Trying to make the existing kitchen work better when there is no budget to redo it, I hunted around in the Container Store and found some workable ideas. Martha Stewart also had some helpful ideas.

At the Container store they have a lot of cabinet organizers like wire baskets that roll out of cupboards so you don't have to reach way back to try to find something that is in there. Particularly helpful for deep cupboards. The baskets don't go all of the way to the back so there are a few things I rarely use that I set in the back or the side while the basket is out, and I know where to find them later. I think I actually bought the rolling baskets at Lowe's or Home Depot where they cost less. I only use them in the waist-to-chest-high cabinets because those are the ones easiest to reach (the lower cupboards get the paint cans and gallons of olive oil and vinegar. Heavy enough I don't want to lift them far.)

Martha does a lot of adaptive stuff, and one idea I got from her was to get a 6' tall set of rolling heavy-duty wire shelves (Sam's Club) and run bungee cords around the outside a couple of inches above the shelves. This way I have a remote pantry set up in the hall next to the laundry room and the cords keep things from pitching off of the shelves if it is jostled. I also have a rolling wire cart in the kitchen to store various pots and pans and blender and such and it can be rolled out of the way for special occasions.

Other than things I did in a small kitchen, I think you'll find poking around and dropping different keywords into the search bar will give you a look at possibilities. Did you actually pay that kitchen planner who ignored your list of requirements? It sounds like a great luxury and self-pampering to enlarge your kitchen, so enjoy yourselves (and don't drive yourself nuts doing it!) Where will you cook and store food while the work is going on?