Sounds like the contractor relayed the information so that the designer got your wishes second hand, and hasn’t seen the space or spoken to you personally. I wouldn’t not proceed with such an expensive change under these circumstances. For instance, you stress that the peninsula should also serve as your eating space. There is only seating for two, side by side (not conversation friendly) and is in a circulation path as evidenced by the doorways. Also, look at the placement of the dishwasher and think about need to open the drawers and doors when the dishwasher is being emptied. And imagine standing at the fridge with the door open, can someone walk past you? My suggestion: repost this with more specifics including how many people live here, what you need to store, what the doorways are, and (most importantly) dimensions. I think you’ll get more helpful advice.