Kitchen island seating help

8 years ago

We’re in the middle of a complete redesign of our kitchen, and we’re struggling to come up with a plan that will allow 4 to seat comfortably around the island.

The island is 43” wide and 118” long with additional cabinets and appliances built in. Original seating plan had 2 of the seats at the end, but I’m concerned the 43” in width isn’t enough for that. Given the surrounding walls/etc, the options to expand the width are limited, so I’m wondering if this is enough or if I need to change some of the internal cabinetry to accommodate a different seating design.

Below is a picture of the original design and some additional plans I’ve come up with. Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Featured Answer

PRO

Joseph Corlett, LLC

8 years ago

#5 and a custom steel support frame for the top and you're good.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (15)

User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
If you want that much seating, get rid of the cabinets on the back. And you are going to have to design in steel supports for the counter. Anything g over 10” needsdupport, and that support takes up space and impacts your seating.
dhoff01
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Sophie, but getting rid of the cabinets on the back isn’t a solution for us. That area is a walkway from the dining room to the family room. Adding seats there will make it too close for comfort, which is why we put the seats on the other side (opening between the kitchen and dining room is about 9’ so no concerns on that side). I’m sure there’s another way to accommodate what we want. I appreciate the comment though.
Related Professionals
Orlando Interior Designers & Decorators · Fredericksburg Interior Designers & Decorators · Parkersburg Interior Designers & Decorators · Keene Interior Designers & Decorators · Sierra Vista Interior Designers & Decorators · Bozeman Interior Designers & Decorators · Logan Interior Designers & Decorators · Gaithersburg Architects & Building Designers · Hilton Head Island Architects & Building Designers · Bloomington Architects & Building Designers · Montgomery Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Terre Haute Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Davenport Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Barnstable Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Leamington Kitchen & Bathroom Designers
User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
You can’t fit 20lbs in a 5lb sack. Something has to give. Lose storage, or lose seating. You need to post the whole home plan to go with the kitchen plan.
PRO
Maria Pifke for Ethan Allen Inc. Schaumburg
8 years ago
Agreed, Lose storage or lose seating
dhoff01
Original Author
8 years ago
Not sure why you think I’m trying to do the impossible. One of the plans above reduces the back cabinet to accommodate more seating. Another expands the counter to 48” in width. Both of these designs give more than 4’ of room to walk behind. What am I missing here?
User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
What’s wrong with a kitchen table? It’s much more comfortable. The kitchen is trying to become The Blob That Ate All The Space. And it’s making it worse for your goals of including family seating. Again, You Can’t Have It All. Prioritize. Needs vs. Wants.
miss lindsey (She/Her)
8 years ago
To me it looks like #5 is a good solution.
cpaul1
8 years ago
The purpose of a kitchen island is not seating, so I would not make that the goal. If you need seating for a small group, that's what a small kitchen table is for in a breakfast nook. And I would not design an island to have seating on one side of it. If you're going to have seating for just a couple of people, then the seating needs to be along the back of it with an overhanging counter top.
dhoff01
Original Author
8 years ago
Not sure what window you’re referring to. Those are sliding exterior doors. I thought I labeled everything clearly, but maybe it’s not showing up for you.

Again, I appreciate your comments, but I still don’t understand them. If you’re saying over 4 feet of space behind the seating isn’t enough, then please explain why. Otherwise, what’s wrong with 2+2 or 3+1 seating arrangements? Even if I could put 4 in a row, I personally don’t think it’s very conducive for family gatherings.
dhoff01
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks cpaul, but my kitchen can’t accommodate a table given it’s size, and we’d prefer not to have to rely on the dining room whenever we’d like to eat. Your points are well taken though.
PRO
Debbi Washburn
8 years ago
I would go with #5 as well making sure to do all the appropriate research and preparations for the support brackets you will need for that kind of overhang...
dhoff01
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks. I think #5 should work as well. I appreciate the feedback.
material_creativity
6 years ago
@dhoff01, what did you choose in the end and how do you like it?
Ryan
6 years ago
It would be nice how the kitchen will interact with the family room and dining room. I was thinking that maybe if you flipped the island and had the island seating on the family room side, you could expand the island and have more room. You also might be able to move the sink further from the seating area. I’m not sure I would want to eat next to my sink most nights of the week, although if I did it would probably stay cleaner