I am trying to install a counter height kitchen island with 4 seats. We won't have a separate kitchen table after we install the island, but it will provide us with some needed extra kitchen storage. As long as we provide decent seating for our family of 4, we'll be happy.

I have come up with two configurations (A and B) and I want to make sure I have thought of everything, including design principles, seat spacing, etc...so I decided to post a detailed thread here. I have removed a small kitchen table and put my 40x62" dining room table in the space just to get a feel for the size and the traffic flow around it, since that table is slightly larger than the largest island I'd consider.

Option A: 38""x 60" has 3 stools on one side and 1 stool on the end. The 1" granite top is sitting on either a 45" or 48" wide (2' deep) base cabinets. support brackets (no legs) will be used to support a 11-12" overhang on the seating sides and a 2-3" overhang on the bottom, and 1" in on the kitchen facing side (with the cabinet drawers/doors). The base cabinet size will determine the precise overhang.


Option B: 38"x54" has 2 stools on one side and 1 stool on each end. It has a 11-12" overhang on the three seating sides and a 30" base cabinet centered and supporting the 1" granite top. This is more "square" and has the advantage of providing more seating space (i.e. 54" for 2 seats as opposed to 60" for 3 seats). Not sure if this is important, but it is also more symetrical and "balanced-looking" with the seats on 3 sides and the base cabinet centered. The other plus is that 2 people can actually face each other while eating and can see the TV in the family room at 90 degrees.

My concern is that even though its length (54") creates more space around the counter when the stools are tucked in and not in use... when you put a person in a stool at each end, the "footprint" extends by another 14"-16" on each end disrupting flow from kitchen to family room. The other advantage to Option A is more cabinet space and more support for the granite top.

I would go with option A. You'll probably find that with use, one side of the island will be the most used 'path' to get from the kitchen to the family room. This will turn out to be the lower 40" opening near the dishwasher rather than the narrower opening near the fridge. Option A keeps that end a little larger and more open so your primary path will not be cramped.

One suggestion as we have done this with good results: Instead of making the granite top on the island a rectangle, put a shallow curve on the long side at the 3-seat position. This keeps the area from acting like a coffee-shop countertop with everyone in a row. The curved top places those three seats so that nobody has to lean out to see past the person next to them. Just a little more family-friendly.

Hey Kal72, Did you use a program to help you design your kitchen? What program did you use? My kitchen has the same layout as yours, and would love to redesign it using something like what you used.


Thanks!
Heather

Hi Heather,

I just used Microsoft Powerpoint...it's easy to add shapes and arrows and labels. It's a bit of a "hack" way to diagram it, but it works to get the idea across. Just make sure you put the disclaimer "NOT TO SCALE"