What is too much space between kitchen Island and counters?
Dubo Dan
9 years ago
I have seen a lot of information about what would be considered too small of a space between kitchen island and countertops but I am curious as to what would be considered too much space. We have 39 inches on the short side of the island but a whopping 73 inches on the long side. Is 73 inches too much, or would this be comfortable?
I have attached the kitchen design if it helps.
Thanks!
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_sophiewheeler
9 years agoRelated Discussions
How much space between doorway and island?
Comments (1)5 feet will be plenty. I know from experience that tape on the floor is very deceiving. I have learned to trust the measurements....See More16" space between counter and upper cabs too short?
Comments (25)We had 15" in our old kitchen and I hated it, but it really depends on how you're using the space. In our kitchen, it was the primary work space so I was always hitting the cabinets, and the stand mixer kept gouging the underside of the cabinet when I'd forget to pull it out all the way before flipping it back. But if, in contrast, you're using the space to house a microwave or toaster oven or what-have-you--16" will be fine (and better to have the storage space there). Don't forget that you can put three shelves in a 34" cabinet, too, though. We have three in a 32" cabinet and love it--every shelf doesn't need to have a full 12" of clearance. I can reach all of our shelves (intentionally designed that way) and we keep cans/jars on the lowest shelf since they don't need height. How tall are your ceilings? If you post that with a floor plan, I'm sure you will get lots of feedback and ideas on how to plan the cabinetry! If you're doing custom cabinetry, I wouldn't feel hemmed in by standards sizes and distances--one of the benefits is that you can mix it up and do what works best for your space....See MoreSpace between island and counter
Comments (3)If the island counter is 36" high, the recommended overhang for seating is 15". People do with less in a pinch, and if the seating is just for chatting and having a beverage, rather than comfortable seating for a meal...and will want more if there's something like a sink, stove, or splashy/messy work area in front of the seated people. 42" is usually a nicely sized aisle, and whether you'd need larger or can do with smaller depends on what is on each side of the aisle (Things that may need to open at the same time? Work/task areas that might conflict? People needing to work back to back?), and how much traffic goes through. If you have a situation where there won't be too many workers or traffic in that aisle, you can probably go with a little less...Can you mock it up somehow to get a feel for the distance you're considering?...See MoreToo Much Aisle Space between appliances and island?
Comments (9)I actually made my kitchen smaller because I did not like the larger aisles between the cooktop/island and the sink/ island. I have two islands in my kitchen and the second one is small and serves as a landing area between my sink, cooktop and fridge. It is not in the way for any of these items but is within a turn/step of each. Before I moved the east kitchen wall in 20", it was a turn/step/step between the sink/island and cooktop/island. I used a small cabinet that was the size I wanted for the island and lived with the setup for several months and finally moved the range and cabinets out from the wall 20" and after a month I knew I liked that distance so much better so the wall got moved. The dining room will have a nice alcove for the hutch and the extra room there is also nice to have. I may be one of the few people who has had the luxury (if you can call it that LOL!) of having a kitchen setup where I could rather easily rearange appliances (other than the sink) and see what I liked. We moved the kitchen to a new room and simply cut apart the old cabinets and set them up temporary until we could finish the kitchen (that was five years ago) and I've lived in four modified layouts before settling on the final one that gives my a kitchen that works great for the way I cook. My aisles are near 40" now so they must have been around 50" before. The small island will be movable so if it ever happens that I need more room in the kitchen (like having folks over to bake cookies or can veggies) I can move the whole thing out of the way. Cathy...See More
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