I have much less than that and it works for me - 33 inches in the narrowest area - almost 35 for most of it. Why do you think 42" is too wide - most people here would think that's ideal. Is it too crowded on the seating side? What's the space situation there?

we have 3' all around. If our kitchen were larger, I would have preferred 42". 3' works but only for one cook in the kitchen. For a two person kitchen 42" would be minimum.

I think ours came out to 36" between the island and the sink after the counters were installed. It works great for me.

Everyone congregates on the other side of the island so the 36" hasn't been too narrow. I think I might have a different opinion if I had to share the space on a regular basis.

gibby3000-my island is a rectangle...the work side walkway is 42 inches (sink to island), opposite that is the seating area. My countertops will be templated Monday. yes I think my seating area will be crowded once the countertops are done. There are doors (garage and basement)on the opposite wall (which the seating area backs up to). I don't know for sure how much space I'll need beyond the countertop for seating but the way the island is positioned right now it seems like those sitting will be too close to the doors.

Thank you! That is what I wanted to hear! My island has no sink or cooktop. They didn't even put the outlets in yet, the wiring is still in the floor. The ONLY problem I have is the lighting. My ceiling is wired for 2 lights centered over the island. Actually, now that the island is placed they are slightly off center toward the seating side. Hopefully I can move the island a few inches without the lighting being way off.

i don't know if your lights are already connected or just wired, but it isn't that difficult to move them. Much less difficult to move a few wires for lights than to live unhappy with a misplaced island for the next number of years. It may just be a matter of moving the housings and drywalling the holes where the old housings are. JMHO

I wish it was that simple....the lights are not connected-(I didn't even pick any out yet) BUT we have new plaster ceilings that have a sanded decorative finish around each box....I cannot move that.

I have 40" between the stove and island, 39" between the sink and island and 46" on the other side which is the main walkway. This works fine for me.

I will have 36" between the island and the sink run: just perfect for me to turn around and not have to walk. My island is just a work island, though - no range or prep sink. I will have about 35" on the other side between the 12" deep pantry wall and the island. Starting demolition on Wednesday!

So on the "seating side of an island", with a sliding door behind the seats sound like 46" would be enough for walking thru??

I think the number is in the guidelines, but in real life kitchens...does that feel like enough?

Thanks!

One note of caution ...
Remember to measure the distance between the COUNTERS, and not the distance between the CABINETS.

Good point. But taking that 3" into account, if you already feel the extra step is a dysfunction, it almost certainly is for you, so act on it. Your sanded ceiling can be resanded. Or a medallion put up or some such thing. Small potatoes compared to living from now on with an aggravation that makes itself felt at every turn (pun intended).

Sounds to me like you should move the island closer. I really prefer mine to be closer that most people seem to. I like things to be within reach not a couple steps away. We have about 36" on the side where our seating is - there's a wall behind and it's also the walkway to our porch. That works with small stools (14 inches square with no backs). You'd want more space if you had larger stools.

I agree with others who suggest doing it - even if you have to deal with the lighting. It could be the kind of thing that would really bug you in the long run if you didn't do it. The lights might not be quite right but you'd probably get over that.

Everyone I spoke with when planning our kitchen had the same comment, "I wish I could pick up my island and pull it TOWARD me to get extra seating room."

Remember, you need room, not just for people sitting, but pulling OUT the barstools to seat themselves, and leaving a pathway to get to those doors as well.

We had plenty of room, so I have more than adequate room behind the barstools, AND I have TOO much space between my main sink and my island, AND my island and my cooktop (44 and 46" respectively)

I step and turn all day long. Let's just say I overcompensated for my previous kitchen, where I stepped on a dog or a child or a guest every time I moved my foot.

I worked in a kitchen recently that was just perfect, and surprised the hostess by asking for a tape to measure the distance between the sink and island(ah, you fellow TKO have done it too, I know!)

It was a hair under 36" and it was divine!

Her other aisles were 42-44" but HER space was tight and efficient.

Just FYI.

I centered my island in the room, so I have 48" on one side and closer to 70" on the seating side. I am going to eventually add a hutch on the wall behind the seating side, but it will still have plenty of room. I like the wide aisle because it leaves plenty of room for someone to get around the open dishwasher door or fridge door. I would not have wanted it any closer than 42", and I thought having the lights 6" off center would look odd. More off center would look fine, because then it is clear the lights are associated with the island and not centered on the room. But just a little off center I didn't like (I mocked it up).

I think it's very personal and depends on your layout, your family, even your size. For example, opposite my dishwasher are the plate drawers. When both are open there is only about 2-3" between them. I wouldn't want a setup where things could hit. Now, if you have door cabinets there, rather than drawers, it wouldn't be an issue.

Before you make a change open all the doors, appliances, etc. Stand at the sink and have someone walk behind you. Make sure there won't be collisions.

For me, 48" is just a step and a pivot. I'm 5'7".

Thank you for asking this question! We are planning 42" but after reading these responses, I am thinking whether it is too much. We too could definitely use more room on the other side.

