Hi everyone. I'm need to the forum, but I've been lurking for some time lol.

I'm in the beginning stages of building a home, and I need some help with the kitchen. I love floor plan of the rest of the home, but I feel like the kitchen, as it is now, will be lacking in countertop/prep space. There's a nice island, but it's bi-level, so I doubt I'll be doing much prep on the higher side where the stools will be. I've attached a picture for your reference.

My main concern is the left wall. There's a 2'10" countertop with base and upper cabinets, a space for a standard fridge, and another section of 2'10" countertop/cabinets. I'm trying to find a way to maximize the countertop space that I have, and I think the small 2'10" counter tucked into the corner between the fridge and the pantry wall will be pretty much wasted. Therefore, I'm considering swtiching the countertop and the fridge, as shown in the picture, that way I'll have nearly 6' of uninturrpted countertop on that wall. What do you think?

My biggest concern is that then the fridge faces another countertop, so if someone is at the fridge with the doors open, there won't be much room to maneuver behind them to get to the pantries or to the dining room beyond (there is another entrace to the DR from the hallway). But really, how much time does one spend standing in front of the fridge? I wouldn't mind having the countertop behind me, then I can turn around and place things on the counter as I pull them out, rather than having to reach around the side by side doors.

What about aesthetics of the kitchen? By putting the fridge in the corner, do you think the kitchen would look unbalanced?

The designers had to have a reason for splitting the countertops like that, but I can't see it (unless it was just so that they could use smaller pieces of granite for the countertops and save money!). Can anyone clue me in?

I don't have much freedom with the floor plan, so my options are: leave the kitchen floor plan as is or switch the fridge and counters as described. I need to give the builder a decision in the next couple days, so any advice you all could offer would be great! Thanks!