Got a drawing or photo you can post?

What is the current distance? It is recommended to have 48" on all sides of an island for just walking around. 54" min if you have bar stools

we've got 42" between wall cabs and island, but the seating is on the open side to the family room. A friend of mine had a U-shape with island in middle. The fridge was not able to be opened easily with someone sitting at the island seating, so noone ever ended up sittin there! If you can adjust, do it now so that it can be a more usable space. post a picture and everyone here will try to help!!

Would it help to have a fridge with double doors?

Here is the minimum I think you would need:

Island - 1.5ft for seated kid + 2ft for Mom in front of fridge + 2.5ft. for single open door/1.5ft. for double open door - fridge

6ft. for single door or 5ft for double door.

Of course this depends on how wide of a fridge you have.

I will try to go today and take a picture and post it and measure. Thanks

Your kitchen is beautiful, by the way!! I love the floors and cabinets!

It's hard to say from the picture, but it looks awfully cramped. I have the same setup in my current kitchen, but only a slight overhang so seating is not possible. However, it doesn't look like there is much distance between the end of the counter on the island and the front surface of the frig.

The measurement from edge of my counter of the island and the front surface of the frig is 42 inches and seating would absolutely not be possible. I have a side by side frig so shorter door swings, even. I would say that you need at least 5 feet to be comfortable there.

But I'm not sure if you want to short change the space between your dishwasher and island, either. My current kitchen has 34 inches there and it is NOT enough. Maybe just plan on no seating, there? Can you do a new counter and seat on the end of the island?

Definitely take measurements and see what you have available.

Holly,

Here is a thought. Any chance your builder could build up a taller side for the bar and order a new bar countertop for it? Your existing island top could possibly be reworked if the overhang was cut down and a new matching edging or a wood trim accent applied around it. Doing this would make your island counter height space smaller and would require taller stools, but it may make your current space workable. Do you know what I mean? I'll try to link a picture.

I am assuming you were thinking backless stools that will tuck under when not in use? That would help with the space issue. The four inches you could gain by the fridge isn't worth losing the space by the dishwasher.

It is hard to really visualize space when you are looking at plans and even until all the elements come together as you found. I think the bi-level bar counter may solve things, hopefully without too much expense or delay. I know in our house we have had to change a few things on the fly as we see problems or ways that they could be improved.

Good luck. Your kitchen is beautiful. Love the colors and dark trim on the cabinets and the floor. It will all work out.

Jill

Here is a link that might be useful: Bi-level counter

I agree with previous posters that there really isn't room for an eating area at the island. It would always be an inconvenience and so I question the amount of use it would get.

If changing the island is not an option then I would get backless stools, scoot them under the countertop and leave it at that. If someone wants to sit down, you're prepared.

However, if it is an option to make some changes I would consider reworking either the countertop (make it smaller to eliminate the eating area but still have plenty of surface for a prep area) or add a shallow cabinet and bookshelf to the fridge-side of the island. For me, that would be a better use of the space than an eating area that is not used. The bookshelf could be done in a combination of your cabinet stain and molding color to bring those tones down to the island.

Having said that, I think your kitchen is lovely-- I especially love your wall color. I would love to see pictures of your house when you're finished.

I would give up room between the island and the dishwasher for more room between the seating and the frig. We only had 33" between the dishwasher and island at our old house and that was fine. With the dishwasher, as long as you can open the door all the way, you will be able to use it. It's much easier to close the door of a dishwasher to let people get by than it is to make people to move so that you can get into the frig. You may not have the perfect distances, but you will get used to it and make it work for you no matter what you do. I would keep the overhang and eating area no matter what and get stools without backs, if possible, so that they can be tucked fully under the counter when not in use. Our old kitchen broke lots of the kitchen design rules and we never knew it until we had a kitchen designer come to plan a remodeling--we had made it work and were used to it so if it had ever been a problem we had forgotten about it! Pretty kitchen!

I too think your kitchen is just beautiful. How frustrating to discover a problem like this when you're so close to being done.