36 is the most comfortable for me alone, but 42" makes it possible for two people to be doing something there. One can be using the counter along the wall and the other can be using the island counter. Even if I am the only cook, 42" is enough room for someone to walk behind me.

Also, if you have a regular dishwasher, check whether it is convinient to open the dishwasher with the smaller isle. I know that with a range it may be a problem.

I also wonder if it is important for resale. If the potential buyer is a bigger person/family, would a 36" isle be an issue? We are not planning to sell soon but try to take the resale into the consideration in our decisions where possible.

Just my 2 cents ... I had 36" around my island (3 sides) for 15 years and hated it. Yes, it was lovely for just me in the kitchen as I could just turn around to reach the other counter. But put ONE other person in there and not being able to pass each other without turning ... it was so irritating... then with parties and holidays it was maddening.

I have 42" and 48" now and I fell so much freer in the kitchen to move around, even if it is just me in there.

Osswb's comment about narrowish aisles on 3 sides makes a point worth noting. With an L-shape counter and island, smeone I know has a narrow space, only 35-36", at her main cooking/prep area but wider clearances on the other 3 sides of the island--cleanup side, traffic side, eating side--and it all seems to work well. The L's corner between the cleanup counter and the stove counter provides a second work area that doesn't infringe on the trim space between prep island counter and stove counter.

Huh, I just measured my L and I have 42 and 38. I always thought the 38 aisle was the wider one! Why? Probably because the 42 aisle is my 'spot', and I am much more aware of any passage or intrusion on MY edge of the island. Could be 30 inches on the side where I don't work for all I care.

Folks are happy (or unhappy it seems) with anything from 33 to 44 for a work aisle. Personal preference partly, but also variables like appliance and cabinet door swings and traffic are huge. An open dishwasher or a dog changes everything.

On the seating and traffic passage side, more is definitely better. 60 there for a main passageway is not unreasonable.

I say move the island. You know you want to.

For those planning to put one in, I recommend using a bunch of old cardboard moving boxes and seeing how that works out for you. It should be stable enough to lay down groceries and what not. That's what I did and found out how much I need an island. It's not a really small kitchen but it definitely made me consider if it's too small to put in an island. I will have about 36" on the sink side, 42" on the range side, 36" on the french door side, and opens up to the eat-in kitchen side. It's purely for utility because I really don't have a lot of countertop space as it is. I read that 48" x 24" is the minimum for an island, but I think that 40" x 24" is perfectly fine for me.

Its so interesting reading this thread. I'd much prefer to take a step between my prep area and my sink (been doing it all my life) than to have to do the tango anytime someone came into the area to get a glass of water. Well, sometimes the tango is nice, but usually I'm busy and focused just then.

In our old house, we had to have a narrow aisle if we were to have an island at all. It turned out GREAT -- we loved the convenience of being able to pivot between stove and sink (especially with a heavy pot) and reach both easily, or to toss a dirty utensil into the sink without leaving the stove. Good safety factor, too. And we were surprised at how rarely anyone had to wait a moment, go around the island, or say "excuse me" to get through -- and it wasn't a big deal when it happened.

When we moved and redid the big, square kitchen in our new house, there was LOTS of room for a big island and a big aisle, and in terms of proportion and balance, we probably should have had an EXTRA-wide aisle.

But we didn't -- we made a narrowish one again. It just works so much better for us. I have read that a galley kitchen is the most efficient and ergonomic layout, and in fact that's the real reason I think islands are so useful; they sort of mimic a galley configuration to give the best of both worlds.

If you are large people and are often in the same space at the same time, you might find a wider aisle convenient. But for almost everything else, I think the narrower, the better (obviously, you need clearance for appliance doors, but I don't think anyone is going to let you get THAT narrow).

Remember that even if more than one person cooks in your home, you need to consider how often they do so AT THE SAME TIME. Few layouts are optimal for both one-cook and two-cook situations. We both cook, but rarely at the same time. Also, cooking is not the only thing you need to consider: how often is more than one person cleaning up? Unloading the dw? Unloading groceries? Carrying a big pasta pot across to the sink?

I know I'm a broken record about this, but as much fun as it is to think about big dinner parties and holidays, and as much as designers try to get you plan your kitchen around them (well, of course -- then you're more likely to splurge on high-end and decorative items), it is much smarter to plan your layout around those ordinary tasks you do every single day. Not only is it more convenient, it will save your back and legs, as well as spills.

We have 53" between island and fridge; 44" between island and sink:

With DD and DH milling about at mealtimes, I'm glad of the wide walkways--especially by the fridge. I guess it all depends on your cooking and entertaining habits. Our design (especially fridge placement) was constrained by the available wallspace of the DR, which we converted to a kitchen, but there's not much that I would change.

I just wanted to update everyone.....I had the contractors move my island from 42 to 36 (countertop edge to contertop edge). MUCH BETTER! I should have gone even more but there would have been holes in the floor showing. Put that on my list of things I would have done differently.

Good to hear how that turned out. I bet you'll be happy with 36" in the long run.