HI TRAFFIC area......I go thru my door to garage[ from kitchen ] with arms loaded....trash/recycle/handbag/grocerys.....at nite and day....barefoot/flip flops as well as shoes......you don't want to worry about hitting the corner of the cabinet on shoulder/head/whatever......I would allow 2 feet at least but I don't have cabinets there at all. If I needed cabinetry there it would be diagonal cut back style...recessed back into stud space or reduced depth cabinet.....at least one foot away from trim/door....probably 18 inches realistically..

I think it depends on the type of cabinetry to either side, especially on the side the door opens on. If it's floor to ceiling tall cabinets, then it's not that big of an issue. We have a "tunnel" to our garage door (closets on each side that are deeper than counter depth) currently and it's not that big of a deal.

Does the door swing into the kitchen or into the garage? That will make a big difference in the minimum spacing.

I don't see it as a negative and don't think it will feel like tunnel either. I understand why it sounds conceptually odd though, but I've seen it and think it can be very pretty and it may even look better than without it. You'll have the nicest garage door in town.

O.K. I have all 36" doors, including the interiors. I have the fridge cabinet coming in at 10 to the opening. This is the doorway to the foyer. I originally had 12", but had to narrow it up to create a pullout on the other side of the fridge..... I0" is O.K., 12" would be better. You could probably go to 5" if the depth of the cabinets were reduced to 12".

I really feel like 24" is way too deep anyway- I just lose things in the back!