My parents have 24" cabinets a 9-10" dead space then 12" overhang. I can reach it all from one side, but I always go around because with small children I have to clean the edge well. In our new build we are doing 24" cabinets with functional 12" cabinets behind with a 15" overhang. I'm sure I will walk around. I couldn't give up extra storage and dead space, to me, is crazy!

Jen

The island in my previous kitchen was 36" deep (24" cabinet + 12" overhang). I had to go around to clean it. I could reach the whole thing from one side, but it was quite a stretch for me (5'2"), and I couldn't clean the surface very well that way.

My current kitchen has 25" deep island. I find it very easy to clean. But I still go around the island to clean the edges.

My new island will probably have 24" cabinet and 12" cabinet (back to back) with 12" overhang. I don't mind walking around to clean it.

Sometimes I do wonder how people clean a huge island, like 6' x 8'? Maybe with a mop?

This post was edited by ILoveCookie on Wed, Apr 23, 14 at 10:27

My current island is 48" deep with base cabinets on both sides. With a cooktop on it, I appreciate the depth to separate cooking from visiting and serving....but also the extra storage. Yes, I have to walk around to clean it. But I like it enough to go with a similar depth in the house we're currently building

Mine is 38" and I consider it perfect. Plenty of room to spread out, and easy to clean. I have 24" cabinets on one side, and on the back I have 12" cabinets for about 60", and then the rest is the overhang with a couple of stools that can be pushed under. The picture is of the back of the island.

I visited my son's friend's house recently, and they have an enormous island - 6'x8' at least. It's the size of a small room. I asked them how they clean the center. They had a pretty good sense of humor about it (the previous owner had designed the kitchen). The husband demonstrated his wiping technique for me. He dove, microfiber cloth in hand, belly first onto the granite, scooched forward a bit, and wiped. It was pretty hilarious.

Once he got down he confessed that they actually use a Swiffer to hold the cloth. The center of their island/continent is not really useable, so it doesn't get terribly dirty, just dusty.

Our island is also pretty deep, mostly because it's a large square. The center doesn't get used much, but when I have stuff all spread out for baking it's really a luxury to be able to just push stuff away in any convenient direction when I need room instead of worrying about things falling off the edge.

Our island is the same as what you are planning and I really like the depth.

The extra storage under the overhang is useful. We did it different from hockeyfan; the we faced the two cabinets on the ends of the 12" row to open toward the side of the island instead of under the overhang. They are 2 foot deep and one foot wide with pull-outs. One is in our baking area and holds all our cookie sheets, cooling racks and flat baking pans below with most of our cake pans on a roll out above. Only the ones in the middle of the row are 12" deep with doors under the overhang.

Here's one of the cabinets that face the side of the island:

Since are doors are overlay, we put panels on the sides of the cabinets that don't have doors to make things even all around. For example there is a panel to the right of the open door in the picture above.

We also put electrical outlets on the sides of the cabinets that face the ends. They are easily reached there but aren't as visible as they would have been on the ends.

I'm 5'1: and my arms are short I can only reach a bit past the mid point. Even if the island was 36" deep I couldn't clean it from one side.

We have a prep sink and a rangetop on the island. The 27" counter area available on the back of the island is very useful. Any cookie tray loading, dough rolling and loaf forming is done there. If it had been 15" deep it would be a lot less useful.

The island:

It's exactly what I'm putting in, so my island will be 9'x56". I'm so looking forward to it. I fully expect to have to walk around it to clean all surfaces.
I'm really looking forward to the 12" deep cabinet on the side under the 15" overhang. It's where all my formal dishes will reside since I won't have room for a sideboard in my DR.

I'm 5' 5" and my island is 42" x 70". I can only reach half way comfortably so I walk around several times when cleaning. First I have to get everything off of it. Then I wipe once with a wet paper towel (mostly to get off the crumbs and cat hair) Then I spray pledge and go around somewhat scrubbing with a mircofiber. Then one final lap with a dry microfiber to buff it out. Ideally that should happen once a day (it doesn't). The cat has learned that she can jump on the island and I have to do about 3/4 of a lap around before I catch up to her. She knows how to stay just out of reach.

I could handle a slightly longer island but in no way would I want a wider one.

I'm 5' 5" and my island is 42" x 70". I can only reach half way comfortably so I walk around several times when cleaning. First I have to get everything off of it. Then I wipe once with a wet paper towel (mostly to get off the crumbs and cat hair) Then I spray pledge and go around somewhat scrubbing with a mircofiber. Then one final lap with a dry microfiber to buff it out. Ideally that should happen once a day (it doesn't). The cat has learned that she can jump on the island and I have to do about 3/4 of a lap around before I catch up to her. She knows how to stay just out of reach.

I could handle a slightly longer island but in no way would I want a wider one.

