ᐅ Distance Between Kitchen Cabinets and Kitchen Island

Hello everyone,

My name is Peter, and we are now entering the final phase of planning our single-family home. We have received the following kitchen layout (see attached photos). The distance between the countertop and the kitchen island is currently planned to be 1.08 m (3 ft 6 in) to keep the dining area from feeling too small.

What do you think about this? Would you increase the distance to 1.2 m (4 ft)?

Best regards,
Peter

Kitchen Planning Checklist

Household and Ergonomics
Number of people in the household: 4
Of which children: 2
Heights of all main users in cm (for worktop height): 170 and 175
Worktop height: 88 to 90 cm (35 to 35.5 inches)

I would definitely go for 1.20 m (4 feet) clearance! Loading the dishwasher otherwise feels like acrobatics, and if someone is cooking while another person needs access to the fridge or sink, it gets really tight.

Overall, I don’t think the layout works well. I wouldn’t place a cooktop so close to an edge in a walkway or traffic area, and to me, there’s not enough counter or workspace.

That was also our concern. Would 1.20 m (4 feet) still be too little? We don’t want the dining area to end up too small...

I would skip the bench seating and position a dining table rotated 90 degrees freely in the dining area. This way, the back of the island can be fitted with additional cabinets. The dining table could also be made extendable in case more people join for meals. In the scenario your kitchen studio presents, if you sit at the dining table, food from a pot or pan can splash right onto your neck.

I really wonder who designs something like that.

And you also have to like cleaning windows when the sink is positioned so close to the window, with no counter space on the left. That’s quite a poor design choice.

Thank you for your feedback.

Let’s please go back to the original question. We were only concerned with the distance between the kitchen island and the countertop.