I thought about asking whether you might be able to turn the countertop 90 degrees so that people sat with their back to the spot where you stood when taking the picture. But I'm guessing that you wanted people to be able to look out the window over the sink when sitting at the island. So, that won't do.

Looking at the space, I too think moving the island closer to the dishwasher is you best bet. I would also look into cutting about 4 inches off the island overhang. Since the island is all on one level, as long as there is knee room when someone is sitting on a barstool there, their plates can overlap the cabinet. So you could easily get by with an 8" overhang instead of a full foot.

In fact, a lot of bi-level islands only have about 8" of knee space under the higher bar. The top of the bar then overlaps a 4" wall resulting in a 12" countertop.

Between moving the island 4" closer to the DW and cutting 4 inches off the countertop, you would gain 8 inches more space in front of the fridge. With backless stools, I think that would be adequate. It might still feel a little bit tight but not so much so that no one ever wants to sit down at the counter.

Bar stools like this might work and look good in your kitchen...

Here is a link that might be useful: backless bar stool

Your kitchen is lovely! I hope there is an easy solution for you.

I know you said you don't want a counter depth fridge ( and you obviously already have a fridge) but I love my counter depth fridge. I don't miss the space whatsoever and love the look. I do have a second fridge though- mostly used for beverages.

Don't know if it's doable, but have you considered turning the island so the eating counter is facing the stove ( your back would be to the photographer in these photos)? That would also give you a really nice triangle to work in.

I hope there is an easy solution.

PD

Thanks for the ideas but I think if we moved the island the opposite way it wouldn't be enough walking room on each side and the pendant lights are placed the other way. that would mean changing electrical, etc. and we have inspection on Tuesday! Ahhh! I really wish I would have thought this out more. I think we are going to try to move the island toward the sink and live with it. I appreciate what you said carolyn53562 that your old kitchen broke rules and it was okay! Thanks for that! I've never even had an island so this is already better than my old kitchen!
Thanks for all the input....it helped us to look at every option..

This won't work for you now, but here is another option for those who are reading this and still in the planning stages. The kitchen could have been planned/designed with a deeper hole for a full size fridge. We had this in our kitchen, which backed up to closet/laundry space. We had the same french door fridge but it was flush with the cabinets/counters. It would have looked neater and given you a few extra inches.

I think you can still recess your refrigerator a couple of inches of it isn't on an outside wall. Ask on the kitchen forum, but I think that you remove the studs behind the refrig, put in a header if needed and then use a sheet of plywood instead of the stud walls to provide structure and strength to that wall. You should be able to gain a couple of inches doing this. I know that there have been people at that kitchen forum who have done this, so ask there and hopefully they will give you the details or there willl be someone who will remember the details better than me. Good luck!

Actually what chispa suggests MIGHT still be possible depending on whether the wall that the fridge sits against isn't a supporting wall and doesn't have pipes and stuff running through it... that is, if you're willing to undergo the expense and additional mess in your kitchen. If the only thing running through that wall are electric lines (I'm assuming you have a plug right behind the fridge) you could have them remove the sheetrock from the kitchen side, cut out whatever studs are immediately behind the fridge and reframe the space as if you were putting a door through the wall but leave the sheetrock on the back wall. The plug for the fridge could be set into the "door frame" (not sure what else to call it). Then, the whole fridge would tuck into the wall giving you another 3 inches or so of space at the front.

You would have to remember not to try to drive a nail through the sheetrock on the other side to hang a big heavy picture tho.

Years ago, medicine cabinets were tucked into the wall space this way and a friend of mine with limited space tucked a cupboard into her walls this way. From the outside the cupboard looked like it was only a few inches deep but, when you opened it, she had room for full size plates and things. I can't see why it wouldn't work for a fridge as well.

You would have to remember not to try to drive a nail through the sheetrock on the other side to hang a big heavy picture tho or you might drive the nail right into the back of your fridge!

We're all anxious for you to find a solution that works for you! Your kitchen is so beautiful and you've obviously put so much thought and effort into it, you deserve for it to WORK the way you anticipated. Do let us know how things turn out.

