Dam near impossible to navigate, especially with an angle. Make it a minimum of 48" in my opinion. The other island clearances are to tight as well. You probably do not have the room for an island and definitely not one that large in length AND width.

How wide are your appliances? Not sure they can get thru 34” when need to move. I would put trash under sink to shorten island maybe.

It's going to be effectively smaller than that because you show a refrigerator that is about 27" inches deep and even most counter depth refrigerators are not that shallow currently and many are well over 30".

Normally a 34" pinch point is maybe not ideal, but livable considering many houses have 30-32" doorways and less. But in this case the island is going to have to get shorter.

if seating and overhang were removed is it like 50 in from back of island cab to lower window wall. ??? I think I'd remove overhang and seats and shove island to left. Center the sink or so....at patio door end make a crescent or semi cricle ....you can switch to a different material and stagger height..etc various ways to be creative and work your 3 stools at this patio door end ......its more depth without fridge ....out of footpath of working part of kitchen....that aisle should expand a few inches. You obviously have windows and slider / so impediments exist...if you want to change those kinds of things along your walls you can do more but that doesn't seem to be the case. 2-3 stools at a curved end...maybe one stool at opposite end [bathroom end] w small overhang there. the overhang along the length of backside/with stools doesn't work at all.

If the seating and overhang were removed it looks like 44" and the overhang is only 8". Eight inches is okay for a perch, but not really for longer term seating especially with the sink right there. I would drop the overhang and shift the island toward the window direction.

If you are relying on the above measurements, be aware that the actual measurement will be less ~ maybe 3 inches less because the lines aren't positioned at the actual corners.

What you want may not be the kitchen you can have... I don't know anything about you, so I doubt the sketch is worth much, except maybe for the idea. The odd stuff around the range wall is to pad the base cabinets forward 3 inches but also increase the depth of the upper cabinets 3 inches. More room on the counter and more room in the uppers. As a side note, generally, one 36" cabinet has more storage space and is cheaper than two 18" cabinets.

And yes, the second seat is the "exercise" seat.

I remodeled a kitchen and had 36" clearance between the island and counter and found that it is too tight. Use 42' clearance as a minimum, 48' preferred, especially around island seating.

What is the sill height on the three windows out of curiosity?

We definitely have to keep the 3ft clearances since this is a small row house. The plumbing is already there for an island so the island has to stay unfortunately :( I went to my architect’s house and he has a 3ft clearance between island and counter and it seems fine. I suppose we could remove the breakfast bar and shift the island over. I just want the kitchen to be spacious and not cramped!
Do y’all think removing the breakfast bar and moving the island over would solve the issue of that 34” clearance point?

Yes shifting it over the 6" or so you would gain by dropping the overhang and leaving the 36" on the far side of the island for people to go in and out to the yard would work. I am assuming that slider is the only way out of the back of the house (that is how the rowhouses are here).

"I just want the kitchen to be spacious and not cramped!"

May be too late for that. Where is this breakfast bar you speak of or are you calling that the overhang? You have 36" max all the way around, i think too tight without shrinking/moving the island.

If the windows are too low to install a cabinet run on that wall and you keep the island, you will need to shorten it. I agree with @palimpsest that it's untenable as is because the fridge is there. Ditch the microwave in the island and replace it with a 9" tray base that has one horizontal shelf at mid height. Cutting boards and baking sheets will fit nicely. This will also allow you to increase the size of you trash pullout (if it were my kitchen, I'd put a small can under the sink and have another drawer base and put a free standing bin on the wall across from the powder room). If you really need seating for 3, use a 6" tray cabinet instead of a 9" and wrap your overhang around. It won't be any less comfortable than the set up you have above and no one will be trapped in the middle seat. The microwave can go in the cabinet next to the fridge.

Since storage is limited, a smaller microwave in the uppper cabinet could be better still, depending on how much you use it. As Bmore suggested, replace the 2 18" base cabinets with a 36" drawer base. It's great for pots and pans. If you can afford a drawer in a drawer, that's a great way to store the lids too. Map out where everything will go. You might find that an 18" and 30" drawer base works better than two 24" bases. You're kitchen is small and challenging and the island breaks all the rules but you can probably make it work; it'll just be tight.

