A 69” island with waterfall sides will definitely only seat 2. For 3 you will need to ditch the waterfall and have open corners (no legs as they eat up the leg space just like the waterfall detail). Even with that it will be tight for 3. Can you ditch a kid? Just kidding.

The whole layout is confusing, full of bad circulation, and seems to be an awkward effort to not remove walls. I think you would be surprised at what a professional could do to get rid of those intrusive walls. If some cannot go, then there is surely still a better space plan that what was posted. What is the original space plan? Have you worked with a professional designer?

Lol, thanks thinkdesign. Alas, the kids are here to stay, and the husbsnd, too. 

So, I think what I'm hearing is that it would be better to ditch the waterfall and do a smaller overhang that doesn't require legs? 

My understanding is that you really want a minimum of 14" to be comfortable. How shallow would you suggest making it? And is that trade off worth the extra couple of inches on the walkway? Would that buy space for kid #3?

Frank and Frank-- thanks for your feedback. Just like the kids, this layout is here to stay, as the framing is in already, so while I appreciate your feedback there's not much that can be done at this point.

For the record, the goal was twofold: 1) maintain a separate space for the cook to work while allowing others the ability to use the fridge, pantry, coffeemaker, pantry, microwave, etc. and 2) keep the more intrusive appliances hidden from line sight of the living room.

We did have professional help coming up with the design and we're happy with how it came out-- just want to figure out a way to increase the size of the walkway.

Thanks!

We are both quite tall and have a 12" overhang on our island no issues just don't get huge stools .I cannot read the measurements on the plan and the first drawing makes no sense to me. What professional help did you get? Post a to scale floor plan please where we can read the measurements . I have no clue as to your style but waterfall islands IMO only work in very contemporary kitchens and honestly how can you have the can you have the cabinets on site without an ecact plan? If you had an independant KD from the start that is what was needed and now we need proper drawings.

Hi Patricia! So happy you could comment. I always find your feedback helpful.

We used an online designer called IKD and paid an architect to review the designs and make sure there were no red flags.

Sorry about that. Here is a hopefully more clear rendering of the

floor plan:

Here's a link to the full design: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tJ4PyFpjT1c_4-8cdj67g_cQxeBMiZfG/view?usp=sharing

But again, really just need help with the island and the walkway as most of the framing and electric is done at this point.

Any specific help on 1) whether the walkway between the island and the wall is too small, and 2) if it is, how to deal with that issue (without ditching a kid) :) woudl be really appreciated!

Yes, it’s too small. Mainly because of the terrible design with the skyscrapers plopped weirdly into the middle of the space like stuffing leaking out of an overfilled chicken. You do not have the space for all you are trying to do. This doesn’t work at all.

Hey Verbo, thanks so much! 

So, I do this thing where before I say anything I check whether it's true, necessary, and kind. And if it checks all three boxes, I let her rip.

You might want to give it a try!

As I've noted repeatedly, my layout is framed out and we are not interested in making any big changes. I just want to know how to make the space between my island and wall bigger.

Since comments on the general layout aren't going to be helpful at this point, I will limit my opinion to the walkway--which I think is OK. It's just a walkway with no cabinets or appliances. It would be no different that walking through a door or hallway, which are usually only 36". It's even better, since there is open shoulder space on one side.

I would remove the waterfall. Maybe a mitered edge on the countertop. Smaller island. Get saddle stools.

Would it work better if you turned the island?

Thanks, Mama Goose. That's helpful. I'm thinking I might just leave it as-is unless I can find a way to gain a few inches. Good to know it's not terrible if I don't.

I understand that this is not a very traditional layout, but it checks all of our boxes, and my contractor and architect both think it works. Functionally, it works well for me as the primary cook and the flow is way better than the current layout, and we get a bigger dining room, an island, and the book nook I've always wanted. I'm thrilled with it, and will be here for the next 15 years (at least).

If you see anything glaring that can easily be fixed, please do let me know. Otherwise, happy to live in ignorant bliss.

I'm a big fan of yours, btw. I love the gentle pragmatism your comments always bring. :) Thanks again!

Thanks, Anna. 

Can you clarify what you mean by turning the island?

And would getting rid of the waterfall buy us more walkway space or is that just a stylistic choice? I'm actually not a huge fan of waterfall, so that would be fine with me,but we decided to go that route as a way to preserve walkway space because our designer said that it actually creates a smaller island profile because you can do away with the legs. 

Is that true? If we shrink the overhang to 12" like Patricia suggested does that mean we can get away with no legs or waterfall?

Thanks, Anna. 

Can you clarify what you mean by turning the island?

