Yes of course you need a gap, also to slide fridge in/out.

I actually had to shave a bit off the bottom (~1/2") of my cabinet above the fridge to get the fridge I wanted. There's a youtube on it (of course). Oscillating tool on cabinet & table sawed the door bottoms a bit.

Please clarify, do you already own the fridge or is that the model you were planning to buy? Some fridges do require space, others don't. The manual tells you. And, yes, if the manual says you need it, you will probably also void the warranty if you don't include the space.

You also need a filler between the fridge and pantry, or you’ll end up denting the pantry doors in order to open them wide enough to allow the roll out trays to operate. They can’t go in a corner perpendicular to another cabinet run like shown either. This design does not work as a whole. You need a Kitchen Designer.

Thank you! Yes I already own the fridge. The manual says we need a 1/2 gap.

With the 37 above, we’d have .625” on each side of the fridge.

With the 36 we’d have .125” on each side. So enough to fit it in, but not enough based on the manual

Was just curious because over the last couple years and as I’ve been working on my design, no one else has ever mentioned anything other than a 36 over the fridge. I thought that was standard.

@JuneKnow

The cabinet next to the fridge is actually an appliance garage, but I altered the door heights to make them look more like a pantry.

The bottom is 36 tall and the top is 30. The bottom will have a shelf with the microwave and then below will be appliances on the counter. So there won’t be till out trays. With this configuration does it still not work?

The sketch doesn’t show the cabinet doors how they will look. They will look like the 3D picture.

I may need to do a post with my final design like I’ve seen others do to have eyes on it before ordering.

I’m getting ready to order, so that might be a good idea!

One more.

Anyway, with any cabinet seller I've talked to, each one of them put 36" above my fridge so I'd have that built in look. This was the first person who ever mentioned doing 37" for the life of my fridge. It makes sense, but I didn't know if people typically followed this rule, or instead went with a slim gap to look better.

Isn't 36" the standard over the fridge cabinet size?

So, this is the first person who paid attention to the specs of your appliance. Following the specs is a good thing!

The cabinet salesperson has no vested interest in the life of the fridge only selling you cabinets IMO the worst way to design a kitchen BTW all the base cabinets should be drawers the exception is the sink cabinet and maybe a narrow pullouy one for oils and vinegars .A fridge needs space around it unless it is a true built in or hase a built inkit

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Thank you for your insight.

I left a 42 inch base cabinet on one end so I could use it to store my mixer and airfryer, or anything else that's too big to fit into a drawer. I'd prefer drawers there, but thought it was safest so that I have a spot to fit the bigger things.

I'm going to go with the 37 inch then I think. Yes, it was kinda shocking to me that after several years of working towards this design that no one I'd ever spoken with had mentioned the fridge issue!

You have some really narrow aisles with that island. Is there a reason you’re not doing a peninsula instead?

Isn't the motor located and vented on the bottom of your frig?

The problem with 36" opening, is that your floor has to be dead level. If the floor is out much at all or if the fridge sides are bulged out, it won't go in the space.

You cannot enclose a MW like that. It’s a fire hazard. Do you have the electrical cutoff switch wired to shut off the juice when the door shuts? Where do the doors go when open? In the way? Not to mention, the aisle clearance is way undersized, and is counting on a built in fridge. You won’t be able to get a fridge in and out of there with that too big island in the way . None of this is well thought out, and it breaks a half dozen of the 31 rules, at lest. Maybe more.

JuneKnow

Where does one find these 31 rules you refer to?

Honestly, the only thing that “needs” to be changed is the island—and I’m speaking from actual experience here, not some non-existent rule book. Luckily, as I mentioned earlier, it looks like you could incorporate a peninsula into this space, maybe even with seating!

Experience, and bad experiences with injury and death, as well as time motion studies, are what created the 31 Rules. Someone with only 1-3 kitchens under their belt has no standing to comment when there are millions of kitchens that went into creating the 31 Rules, and thousands that others have personally done that complied, or specifically broke one of the rules, with full informed consent, and only for site specific unchangeable reasons.

This kitchen needs a peninsula, not an island. There isn’t room for an island. Start over with that reality.

Here’s a visual representation. http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitchen.design.rules.htm

@101newkitchen101: By replacing the island with a peninsula and moving the dishwasher to the left of the sink, there’s a lot less congestion; nobody has to get out of the way of anyone (blue dots indicate people).

Could this plan work in your space?

@User or @User or whatever it is you’re calling yourself these days:

Guidelines are not rules. If you don’t know the difference between the two, I can’t help you out with that.

And to whom are you referring when you said, “Someone with only 1-3 kitchens under their belt has no standing to comment?” I mean, it can’t be me since my experience (and my education) says otherwise.

@Sammy is right. I usually roll my eyes a little at the walkway police who insist that you need 4 feet+ around every aisle, but these aisles will not work if I’m reading them correctly (it’s a little blurry). Do they say 37.5” and 34.5”? And does that include the ~1” countertop overhang on each side or not? Because I have a 42” aisle countertop to countertop between my range cabinet run and island, and it’s totally fine for me because mine is a one cook kitchen, but there is no way I could do any narrower than that. Way too tight.
Sorry for the off topic comment, I know you weren’t asking for help with your layout but I think you will regret that island.

*actually I think mine is more like 42” between the range handle and the island countertop. So I little more breathing room in the rest of the aisle. Trust me, you will notice every inch!

Thank you all so much for the input!

I should have mentioned about the island, because when I've posted previous questions it's always brought up as a concern...and I know it's a tight space! The island is already here in the space, and I've gotten used to the 37.5" aisles over the last 5.5 years. And after so much thought, even though I know it's not "ideal", I'm set in my ways and I pretty much use it for ALL my prep, and am used to the tight walkway. So, I decided I want it to stay. :) Trust me, I've been bumping into anyone else who's in the kitchen, so I know it's an issue...but it hasn't really bothered me much. So I've weighed my own pros and cons.

@User Thanks for that guide. It's helpful to read through.

I thought putting the mircrowave inside there is okay because many microwaves are built in. Plus, it's specifcally an appliance garage, so isn't that the purpose? I was at one point considering a pantry over there, but did realize the hazards of enclosing a Coffee pot or toaster. So, this way, they will be closed behind doors, but will be sitting on the counter itself. And the microwave will be the only thing on a shelf. So I thought this was a safer option?

Interested in input because I do worry about things. I know quite a few people who have their microwaves behind a door. Never thought of the microwave as being as much of an issue as a toaster or coffee pot though.

@Ephma

My current counters have a 1.5 overhang, but the new ones will have 1". Right now, from counter to counter it's 35.5ish. So, I'll be gaining a little bit with the remodel.

Honestly though, I'm so used to it. Im okay with it, even if it's not ideal for most. I considered the peninsula idea, but my last house had a peninsula and I absolutely HATED that it divided my nook from my kitchen. I like having it open to each other. So after lots of consideration, I just don't want to give up my island! :)

While you may be used to a narrow passageway, a future buyer may not see it that way. So basically if you need to sell, you're telling a buyer they need to start by re-doing the kitchen.

Could you do a moveable island on wheels?