You probably have a pony wall under that counter top. Starting from the left, you would have 1" overhang + 3/4" backsplash + 4.5" wall, or 6.5" before you get to the overhang. Adding about 15" to that would give you a 21.5" wide top. That leaves only 5.5" to add the curve. If you want to go with a straight top instead of a curve, then somewhere around 22" - 24" would be fine.

I would go 24" ')

If the countertop is contiguous at 36"above the finished floor and you plan to use a standard 24" barstool then go with 18" of overhang.

Agreed, the widest part shouldn't be more than 24 inches.

Also, don't forget to add depth for any corbels holding up the counter top. They really hurt the knee if they stick into the space where you might hit them.

Hi Kathryn, yes the bar height is 42" and it's gonna be use for casual dining, we are going to have a formal dining room and also a breakfast nook that I may just turn into a small sitting area. There's not going to be any cabinets under the bar tho. Ok I may sound really stupid but I'm new to all these and usually doesn't know what to decide about stuff. But is overhang exactly? I was thinking it would be the depth of the whole bar surface?

The overhang is the open depth...whatever isn't specifically supported by cabinets.

Leahladd-I would get more clarification from your cabinet fabricator on this overhang. The overhang will depend on the degree of the arch you want to achieve with consideration of the number of seating you are trying to gain at bar top. We have worked on plans similar to this and the widest point in middle usually ranges from 16"-20".

Ok thank u, I know that the widest part originally was 27", which I felt was too much.

Your picture represents a bar top that includes the part over the wall behind the sink cabinet. If you take the 20" and add the 6.5" for over the wall, you ARE at the 27" width in the middle.

Ok , what do u think would be the ideal width for the bar top? 27 " is too wide, would 20-22" be ok with 15" overhang?

What would a comfortable overhang for 42" heigh bar top?

Do you have corbels under the top? 22" would be the minimum without corbels, and something has to hold up the top. So, at least 24"

The overhang just has to be enough to sit comfortably for the average height person. I don't think too much overhang is as much of an issue as not enough. Not enough and everyone is hitting their knees on the cabinet underneath. Too much, well I'm not sure what the down side would be.

I think part of the problem here is that we are talking about the TOP of the bar portion interchangeably with the UNDERSIDE of the bar portion. What you need to find out, leahladd, is how the construction of this is going to be handled. As others have said, you will undoubtedly have a pony wall (a half wall) underneath the 42"h bar portion, which means the top and the kneespace underneath will be different dimensions . So, depending upon the curve, the center may be 27" ON TOP in order to give you enough kneespace underneath on the ends. This is what you need to figure out: what is the minimum knee space you want at the ends; that will determine the middle. And yes, I think 15" is fine.

Leahladd, take into consideration your family, too. If you are very tall people, you may want to increase the depth. Average of shorter, you can stay with the 15". As a compromise, settle on 18" at the ends. A typical stool is about 14-16" in SEAT depth (not overall depth - that will depend upon the type of stool you select, of course) and you need about 9-13" for knee depth, which means your overhang just has to be a few inches deeper than that to pull up to it. Does that make sense?

And, unless you are trying to figure out how expanded your kid's vocabulary is, @*#!, don't forget about the corbels.

So minimum of 22" overhang plus about 5 inches for the wall and stuff. I'll have 27" bar surface...

Minimum 15" overhang plus about 7" for the wall and stuff plus more room for corbels. I prefer 18" overhangs.

You shouldn't need anymore than 18", unless you have NBA basketball players hanging out with you.

When you're considering your "overhang" distance, don't confuse the overall depth of the countertop with the actual knee space underneath. Several other comments have mentioned it, but just remember you have to subtract about 7.5" from the overall depth of the countertop piece to arrive at your actual "knee space". That's assuming a 6" wall and a 1" overhang towards the sink. Franky, a 20-22" overall depth works well for a bar top ---- 24" if you have the space would be considered very deep. The concern with a larger overhang is supporting the overhang with structural corbels. Typical bartops are 12" - 18" overall, but when you have the luxury of designing your own, I think 20-24 is great.

I'm having a breakfast nook made and the countertop overhang will be 15" without a cabinet underneath. They are also putting 2" overhand on the other side of the wall. Do you think strong brackets be able to hold it up?

I am converting my existing island in the kitchen, to bar top . So the place where I have cabinets and sink is can it go only till 25 and 1/2" or we can increase the width? Also we are considering a bar top of 23" deep does that look good? I have seen 18" so far but our existing Island is too big ( 110" by 65") and I am cutting it off by 10" by making it 25 and 1/2 sink side quartz and 23 " bar top. Does this sound ok?

If you have a small kitchen and cabinets underneath, 7"-10" overhang should do. Mine has a 9" overhang and cabinets underneath it, it is quite comfortable. I wish it was 7" overhang so that the cabinets underneath would be easier to use.