And would getting rid of the waterfall buy us more walkway space or is that just a stylistic choice? I'm actually not a huge fan of waterfall, so that would be fine with me,but we decided to go that route as a way to preserve walkway space because our designer said that it actually creates a smaller island profile because you can do away with the legs. 

Is that true? If we shrink the overhang to 12" like Patricia suggested does that mean we can get away with no legs or waterfall?

Turning the island to face the range area.

Removing the waterfall would open up the seating.

Yes, 12" overhang would work.

That's an interesting thought. I'll draw that out on the floor and see how it feels. That would open up the walkway.

anna_682 has a good idea for making both aisles wider--and the waterfall would be visible from the living area:

If you plan to prep on the island, I like the original orientation, but it would be more efficient with a prep sink (green lines). I know that's 3 sinks!

Shoot. I just tried to get a sense for how it would feel in the actual space and it would definitely work. 

The lighting above the island was wired on Friday, but the electrician is coming back Monday so I suppose I could have him adjust it.

I do think that a third sink is out of the question just from a budget perspective-- would it only work to flip the island if I put a prep sink in?

The wiring change should be simple. I think the flow would be much better with the turned island both in the kitchen and your living area.

More room to sit and stand around the island too.

Try taping it out on the floor both ways.

Island with no sink would work in either orientation. Having a prep sink would just save a few steps--you wouldn't need to move items from the main sink to the island.

Because we did Ikea cabinets (for good and for bad) we have the opportunity to reduce the island size by 6" by swapping out an 18" pullout trash can for a 12" trash can, thus going from a 75" island to a 69" island.

I'd say lose the trash can out of the island altogether ... you say you have another trash can elsewhere.

A suggestion: Don't guess, and don't crowd-surf for an answer; instead, test it: get some big cardboard and "mock it up". Walk among your cardboard cabinets and decide whether you find the various spaces large enough.

The problem is that I have three kids (12, 12, 13). I know that even with tiny stools, this size island will only lead to elbowed ribs and fights.

Those aren't kids -- those are teens and likely adult sized. How do you anticipate them using these stools? Meals at islands are usually more like snacks -- do you think all three kids will really sit at the island at once? I'd go with two comfortable stools, and on occasion when the third wants to join, he or she will stand at the island. Not a big deal; I often eat breakfast standing at the peninsula.

But, I've seen an island that's too big for the space in a neighbor's home and it feels awful. I don't want to make a massive, costly mistake.

Agree, and it's something we see pretty often on this board -- a desire for as much cabinetry as can possibly be stuffed into a space. Walking space is just as necessary as cabinets.

I'm actually not a huge fan of waterfall

I'm not fond of that style either.

Would it work better if you turned the island?

No to turning the island -- that would create an even larger impediment to reaching the refrigerator.

The problem I see is not the walking space on the left. It is adequate at 39 1/2”. It is the right side I am concerned with. 3’2” between island and ovens is really tight. Removing the waterfalls will help, as would the smaller cabinet.

Mainenell-- Good catch, thanks. Yes, that is tight and we are aware of that. It was always my intention to make that space smallish because I want to discourage foot traffic behind the cooktop and oven. Basically, it's intended to be a work aisle rather than a walkway. From a chop and pivot to the cooktop perspective, it's the perfect width for me. But i can see how others might find that too small.

I think we are going to go ahead and the flip the island as Anna and Mother goose have suggested, so that will buy us even more space.

Mrs. Pete: Thank you for the thoughtful response!

Those aren't kids -- those are teens and likely adult sized.

How did that happen! They were kids a minute ago. LOL. You are right, I suppose they are more teen than kid at this point and will be out of the house soon enough. However equity is still a big deal even at this age.

We have a big (for us) dining room in the new design so that will be the primary eating place. Once we have an empty nest, the island will be primarily be used as a gathering space during parties and for my husband to kibitz as I cook.

Anna:

Having just mocked up your idea of flipping the island (using a twin mattress resting on chairs as a stand-in for the island) it seems that the flipped island idea will work really well.

My husband's only negative feedback was that in the original configuration, the island served as sort of overflow seating for the living room, such that folks could flip their stools around to be part of the action, which would be especially helpful when we host holidays at our house.

I think the additional space created by flipping it outweighs that however, so we are going to run it by our contractor and architect tomorrow.

Thanks for the great idea!

You're welcome. I find it's best to design your house for daily living. What works best for you and your family. Holidays will work out just fine.

If you scratch the waterfall sides and make the island 4' deep, you could have seating on two sides--so at least two people could interact with folks in the LR--and maybe only two kids would be elbowing each other on a daily basis ;). You would probably still need legs to support the top.

Mama Goose-- Is this what you're talking about (where each purple dot = a seat)?

