Seating Overhangs & Spacing

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Seating Overhangs...

Counter-height seating (36" off the floor) -- a minimum overhang of 15" of clear knee/leg space (i.e., no obstructions)

Bar-height seating (42" off the floor) -- a minimum overhang of 12" of clear knee/leg space.

If you plan to eat meals at this height, then plan for an 18-inch deep surface to accommodate plate & glass without risking knocking something off the overhang and onto the lower surface. This can be accomplished either with a deeper overhang or combining the 12" overhang with a pony wall (usually 4.5" thick) that the counter will be sitting on plus the 1.5" overhang on the other side of the pony wall.

Table-height seating (30" off the floor) -- a minimum overhang of 19" of clear knee/leg space (recently increased from 18")

Note: Some pros recommend 30" per seat for table-height seating.

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The minimum depth of an island or peninsula is based on front counter overhang, depth of cabinets, whether you have a decorative door or end panel on the back of the cabinets, and the seating overhang.

If there are finished end panels or decorative doors on the back of island or peninsula cabinets, they will take away approx 1" from the overhang, so add that 1" to the overall depth of the island or peninsula to be sure you have the minimum seating overhang.

E.g., if you have an island with counter-height seating, the minimum depth of the island or peninsula should be 41.5":

1.5" counter overhang in front + 24"D cabinets + 1" decorative end panel/door + 15" seating overhang = 41.5"

(If you do not have a decorative door or end panel on the backs of the cabinets, the minimum island or peninsula depth is 40.5")

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Seating Spacing (Linear Space)...

For each seat, a minimum of 24" of linear space per seat is needed.

E.g., a 4' wide island could seat up to 2 people; a 6' wide island could seat up to 3 people, etc.

Workspace, Landing Space, Other Items

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Work Zones…There are three primary work zones:

• Prep Zone (70% or more of kitchen work/time)
• Cooking Zone (10% of kitchen work/time), and
• Cleanup Zone (20% or less of kitchen work/time)

Of these, the Prep & Cooking Zones work best when either next to each other or across from each other.

The Cleanup Zone usually works best if it's separated from the Prep & Cooking Zones. Sometimes that means different parts of the kitchen (usually with a prep sink in the Pep Zone); other times it means the only sink in the kitchen separates them...Prep & Cooking Zones on one side of the sink and Cleanup Zone with DW on the other side of the sink.

[See the FAQ thread "Kitchen Work Zones, What Are They?" for more information about work zones.]

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Trash & recycle pullout...works best in the Prep Zone, near the Cooking Zone, and, if only one is possible, near the Cleanup Zone. Far more trash & recyclables are generated while prepping and cooking than while cleaning up. So, if you have to choose, put the trash & recycle in the Prep Zone instead of the Cleanup Zone. [That's the biggest mistake I made, I put it in the Cleanup Zone across a 6' aisle from the Prep Zone...it's my biggest regret by far in my kitchen.]

Prep sinks...should have an interior size of no smaller than 12" x 12"...and bigger is better - I recommend no less than 15" in each direction, 18" would be better, IMHO. Anything smaller is not very useful for prepping. Those smaller sinks are often called "bar sinks" because they're really only big enough for filling a glass with water or dumping a glass. They're not big enough to clean veggies/fruit or draining pasta in a colander.

Zone protection...strive to protect the Cooking Zone from traffic - both through-traffic as well as in-kitchen traffic. While cooking, you are dealing with very hot pots/pans/food and you don't want to be tripping over or dodging traffic, open DW doors, etc. This usually means putting the Cooking Zone in the most "secluded" area...but not always, it depends on the workflow in your design – but keep it in mind when designing. After the Cooking Zone, the Prep Zone should be protected. In general, no major traffic patterns should cross through the primary work zones. If you must put the Prep Zone or Cooking Zone on a major thoroughfare, then consider extra wide aisles so people can give the zone(s) a wide berth when someone is preparing a meal

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Work/Landing Space...Be sure you have adequate work and landing space near/around appliances and in zones. Note that sometimes combining work & landing spaces is required when it's a small kitchen. [The following items are from the "NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines With Access Standards"]

Prep Zone...36" continuous counterspace at least 24" deep for the prep zone workspace and be immediately adjacent to a water source. [We recommend at least 42" of continuous counterspace.]

Cooking Zone...See Cooktop/Range

Cleanup Zone...See "Sink (Only or Cleanup Sink)"

Sink (Only or Cleanup Sink)...At least 24" of counter frontage to one side of the primary sink, and 18" on the other side (including corner sink applications) with the 24" counter frontage at the same counter height as the sink. The minimum allowable space from corner to the edge of the primary sink is 3".

Sink (Prep)...At least 3" of countertop frontage on one side of secondary sinks, and 18" on the other side (including corner sink applications) with the 18" counter frontage at the same counter height as the sink. [We generally recommend at least 12" on one side and 42" on the other side. This minimizes splashing on the floor and accidentally knocking things off the counter.]

Refrigerator...At least 15" counter space on the latch side of the refrigerator or on either side of a side-by-side, or at least 15" of landing space no more than 48" across from the refrigerator. If an oven is next to [the] refrigerator, [the] refrigerator should be the one placed next to available countertop.

Ovens (Wall)...At least 15" of landing space, at least 16" deep, next to or above oven if it opens into a primary traffic pattern. If it does not open into a traffic area, at least 15" x 16" of landing space needed [(i.e., it can be across or next to it). We do not recommend putting an oven where it's in a major traffic path.]

MW...At least 15" of landing space, a minimum of 16" deep, above, below, or adjacent to a microwave oven

Cooktop/Range...

• Open-ended kitchen: at least 9" of counter space on one side of the cooking surface and 15" on the other, at the same counter height as the appliance. [We recommend at least 18" on the open end for safety reasons.]
• Enclosed kitchen: at least 3" of clearance at an end wall protected by flame retardant material; 15" on the other side of the appliance, at the same counter height as the appliance. [Be sure there is sufficient space for elbow room and pot/pan handles on both sides – we recommend at least 9".]
• Island or peninsula: Countertop should extend a minimum of 9" behind the cooking surface, at the same counter height as the appliance, in any instance where there is not an abutting wall/backsplash. [We recommend 18" to 24" behind the cooktop/range for safety and aesthetic reasons]

Combined countertop for 2 adjacent locations...For two adjacent work centers or landing spaces, determine the longest of the two required lengths and add 12".

NOTES on cooktop/range spacing:

• Experiences here have shown some of us that the above is actually too little for an island or peninsula setup or when the cooktop/range is at the end of a cabinet run.
• For safety reasons, you need at least 18" on each side. This does not include workspace -- 18" is far too little for workspace.
• For behind the cooktop/range in an island or peninsula, there should be a minimum of 18" behind if there is no seating behind the cooktop/range and 24" behind if there is seating.
• For functionality, at least 24" on each side is better, regardless of location of cooktop/range. This space can be shared with the Prep Zone on one side; if it is, then there should be at least 48" on the side shared with the Prep Zone. [36" + 12" = 48"; 36" for the Prep Zone + 12" for the overlap with the Cooking Zone. See above about "combined countertop for 2 adjacent locations".]
• In the case of a range/cooktop next to a door or wall, check your local Codes, they may dictate more space b/w the door or wall and cooktop/range.

+++++ Please do not bump -- this thread is replacing the FAQ and will be referenced from the "Read Me" thread. +++++