Okay, here's some followup. This is Real Life, unvarnished, so please excuse the daily detritus in various places. It's also an exercise in cramming Far Too Much Stuff into a small space.
First, we have something approximating the above shot. The IP is currently turning the carcass of a Costco chicken into broth for tonight's meal. In the near front left you'll see a whiteboard where I keep my shopping list, and then there are two purely decorative copper pans (a pretty feeble effort, but it was that or storage...). Up top you'll make out some cast iron, a paella, various roasting pans and baking dishes, and my KitchenAid pasta accessories. Below, the aforementioned jumble of stove-side stuff, plus a random phone charger, Motley Assortment o' Knives (TM), and some magnetic spice tins.
Here we have the small space between sink and microwave, and the microwave itself. Cleaning stuff on a lazy susan atop the microwave, because grandkids. Mason jars, lids and other assorted clutter, because me. Beside the fridge you'll see a standup freezer, and we've put flat-pack cupboards on top of the fridge and freezer to create more storage. Those contain a Food Saver machine, a Zojirushi breadmaker, a Vitamix and a few other odds and ends. In behind, past the random clutter of pet and human meds, spare fuses and such, sharp eyes will spot the Cuisinart toaster oven I scored at Value Village for $9.95 a couple of weeks ago.
Continuing our tour, this is actually a flat-pack wardrobe I bought from Walmart a couple of years ago. It has been repurposed, and now contains my KitchenAid, the Cuise, the IP when it's at home, a number of lesser appliances, several plastic totes containing baking supplies/equipment, and hanging mesh bags of garlic and onions. Please note that we will not be looking inside any of these pieces of furniture, because even my candor has a limit. 
Next we come to The Awkward Corner. The metal rack you see there was intended to straddle a toilet, but it's an equally good fit over our blue bin. Those tubs mostly contain coffees, teas, and treats for the grandkids, though in the top left you'll note the styrofoam cake forms I used for my stepdaughter's wedding cake back in October. The island you see with the breakfast station on it was built for a retiring high school wood-shop teacher by his students, and it weighs a FREAKIN' TON. Have I mentioned that we live on the third floor of a building with no elevator? The Calphalon-branded toaster works well, but may be giving up its spot to the newly-purchased toaster oven. We'll see.
The cupboards under the island hold grains, pulses and noodles of various kinds (on the left) and an assortment of vinegars, condiments and such (on the right). Yes, that's a bar fridge sitting up on top (we had no other convenient spot for it after the last redistribution of furniture). It contains mostly condiments, pickles and jams. The salmon on the wall behind is an original artwork, purchased from a fellow vendor at the farmer's market. He bought up panel doors from old houses, painted his fish on the actual panel, and then painted the beveled edge in a contrasting colour. Boom! Canvas and frame, all in one.
Now we're looking the opposite direction, away from the wall containing the breakfast station. This is an actual freestanding pantry I bought at Walmart a few years and addresses ago, and it's holding up well (much better than the wardrobe). The upper half contains further baking ingredients, a selection of cereals and crackers, dried fruit and other healthy snacks for the grandkids, and my steel-cut oats. The bottom half contains the remaining spices and seasonings, mostly. Sitting on top you'll discern one of my two waffle makers (the other is a 60s-vintage Sears model), a brown box with some of my Christmas baking paraphernalia, a dehydrator, a (gifted) French fry cutter, and (just visible behind everything else, in the blue box) a big honkin' cabbage shredder for making sauerkraut.
Just to the left and out of the frame is a buffet/sideboard sort of affair, holding a large mirror and vase of cut flowers on top and two cupboards of canned and dry goods underneath. Disclosure: I also have an armoire in the spare bedroom filled with home-canned pickles and applesauce, as well as the rest of my empty Mason jars and lids (the ones on the counter in the earlier picture are newly washed and waiting to migrate back to that room). Also several boxes of kitchen stuff still in the basement storage locker(s).
...and that's after donating a pile of stuff, and setting up our respective daughters a few times with enough gear to outfit their kitchens. 
There you have it. Not the worst kitchen I've ever had in a rental, not by a long shot, and it's actually reasonably functional for what it is. Things are usually within reach!
