What is the overall size of your current kitchen?

(I apologize if there is another post where you describe it- I have a terrible time using the search function on this forum.)

I have a small island with a seat at the end. It's 31.5x61.I decided to go with a backless stool for the end and it has worked out nicely.

Here are some pictures, not sure if this is what your looking for. Hope it helps!

Yes there is a post with the overall size of the kitchen below is a link. I am reducing the island size to increase the aisle in high traffic area. We cannot have seating on the long side of the island. Thus we would like to add a couple seats on one end. So I am looking for pictures that would help me show the designer.

Link to First thread

If you look up our kitchen in the FKB, you can go to our photobucket pics and see our end-of-island seating (I'm just scrolling through GW quickly, otherwise I'd link it for you!). :-)

That's too bad you can't put seating on the long side of the island. I also have a wall behind my island with a 41 inch distance wall to island. It is not a problem at all. Not sure what amount you have.

Here is a photo of the wall.

and I have a 12 inch overhang that is fine for us.

positano, we only have 37 or 38". It will also be a pretty high traffic area. It appears yours is a high traffic area also. What is your distance from island to range/fridge? Are your island cabinets 24" with 12" overhang. Thanks

Hammerhead Remodeling

Country Living Mag

Islands 2

Kitchens SS

10K kitchen bud

128 Kitchen Art Apples

Okay this island is huge but the seating is on the
end.

RDB Magazine

Hilton Head Kitchen Album

Mark64,
Range to island is 37 inches and fridge to island is 38. They both stick out just a bit from the countertop which is 40 inches to island. I have never had a problem with clearances. The french door really helps, so it is not one huge door blocking the way. We are a family of 4 with people always over.

Behind my island is a high traffic area, the kids love to run around there and into the livingroom right next door.
I have a trash cabinet/recycling on one end of the island by the sink and dishwasher(19x25deep with the door). And another cabinet that is 24x19deep by the fridge side.

Here are some pics.

This is the 24"width by 19"deep(that is with the door) and a 12 inch overhang.

This is the trash/recycling 19"wide by 25"deep with the door.

Sorry to hijack this thread, but question for positano.

Are your pendant lights the Benson light from Restoration Hardware? Just wondering if you were able to find something similar elsewhere for a better price as I am shopping around for those types of lights. Thanks!

Thndrsnow,
My pendants are Kichler industrial mini pendants in olde bronze. I think I got them for about $140. Less than in this link. Kichler also makes one size bigger that looks like the Restoration one, I think the Harmon.It is $120 less.
8 inch mini pendant

12 inch retro pendant

http://www.destinationlighting.com/storeitem.jhtml?iid=289574
HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: kichler mini pendant

I also have the same kichler pendants, but in polished nickel (2664PN). I really like them -- nice quality.

bump

Positano,

What is the granite on your beautiful countertops and wall color? I really like your choices. I am really struggling with the island vs not island due to size and your picture makes me very hopeful.

cathydev,
Thanks for the compliment! My granite is Costa Esmeralda, although it wasn't very expensive like CE usually is. Almost makes me think its Coast Green. It has a lot of grey,green,little black and some brown in it. I do find that its a great neutral. I can add any color with it and it works.

My wall color is Crown Point Sand by Benjamin Moore. It sometimes looks, tan, green and golden. Very nice color. Hopefully I will have a new backsplash to post in the next month!

I will say that my kitchen is not huge, nor is my island. But I am so happy we put it in. It is the most used thing in my kitchen. The kids love to sit there and we do most of our prep. It really worked out well.

Good luck!

Your kitchen is now my inspiration! Thanks for the info. When I look at the granite photos online at marble.com the Costa Esmeralda looks very limey. I wouldn't have guessed it was your granite color. I am excited to go to the granite place tomorrow and check it out in person!

