I have an L-shaped kitchen and thought about replacing w/ and island. What is the standard width of floor space between counters and island? I need to find out if I have the room before I even consider it.

Thanks!

Here is the NKBA Guidelines for this issue:

http://nkba.org/guidelines/kitchen_6.aspx

The numbered items on the left provide recommended standards for other areas of kitchen functionality.

That being said, these are guidelines. Not laws. The code in your area determines what you MUST have.

Ours is far less than the recommended. We actually purchased an inexpensive work table/island from Ikea just so we could test drive the smaller clearance space. It works FINE for DH and I. Better actually than either of us had hoped for.

I've had a couple of situations where I've violated the "written rule". Everyone tells me it can't or won't work because it's too small/narrow, etc. And yet, it works for us.

If you think something like this COULD have the potential to work for you, do a mockup. We lived with plywood on sawhorses for a week to make sure it was a workable setup for us. Just don't let the fact that it is written you shall have XX inches be your determining factor. If you think you could live and work with less and it would be an improvement for you, give it a test drive.

Thank you Too Much Stuph. I am off to measure now!!!

A good starting point is 42" from face to face. But we tweak numbers based on need, appliance projects, and much more.

I am putting an island on wheels in my kitchen. That way I can move it around as needed and out of the way when necessary. I plan on putting most items needed for cooking- such as knives, utensils, spices, potholders, etc in drawers under the island. Being able to move it near the stove when cooking, and then more in the middle for putting away groceries and such, seems to fit my plan well.

TooMuchStuph, I'd be interested in hearing exactly how much less than recommended you went. My kitchen is long but not that wide and almost all my cabinetry is along one wall with the stove, refrigerator and small cabinet at the top of the rectangle. If I turn around from the stove, there's a breakfast counter in front of me, extending out from the wall with nothing else on it. It kind of cuts the room in half, and doesn't offer a lot of seating. I have no kitchen table in the room. There are a lot of obstacles in this room. On the right near the "top" is the hallway to the living room and at the top of the rectangle is the door to to the DR. On the right wall is a double door for the laundry area and on the bottom of the rectangle is the door to the outside and the radiator. Nothing at all can be done on that wall.

I'd like to have an island going the length of the room but it would be tight. I have 110.5 inches from the right countertop to the left wall. I've thought of using less than the standard 24 inch deep cabinets for an island, but with the overhang I still wouldn't have the recommended 42-28 inches on either side. I currently have 48 inches from the peninsula end to the countertops across from them and I'm sure I could live with less, but less sure how much space would be comfortable for seating in the area behind my my proposed island to the wall. I don't want to make my kitchen too restrictive or small, but this is currently the only kitchen seating I have and I want more, so I was thinking of an island with seating near the wall and the far end.

Can anyone offer me any suggestions or give me a realistic idea of the requirements for a comfortable seating space between an island and a wall? (The walls cannot be knocked down or moved, with the possible exception of opening up the wall to the DR, but then that means moving my gas line as well) I talked to a cabinet maker at the local home show who seemed to feel that if I went with a 21 inch cabinet and a 10 inch overhang that the resulting 39 inches on either side would be just fine.

We did 48" on all enclosed sides.. thinking.. open oven doors and a turkey to move around.. my freezer & fridge doors are 30" each so I wanted plenty of space there also...

Sandra.. have you thought of having an open island.. it can have shelves for storage .. allowing you adjust for the width of your kitchen... mine is an open island.. it does make you keep things orderly... mine is pretty rustic.. but I'm thinking something along the lines of an English kitchens prep table...

Becky

http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb49/becky42_bucket

Becky,

I'm not against the idea of an open island. Currently my peninsula is 54 inches of cabinet and an 8 inch overhang. I think if I turned the island around to go the length of the room, the issue won't be whether or not the cabinets are open but how deep they'll be.

I'm not worried about storage space too much because I do have a lot of cabinets but I hate to give up too much. It's only my husband and myself in this house, but I'd like to have an island with more seating for entertaining. I have one of those families that gather in the kitchen no matter what and now most of them stand up because really only two can seat comfortable at the breakfast bar!

I had a big crowd over tonight and that was problematic again. I'm thinking if an island the length of the room won't work, maybe I should keep one similar to what I have now, but further back and with an overhang on both sides for seating.

by the way, my kitchen is 18 1/2 feet long but something like 11 feet and 4 or 5 inches wide.