Yes I think this drawing doesn’t reflect it but we will be putting a pantry of sorts next to the fridge that is 18in wide and then a 24inch base and on the other side of the range we are planning on having one wide 36in drawer. The “breakfast bar” which I agree isn’t a true bar is more of a perch. I imagine kids doing homework while I was in the kitchen. I suppose kids don’t need an overhang at all and they can just deal with sitting by the island instead of “at the island”

The island does have to shrink one way or another. We either lose the trash and put it next to the range (thus losing storage) or we lose the breakfast bar. I guess I have to pick between the two. A friend of mine said to put the trash under the sink but I don’t think that’ll be a big enough trash for us

Small kitchen person, here. I get it. Keep playing with it.

1. Are you absolutely opposed to a nice stainless steel flip top trashcan somewhere in the room? Perhaps at the window/door end of the island (or in the corner),? If you can do that, you can eliminate 6-12” of island length and allow a wider passage near bathroom.
2. I’m less troubled by your 34” passage than I am about your 36” workspace between sink and stove. That’s a one-person layout, for sure. I’d scratch my head and see if I could make that aisle wider.
3. Any reason you couldn’t eliminate that back-side seating overhang, create a wider workspace aisle…and make the narrower island longer to allow seating at one end? I’d have to look closely at dimensions, but…it’s an idea.

For example, my island is 66x34.5” (including counters), with a pedestal table portion that allows for cozy conversation-style seating for 3 on the ”open” end of the room.

• I have 36” on one full side of island, and 34” for a ~2ft section on the other side before it opens up to 59” on that side due to a bay of windows.
• My cooking workspace end is 43”… including from the island corners. On the opposite end, I have 50” to windows.
• I think a big part of why it doesn’t feel tight, is that it has those parts that open up.

I assume no, but can you shift the wall in the powder room back?

Shorten the island by putting the trash under the sink.

I have a small kitchen as well and one of my choices was the extra depth counter on the range wall. We pulled the base cabinets out 5.5 inches from the wall for more counter space.  I find the extra depth works well, especially behind the stove with plenty of space for spices and oils. We also have space for the rice cooker to be pushed back on the counter so it isn't in the way of the person cooking. That choice does limit you to a slide in stove but I prefer that as the space appears less cramped. 

Clearances are a bit tighter when countertops and handles are in place. My clearance from the dish cupboard to the pan storge cabinet is 42 inches, cabinet box to cabinet box. The counter on the one cabinet has a rounded overhang for the trash can so the actual clearance is 34.5 inches from countertop to opposite cabinet door. 

What is the layout of the space to the left, past the powder room and the windows? Is it practical to use the wall opposite the powder room, perhaps for a small breakfast bar or a microwave cabinet? I think a narrower island with a short overhang and a single stool at the end might fit better than the current plan

I was very worried about this pinch point in my kitchen. It is 36”. unpopular opinion maybe, but living with this, I think you would be fine with anything 32” or so. It has been a complete non issue.

@Ashwini Reddy When we remodeled the kitchen of our first house 30 years ago we had a small trash bin under a 24" sink for a family of four. We had just moved back from Europe so it didn't feel like a hardship. We lived with it for 15 years and it was SMALL!!! I'm not suggesting you do that. LOL! However, you do have multiple places in your kitchen where you could have a free standing bin while still having a small bin under the sink for prepping detritis.

@M R Your pinch point is very different because your refrigerator is not in the same spot. I agree that, while not ideal, one could live with a 34" aisle but the fridge kind of makes it a deal breaker, IMO.

Past the kitchen is the dining room and then living room, it’s all open. It’s just this bit of the powder bathroom that sticks out. I had to put it there so I could have a 1/2 bath on the first floor. I’m happy to have it but it’s SO annoying! Of note everyone I just realized I could do a 21in cabinet for the microwave. This would shave 3in off the island and that pinch point of 34” would be gone! I know the clearances of 3’ are not ideal but with a row house I’m aware that I’ll have to deal with small spaces :/

@M R I wish I could move that powder room back!
@julie r I’m going to have a waterfall edge so unfortunately can’t put seating on one side of the island