How much space do I need around the island?

Let’s start by planning the space around your kitchen island to allow for multiple cooks in the kitchen. Plan for 1000mm to 1200mm of space between the island and fixed items such as other benchtops, walls or pieces of furniture – this will allow for appliances such as the dishwasher and fridge to open into the space and avoid traffic jams throughout your kitchen!

How high does my island need to be?

The most ergonomic height for benchtops in the kitchen is 900mm from the floor to suit the vast majority of people. Low benchtops will cause back pain, and benchtops that are too high will make daily tasks such as cutting up veggies on a chopping board an awkward task, so be sure to avoid these issues when designing your island bench height.

How much deep should my island be?

The depth of your island bench will be determined by the following factors: whether both sides of the island will be used – one side for food prep and the other side for eating and whether or not any appliances are being housed in the island. However, as a general rule, the depth of your island bench should range from between 600mm to 1200mm.

How much space do I need to sit at?

If you are planning to include benchtop over hang on your island to allow for family and guest to sit down then you need to make sure you allow enough space. You will want your diners to be able to sit comfortably at the island which means not being squashed beside each other with very little elbow room. To allow for enough room between each diner make sure there is at least 500mm for each person seated at the island.

When the seating side of your island has a wall or other pieces behind it you will need to allow for enough room so that the diners can push back their chair to stand up as well as enough space for another person to walk through.  As a minimum, 600mm is adequate amount of distance between the chair and wall or if the area behind the seating side of the island is going to be used as a walkway as well, a minimum of 900mm is required.

Do you need help designing the perfect kitchen island?

Get in touch with your batch designer on 1300 833 883 and get started on your kitchen renovation today.