Also, any concerns about the island not lining up with the windows and sink? It wasn't super symmetrical before, but it is less so now. Just want to make sure I take that into consideration.

For a compromise, have you thought about having the waterfall on just one edge? It will open up one side for those teenager knees and shoulders, while still giving that contemporary look from the other side.

LH CO/FL: I love that idea. It would certainly be nicer to look at a slab of honed marble than jostling teenage legs.

I also like mama goose's idea of making the island 4' deep to accommodate seating on two sides so people can look at each other while at the island.

I'll see if I can figure out a way to incorporate both ideas.

I think she's suggesting seating on the living room side

Heather, what countertop materials are you using?

Yeah, Mama put squares where butts go. I like the original layout but think this island config works better.

Also, @B L, you appear to be the nicest person on the internet. :)

Thanks, Dan. That makes much more sense! 

So, no waterfall on either side, which saves us some money. And  maybe I could stick a saddle stool on the sink side for some auxiliary seating as needed.

For a 48" deep island, do I need any additional cabinetry or would a run of 24" cabinets and two legs be enough?

Thanks so much to everyone for weighing in with the constructive feedback! Y'all are lifesavers.

Thanks, Fori! I missed the butt squares. See them now. :)

Lol, nope, just really appreciate people taking time out of their day on a Sunday to help a stranger.

Anna, after much hand-wringing and Houzz stalking, and conversations with countertop folks, I think I've decided to go with honed marble or honed quartzite if I can swing it.

Was seriously considering Dekton Helena for a bit, but if I'm going to have that much of something in my house (107 square feet, all told) I want to love it. And I don't love Dekton, I love marble.

Heather, that sounds nice.

We are having honed marble (island and slab backsplash) and soapstone (perimeter) installed on Tuesday.

Anna, soapstone has always seemed like such a smart countertop solution to me. It's gorgeous and heat resistant and classic.

What kind of marble are you doing? And are you doing light perimeter cabinets and dark island cabinets or all one color? Sounds beautiful either way. Here's hoping for a painless install next week.

Thanks, Heather. :) I hope everything goes well with your kitchen renovation too.

I have walnut cabinets and island. The back of my island is drywall. I am using a lighter white namib fantasy marble. There is a little blue veining in the soapstone and subtle blue in the marble. My thermador range will have blue knobs (when it finally gets here!).

Here is a mockup of a similar kitchen with my actual marble slabs. My soapstone is not quite as veiny as what is shown here. My cabinets and floor are not quite this dark. I have a wall of windows on the left side and no doorways on the backwall. Refrigerator and breakfast bar on the right wall. I am doing a mitered edge on the island.

Anna-- that is going to be amazing

Thanks, Heather.

I can't wait to see your finished kitchen. :)

No input on layout -- I think your kitchen will be fabulous despite the agonizing details. BUT reading "The problem is that I have three kids (12, 12, 13). I know that even with tiny stools, this size island will only lead to elbowed ribs and fights.", I will share that we moved dinners from the table to the new large island when we finished the kitchen and it magically transformed the teens. The less informal space meant everyone felt less compelled to elbow and crowd, the conversation was easier and the space allowed us to better set dinners up for self-serve. Magic transformation. Teens will be ok :-) Also, while I do love waterfalls, esthetically, they remove the ability to expand the sitting situation with an extra chair or two on that edge. I realize it's a traffic zone, but when kids bring friends over, or neighbors stop by to share a bottle of wine, that expansion can be handy. You might even find that pulling a chair there during dinner allows for more face to face interaction. Ikea cabinets themselves are not great at supporting large overhang countertops, but if you can insert a ponywall between the cabinets, then you can use hidden brackets that support the countertop without legs or a waterfall. (No hate on Ikea, we looked long and hard at their cabinets and will probably use them in a future kitchen remodel in a different space). Here's an example, (they are left apparent in the image, but you can also sink them in the drywall and plaster over.) https://ironsupports.com/products/standard-front-mount-countertop-l-bracket?variant=15840870531143&gclid=CjwKCAjwj42UBhAAEiwACIhADuYhGFydInNGo02TPe-wA6UWGe1cY6Nu9lSf-zWhuf90nC55zBuhPxoCNFkQAvD_BwE

Icrs, Thank you for sharing that!

This will be our first time having an island so we have been unsure about how it will actually be used (other than by the cook). My vision is that the kids will do their hw there and we'll chat about their day while I'm making dinner.

I am now 100% sure that we will not be doing the waterfall. It really does limit those impromptu conversations because it's not as easy to just pull up a chair. 

And thanks for the heads up about Ikea cabinets. I will look into those brackets. Sounds like an ideal solution.

Here's hoping our island will have the same magical properties (maybe we'll even get more than a monosyllabic answer to "How was you day"!).