The island we just put in is exactly as you're thinking. DH made me demonstrate that I could reach the center once the countertop was installed. Yes, I'll need to go around it, but I'm okay with that. I need to to it in our current kitchen and the island is much smaller. I'm looking forward to the additional storage space under the overhang.

sjhockeyfan - That's a possibility for me. Thanks. Will you list the dimensions of all the cabinets on your island? I really like it.

oldbat2be - Would you mind describing and/or posting a pic that shows your paper towel arrangement? Or posting a link if it's 'a thing' you can get? Looks neat.

Yes, having cabinets back to back for the island gives additional space but VERY inconvenient storage. You have to pull out a chair (which most have) and then you have to pretty much get on the ground to get under the counter. No thanks.I'd rather find storage somewhere else.

scootermom - as my friend would say, your son's friend does not have an island, he has a continent!
My island is not rectangular. It is 8 ft long and has 24" deep cabinets that back onto 12" deep x 18" wide cabinets on each end, with an overhang in-between. This in-between area is an arc which has a maximum depth of about 44". I clean from both sides - no big deal. My new island will have the 24" cabinets on one side and 15" on the other side. No overhang though, as we don't use the island for seating.

CalQuail, the island is 118" long -

Front:

18" 3-drawer stack
24" microwave drawer with deep drawer below
4" filler for power outlet
36" 3-drawer stack
36" 3-drawer stack

Back:

33" 2-door cabinet
33" 2-door cabinet
52" of space for the stools (and we have a power outlet there too (we don't eat meals at the island).

Now that it's done, the one thing I would consider (and recommend to others) is to make it just 2-3" wider so the 12" cabinets on the back can be deeper. 12" cabinets aren't even deep enough for my placemats!

Thank you all for your responses! I've been away from my computer for a few days and am delighted to see and read what you've all shared.

" I couldn't give up extra storage and dead space, to me, is crazy! " I agree with you Jennybc. I hope your new kitchen works great for you. : )

Ilovecookie, you sound like an experienced island owner. : ) It'll be interesting to hear which island style is your all time favorite.

Marykh, having a 48" deep island with a cooktop sounds like a very good idea. Island cooktops without a lot of extra depth always look so scary to me. It's neat that you liked your current configuration enough to do it again.

Sjhockeyfan (bonus points for you!) I love the way you did partial storage and partial seating. Great idea! That's a good compromise, and you don't have to crawl like a troll under a bridge to get your things out from the back side. Nice.

Scootermom, that's funny. I can just picture my dh sticking one of our little kids on top of a towel and scooching them around by their ankles to clean the middle of that mammoth island. I don't think I'd want one that big, for sure.

Ah, Cloudswift, you have my favorite island cooktop configuration. I don't think we'll be doing a cooktop, but if we did, I think it would look much like yours. I also like your idea of doing storage just on the ends. Good thinking! Thanks for the pictures. You get bonus points too. ; )

Oldbat2be, just look at that sunshine streaming across your island. Pure loveliness. Sigh. I get the stuff spreading across the island. I think that's one of the downsides of a big one. It's all too easy to set stuff and then push it around rather than cleaning it off. A small island is much easier, imo, to keep cleared for working. But once the big one is cleared, like chiefneil said, it's a great spot to work!

Debrak, I can picture you and your cat doing your island dance, LOL. We have a cat with a similar bent on life that likes to hop in our vehicle when we go to leave. I can't tell you how many times we've had to chase him from one end to the other of our 12 passenger van, over and under seats and around passengers and belongings before we can get him out(the little weasel) But we love him.

Nhbaskets, I really liked your old kitchen, and your new one is going to be beautiful, too. That's great that your DH made you check to reach the whole island before install. You get bonus points for your picture as well. : )

Sherri58, I like the sounds of your island configuration too, with a mix of seating and storage. Do you have a different spot for hanger-outers since you won't have island seating in the new kitchen? I like to have someplace for those sweet visitors to go that's out. of. my. workzone. Otherwise, I like you, would make it all storage!

Calquail, thanks for asking about the island dimensions, and thanks, sjhockeyfan for your detailed description. That's so helpful! Good point about going a little deeper on the shallow bases.

Thanks all!

I'm one of those who will have a "continent" :) Our kitchen will be long and narrow and essentially will be a single wall kitchen, with the island doing most of the heavy lifting (cooktop, prep sink, lots of storage). Ready for the dimensions . . . 13 x 5. Yes it's a monster -- I'll probably be able to give up running since I'll get so much exercise walking around it to clean :) It will look something like this

[

[Modern Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by San Francisco General Contractors Bill Fry Construction - Wm. H. Fry Const. Co.

Sjhockeyfan (bonus points for you!)

:-)

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I am also looking forward to our 10 x 5 island. I wanted the extra depth so that we could seat people across the entire long side and one short side, and not have to worry about splashing from the sink. It basically gives me a 10x3 uninterrupted expanse of island for serving, seating, projects, etc. Or looking at it another way, a 5x5 expanse to one side of the sink.

Right now the cabinetry part of the island is installed, which is 15" shorter in each direction, and it does not look too big for our space at all. I only wish I could have made it even longer!