We have the NKBA recommended minimum of 15" for counter-height seating. 15" is fine for me (at 5'10"). However, my children and DH are taller and they have all recently admitted to me they wish we had an 18" overhang. (I thought they were all fine w/15"! That explains why my DH and DS don't sit at the peninsula as often as I thought they would and as often as my DD and I do! My DD also says more would have been better, but it's OK if she doesn't sit there for a long period of time. She's 5'11".) While I was in the planning stages of my kitchen, I began to notice when I was comfortable/uncomfortable sitting at islands and peninsulas in friends' homes. I noticed that those with 13" or less were very uncomfortable to sit at. I either had to sit sideways (and then I had to twist around to use the counter) or I had to "straddle" the cabinets (legs spread) and lean farther forward. Neither are very comfortable for very long. My DH won't sit at any of those counters b/c they're so very uncomfortable for him. If everyone in your family is short and/or has short legs (and will always be short), you might be able to get away with 10", but I would not want to do it! How wide is the portion of the slab you are willing to use? Remember that 25.5" of it will be taken up with the 24" cabinets + 1.5" overhang on the front of the peninsula. If you put decorative panels (plain or decorative doors) on the back of your peninsula, you will lose another 1/2" (plain) to 1" (doors) or so. This means to have a 10" overhang, the usable portion of your slab will have to be at least 36" to 36.5" wide. 1.5" + 24" + 0.5" + 10" = 36" 1.5" + 24" + 1" + 10" = 36.5" Is there another slab you can use that doesn't have the "issue" you're trying to avoid? I suggest you find someplace w/a 10" overhang and sit at it for 20 to 30 minutes while you work on something or eat a meal. If you're still comfortable 30 minutes later (and be honest w/yourself!), then you, at least, will be OK with the shallow overhang. What about the rest of your family?

From your second paragraph it is a bit difficult to tell how you intend your set-up, but I do have a raised bar on my penninsula that seems to be similar in shape. I'll post a couple of pictures and you can see how we supported the raised bar. On one side it is supported by 42"x12"deep cabs, on the other side it is supported by a pony (half) wall and steel brackets. Hope this helps you. I don't see why Ceaserstone couldn't be used.

OK...you're probably not going to like what I have to say and you probably don't want to hear it...but this way you'll be warned and you won't be able to say that no one told you... First, if you want a cooktop in a peninsula (or island) with seating then you need one that's 48" deep...not 36". Think about it...if you have steam from boiling water, grease splattering, smoke, etc. wafting across the peninsula...do you really want someone sitting across from it???? You really need 24" behind the cooktop for a "safety zone" to protect your visitors. You also need to be sure to have 24" on the side w/the end of the peninsula. Next, how do you plan to vent your cooktop? Speaking from very real experience...downdrafts do not work very well, including telescoping. I had heard from some people hear that telescoping ones work at least for pots/pans right up next to them and a few inches shorter than them...but my experience this week so far has been that even those don't work very well...at least not the Dacor in our rental house (paired up w/a very nice Dacor gas cooktop...the cooktop I really like!) So you really need an overhead range hood. There are more and stronger air currents over/around an open space like a peninsula or island than against a wall...so you need a bigger & stronger range hood...at least 6" wider than the cooking surface and 27" deep. That bigger/stronger hood will also be a commanding presence in your kitchen as well as block the "view". Oh, and island hoods are generally more expensive b/c they're finished on all 4 sides instead of 3. Plus the added expensive of venting from a non-exterior wall. Last, why do you want the cooktop in the peninsula? Is it the absolutely only way to make your kitchen function effectively? Is it for the "view" or to visit while standing at a hot cooktop w/hot food? If the former, then I might say OK...with the appropriate precautions & venting. If the latter, then know that kitchen work studies have found that... 70% of the time spent/work done in the kitchen is prepping 20% is spent cleaning up 10% is spent actually cooking So, if it's for "visiting" or a "view", what does it make the most sense to have in the peninsula? The Prep Zone! Also, when I'm cooking, I watch what I'm doing...it's the last place/time I want someone distracting me...especially if you have a gas cooktop (flame). Sorry I'm so adamant...but the past 2.5 days have made me even more against a cooktop in a peninsula w/inadequate safety zones, inadequate workspace, and very ineffective venting! Post your layout...see if we can find you a better location for your cooktop! (And, remember the kitchen work flow... Refrigerator --> Prep Zone & sink --> Cooking Zone & cooktop --> Cleanup Zone & sink/DW...that's the flow to strive for in your kitchen layout.) Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens!

I'm in the no-eating-at-an-island camp. I have a small island cart in my kitchen (11x15). It's a kitchen that is too wide to be a galley kitchen and too narrow to have a true island...and that's fine with me. If it were wide enough for an island, I'd have a big old farmhouse table and chairs in it. As I get older, I often need to sit while doing prep work and sitting and working at a table are far easier. I have a stool that goes with my island cart and can sit down there, but it's hard to sift flour etc while reaching up high. I like to see who might be joining me in a meal, ie looking across a table, not diner-style.