I think it differs from bar height because when you sit at the bar-height stools, your bended knees don't stick out so far in front of you. At counter-height, your bended knees need more room in front of you, and you don't want them hitting the wall under the overhang.

That said, if you have short legs like me and don't sit straight on because I tie myself up like a pretzel, you could get away with a shorter overhang. But my DH has long legs, so pushed for more overhang even for our bar-height counter.

HTH,
Lee

Ours is curved from 12 inch at the edges to 15 inch at the center-- comfortable all along. It's counter height.

MY KD, says he usually does 12" for counter and it's plenty. He said 14" max. I'm planning on 13" I think. We'll all on the short side though...

We have 15" now and it's definitely the most comfortable setup, with plenty of room to cross legs and sit pretty much however you want to long periods with ease.

We had 11" at our previous house though and, while not *as* roomy as the current setup, it really worked just fine. This was used regularly for people who were 5'8" to 6'2" and there were no complaints. We had nothing to compare it to and I think you just make do with what you have in the circumstances and we really didn't notice it being cramped or anything.

All that to say if you can easily make it wider them do so, the extra counter top and extra comfort will be worth it. But if you can't make it wider then not to worry, I'm sure it will work just fine for you.

Will you have corbels or any type of support brackets (triangle or L-shaped) attached to the island under the overhang? If so, you will need to allow for that so people won't bang their knees-- 15" would be recommended.

The other thing to think about is feet--swinging feet of little ones (or short people like me) & large feet (usually accompanied by long legs) under the 12" overhang. Is your island cabinetry getting beat up by those swinging feet or the feet that rub their toes on it? At 15" I can tell you we still have some issues with those two things happening. I can only imagine if I had 3" less overhang.

Also think about what kind of stools/chairs you will have. If the seat is deeper front-to-back you will need more overhang since the legs will be less likely to angle down. If it's narrower, seaters will be more 'perched' on top and need less overhang.

Will you want to be able to tuck the chairs/stools under the overhang? Partially or complete? There are some very narrow stools out there -- not much good for long term sitting, but the narrowness means they can both be tucked under and the seater will need less overhang.

We have a counter top in-between table and counter height (34") and full-size chairs (deep seats) along one side and 'stools' along the other (both of them at the same custom height). Our overhang is 18" on both sides. We find the 18" necessary for our less than counter height top for the chairs, but it's more than needed when sitting at the stools. The chairs are far more comfortable for long term sitting, though.

We went with two types since one side is also a walkway and spillover counter prep area and we wanted chairs that could be pushed fully under the countertop there, but to also have very comfortable seating on the non-walkway side.

Here are our two types of chair/stools (even the stool is 'beefy' for a stool):

But the stool does tuck completely:

We found an unexpected bonus from this layout choice. When using the oven the nearby swiveling stool is handy -- say if you are basting something on the rotisserie, you can sit to do it.

Wow. We've had a 12" overhang for ten years, not one complaint. We're adding counter seating to the peninsula in the reno and I queried my 6'2" son (after reading hear that I'd made a mistake ten years ago) and he was surprised I asked. . . "Mom, I've never had a problem with the 12" overhang." Maybe he has tiny, short legs and I never noticed!

We have a 12" overhang and my parents have a 12" overhang at their house as well. We've never had a problem and we all site quite comfortably at the island. My parents entertain all the time and have never had a problem. Whatever you decide will work just fine.

I think the NKBA guidelines are very good. And if you have the amount of space they recommend, follow it. But, practically speaking, those guideline are just a little on the generous-side. I have a peninsula with a curved overhang on the long side that is 15" at the peak and 12" at its narrowest. The 15" part allows ample room for some leg swinging. The 12" part is fine for sitting, but there is some occasional kicking. I would say 12" should be the minimum. At the end of the peninsula, I have a 9" overhang. I designed it this way for occasional seating only. I don't keep a stool there, but I have swung a stool (Crate and Barrel aluminum navy stool) around from the other side. It is tight and knee contact is almost constant. It is tolerable for quick meals, but I wouldn't recommend it for conversational seating, especially not on backless stools. In my case I do plan on buying a couple of those relatively inexpensive Ikea folding stools with backs. Those might be a good compromise, since they seem fairly sturdy and aren't ugly.

What about for table-height seating? The seating part of my island will be 30" tall. My KD has put 12" overhangs on two sides, to fit 4 chairs. There will be no corbels (steel reinforcements from the cabinets). Is that enough?

I always find it fascinating when people say they can get by with 12" overhang for counter stools. I've sat at 12", albeit sideways and not very comfy before. I would never purposely put in that sized overhang if I had more room. I mean, have you ever gotten out a tape measure and looked at how tiny 12" is? Not much space! Especially if you're not a munchkin from Oz and plan to sit to eat or work for more than a few mins. I have more than 15" and LOVE it!

If you have a store nearby that sells stool, bring your tape measure and go sit in one. Test it out for yourself.

Another observation on walkway room behind sitters: the type of chair or stool also affects this -- we find that the full size chair causes people to naturally want to sit further from the table. With the slightly less comfortable (not intentionally -- it's the most comfortable low back stool we could find) stool we tend to pull up closer for more stability. So we ended up with even more space in our walkway than we expected behind the stools and less behind the chairs.

I note, though, that I've rarely heard anyone bemoan too much overhang (unless it's because it wasn't installed with proper supports).

Anyone have photos? Looking at 9 Or 10” vs 12 Or 15”