Holly,

Before you move the island be sure to measure how far out your dishwasher is from the counter. Yours maybe is more flush but mine sticks out aprx. 2.5 inches at the top and needs about 28 inches for the door to extend fully open.

I really, really hope that you have enough room to make it work. We have about 38 inches around our island from other cabinets which is adequate. (I never heard the 4 ft island space rule, I had found minimum recommendations of 3 ft, so guess I am a rule-breaker, too!). But our seating does not back up to any cabinets, our island has a half octagon on the seating end, both the base and overhang top (which is currently sealed plywood as we can't seem to decide on counter tops, but enough about me!)

These are the stools we have (kinda funky but I like 'em). They have a shock-absorber mechanism that adjusts up/down and supports your back and tushy but will still tuck under and out of the way. Probably way too fun for kids, guys get such a big kick out of them.

Hang in there, once you get it figured out the hassle will all fade away as you live and work in your gorgeous kitchen. Heck, even if you live with it as is for a while you can take some more time to get it just the way you want it.

Jill

Here is a link that might be useful: Elise Stools at Target

Hi there, I am so sorry that you've hit this dilemma at this stage in the process. I have the same u-shaped kitchen with almost the same configuration, except we have double ovens where your fridge is, and our fridge is on the opposite side, at the end of the counter left of the sink. I spent many, many hours designing our kitchen and thinking through the walkways with appliances, door swings, stools, etc. Our original blueprint called for our kitchen to be 12' deep, with a 24" island with no overhang for bar stools. In a prior kitchen that we remodeled, which was 12', we added an island with stools and had about 33" walkways, one of which had an over door opening. It was very tight, especially when we had guests around the island, which was basically whenever we had guests! So for our new build, I already knew 12' would never work, so one necessity was that we bumped our kitchen 3', making it 15' deep. Our current island is 24" with 10" overhang, making it 34". With 2' of counters/appliances on the sides of the "u." that leaves just over 3 1/2' (about 43") on either side of the island. Our walkways are "comfortable" but not spacious. If someone is sitting at the island on a stool and I need to open one of the ovens, I just tell them to hold still, and I can open the door and have about 6-8" between the door and the back of the stool, which is fine. Honestly, I think 15' is the minimum comfortable depth you can have in a u-shaped kitchen with bar stools. If I built this same design again, I would make it more like 17' deep. I am guessing yours is more like 12-13' deep? Imagine how much space you would have if you had an extra 3' feet of depth and you will see what I mean. If I were you, I would either: 1) go without bar-stools at the island and just have the regular 1 1/2" overhang all around; 2) if there is room, make the overhang on the end of the counter and maybe round the counter on the end so you could try to get 2 stools in; or 3) if you're really set on having the overhang where you have it, perhaps in addition to moving the island closer to the dishwasher side, you could get a new counter top with less overhang, such as 10" overhang instead of 12" if that is what you have. As I discovered in my last kitchen, when you're dealing with walkways, every inch counts! Good luck!

Thank you all, I have to decide this tomorrow! I'm headed over to the house later to talk it over with my husband. I'm not sure I want to change the countertop just because it is already done and that would be more time and expense and we are already over budget! :) So I think we will move the island to the left and live with it. I think if I get backless barstools and tuck them under most of the time I can live with it. It just unfortunate to have to 'live with' something when it is your new house. BUT, I am grateful to have a new house when so many have so little, so I will be thankful every time I'm squished, right? LOL :)

We ran into the same issue despite all our planning. I've read the other posts and may be repeating something but can you rotate your island 180 and have the seating on the sink side? The rotation should not impact your pendant lighting but may require rewiring of the island receptacle. The fridge is more likely to be used than the sink and/or dishwasher while eating. Our island has 39-1/2" between island and wall countertops and the barstools fit almost completely under the island countertop. It's tight but it works.

I know this is OLD post..but for anyone remodeling a kitchen...This is MAJOR mistake by contractor! The seating should NOT be in front a refrigerator in U-SHAPED kitchen ever!!
I would NOT put it on opposite side either. Poor Design!
I wonder how final project turned out....