This thread is great for island seating ideas other than lined up like little soldiers on one side LOL

This is not to be critical of any particular designer or homeowner in this thread, just an observation in general. My experience actually sitting at island seats is that many people neglect to allow enough counter overhang and elbow room. If you want people to feel comfortable-give them some space. If you want them to linger, give them back support or a padded seat. If you have a small kitchen/small island, my advice is that it is better to only have one or two chairs that are inviting and scaled comfortably for the space than squishing in 3 or 4 stools that no one will actually use because everyone is knocking knees.

boxerpups, special thanks for pulling all those ideas together in one place for everyone. How do you do it? Thank you!

cathydev,
My granite is definitely not limey. Did you get a chance to look yesterday? THe pictures of Coast Green on Marble.com look a little more like my countertop.

Hope you found something you liked! Two other kitchens with CE are gglks and kitchencondfidential. You could do a search to check out their pictures.

Littlesmokie: Good observations! We had room for chairs with backs but I wanted to be able to use the entire island without the chair backs getting in the way and the stools definitely are out of the way. We gave up "lingering comfort" for space on the island. I especially like to be able to set up the food buffet style at the island. When I am preparing food, it's everywhere so I love having room for prep too.

cat_mom- I saw pictures of your beautiful kitchen on the FKB. I'm planning on putting an island in my kitchen (about 30" wide and 6 to 7 ft. long). I would like some seating on island but since my kitchen is only 13 ft. wide, I think that seating at the end (like yours) may work out better. Can you tell me the dimensions of your island with the table area and are you comfortable with 3 stools at the end? Thanks for your help.

gillilily- What is the size of the overhang at the end of the island where the stools are? Thanks.

Oh wow--I almost didn't open this thread today, and here's a ques for lil' ol' me! LOL

Thank you for the compliment kodak1. Our kitchen is ~13 X 13.

Island measurements:

Width: 31.5" cabs only, granite top 33.5" across
Length: 61.5-61.75" cabs only, granite top (part of which is underneath the table top) ~64" long.

Tabletop is 33.5" across, ~28.5" from end to end. It sits on a little "riser" glued to the top of the island and overlaps the island by 6" (leaving ~22.5" of free space underneath).

We love the set-up but certain things in hindsight:

KD had specified the tabletop to be laminated onto the island granite. This was prior to my learning about laminated counters/edges on GW (in NY most granite is already 3cm, so they don't often laminate our edges). I had no clue what that meant, and the guy doing our templating either didn't know either, or didn't know how to laminate only a portion of the tabletop to the island (I think he suggested/explained that they could have extended the island counter the full length, incl the tabletop area, and then laminating another piece on top of the tabletop section, but that didn't sound appealing to us). So, we ended up with a "riser", and because we wouldn't be deciding the exact am't of overlap until they were ready to install the tabletop on the SS leg, we agreed to the riser width proposed by the templator. Had I known how much weÂd end up having the tabletop overlap the island countertop and how it would all look when completed, I think I would have had him make the riser more substantial in size. No biggie but might have tweaked a few things.

Also, because of our island placement/location (we had some flexibility with it's actual location in the room by some inches forward and back and side to side in the space), and because we didnÂt want the tabletop itself to go beyond the "walls" separating the kitchen from the adjacent roomÂwe wanted it to be fully inside the kitchen space, we ended up with a smaller overhang/table than we could have. WeÂre only talking inches, but a few more inches of leg and elbow room would be very nice to have. Also, even with our making sure the tabletop is within the kitchen "walls," I sit at the end, and technically IÂm sitting in the other room when IÂm seated at the tabletop (semantics, but I am in the next room!).

It works for us, just pointing out some things about which we were unaware while going through the process.

As for 3 stools, there are only two of us, so it works out fine; the third stool is empty 90% of the time anyway. We have a 4th stool that we keep off to the side (next to the remaining piece of wall separating the kitchen and LR). When my parents are up visiting for example, weÂll pull the 4th stool next to the island itself (near the table end) and DH will usually sit there if we want to eat in the kitchen rather than the DR.

HTH! If I can answer any more ques, let me know.