the frequently open door blocks traffic and interferes with those seated.

You really should post the kitchen layout on the Kitchen Forum for help in making it the best it could be. And plan for an auxiliary fridge location in a laundry room or utility area.

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The width of the kitchen is 15' 10"

The width of the island is 42"

He's actually Not correct about the wall thickness if he can do it as described above.

However you have to make sure that there is Nothing running in the wall where you want to recess as I described Or if there is some space for minimal wall thickness.

We set this up on another job and then the HVAC guys ran a duct that interfered with it.

If you do it the way I described you have to make sure there is nothing on the dining room side or that needs to be run through the wall.

Mine was suppose to be recessed, and the builder "forgot" So I ordered my counters on that side deeper. You really can't notice any difference from the other counters.

I would move the fridge if possible...it will be difficult to walk around seated guests to gain access. If you can't, consider a side by side fridge to minimize clearance obstruction to your walkway/seating area. I like your plan overall. Good luck. The recess outlets are a great suggestion.

What if the island is rotated and moved to the left?

I thought about moving the island but it's 7 ft and too long to rotate. I would like a large island bc everyone always stands at the island when visiting other friend's homes. We chose a french door fridge to make the doors less of an obstacle. The cabinet guy is going to the house today to draw out the cabinets on the floor so we can get a better idea of the space. I figured we would be ok if we can assure enough leg room under the island for the stools, choose a french door fridge and recess fridge a few inches but I don't know now...

Palimpsest - thank you for the details on how to recess a fridge. They were very helpful.
Reconsidering the counter depth version of the fridge. The regular version's depth is 36 1/4. The counter depth version's depth is 31 1/4. Can I recess a counter depth fridge a few inches too?? Seems weird to do that but I can't imagine why I wouldn't be able to, esp if the counters are 26" deep...am I wrong?

not sure what the fuss is. Looks like a perfect place to recess your fridge since you won't miss the space in the dining room. Did it at last house (in to mudroom) and doing it at this house in to laundry room. Fridge will be tight with island, but you def. want to recess it. I will try to attach a plan later showing what we did.

It's probably even easier to recess a counter depth a bit because counter depths can be placed with much less clearance than a conventional fridge. They don't need as much circulation space because they are "ventilated" differently (I don't know the right word)...which is one reason why they may cost more.

Don't forget about the water line if you intend to have an ice maker in the refrigerator.

We have a counter depth fridge in our kitchen with 8 people, and sometimes I wish for more fridge space. I was thinking that if I had room in the garage, I would pick up a second hand fridge to stash extra groceries. Just an idea.

We are actually putting a bev fridge in the bar/serving area so hopefully we'll have enough total fridge space w a counter depth main fridge. Wouldn't be my first choice but we're learning fast that we have to make compromises and we feel grateful to have an opportunity to build in the first place, so we're not going to sweat the little things. Thank you to all who helped me sort this little detail out- I really appreciate it..

Thanks for posting your floor plan.

If you are still in the framing stage, this is a very easy fix. All the framer has to do is 'fur out' the wall in the dining room with a 2x4 wall. Be sure to fur out on each side of the dining room entry way so the dining room will stays uniform. You will not miss the 4" of space this will take up in the dining room.

The builder can now notch out the original 2x6 wall to your desire depth or even remove that section of 2x6 wall behind the fridge completely..

The only thing that may look a little strange is the 'thickness' of the entry way jams to the dining room. They are going to look really thick compared to the standard 5.5" thickness a 2x6 wall has. It is going to look 10" thick or so on that wall.

I hope this makes sense.

On a side note:
I have a family of four and decided to go with a 48" built in. The was the best thing we could have ever done. The standard 36" wide fridge never had enough room for us.

The cost will be considerably more, but if you plan on being there a while, I would highly suggest this upgrade.......and there will be no modifications needed for your wall, which will be an added expense as well.

Also,
If you do go the built in route, the waterline will need to be in a different location compared to the standard fridge. I have more info about this if you so choose to go this route.

I'd also rotate that island in a heartbeat and add a prep sink to it. That would keep you from walking miles and miles. As it is, it's a "barrier" island and is in your way more than it actually helps you be more efficient.

I recessed my frig....and am so happy hat I did. My frig area wall backs into the garage 6". It was no problem for my builder and I do not have a big frig sticking out into the room.

Our fridge backs up to the master BR wall, so I want the full wall thickness for sound control. Most of the wall is a 6" wet wall for plumbing, so I am going to make the area behind the fridge 4", plus bump it into the BR a few inches. The bump-out will be behind the door when the door is open, which it will be 95% of the time. I have plenty of room in the kitchen, so the recessed fridge isn't even necessary, but I like the look.

We will be recessing the refrigerator, but that wall is backed by a closet or the powder room, so losing a few inches was not nearly as important, and the ability to use a standard refrigerator in the galley kitchen is worth it.

Thicker counters would give additional storage and would probably cost less than adjusting the wall.

Mrs Pete - thicker counters can cause real money - much more than moving lumber. Moving lumber is cheap. And you would only get more storage with a custom cabinet that would really not be cost effective.

So after looking at counter depth fridges, we actually decided against buying one (they were honestly a little too small for a fam of 5). Built in fridges were too expensive. Instead, we are taking about 8 inches off the DR by moving the wall. That was the best solution for us in the end...

Since you are early in the process, this is probably the easiest and best solution.

That does seam like the easiest solution. You probably don't even need to move it 8".

I didn't read all of the thread so forgive me if I'm restating something that has been suggested but I would fram the wall behind the frige and the other wall leading into the dining room with a 2 x 6 and recess the fridge. Then put the electrical and water connection in a cabinet next to the refrigerator. That is pretty much what we did.