Kitchen islands work surfaces

[didireallysaythat]

Collective wisdom,

If a kitchen island is 1.8m wide how deep can it be for a single piece of work surface ?

I'd like more than 1.2m

TIA

[PigletJohn]

1200mm deep, or thereabouts, will enable you to have standard sized kitchen units with drawers or cupboards on each side, or appliances.

Much more than that and you will be kneeling down to crawl inside to fetch things out of the back.

I would go for large pan drawers for an island, but I formerly had a peninsular with cupboard doors facing the dining area, where drinks, glasses and biscuits could be kept. Things get lost at the back of cupboard units.

[didireallysaythat]

Thanks PJ - you've hit the nail on the head. The central pan drawer is extra deep (but accessible) and the two units left and right of it are drawers or kitchen bins. The drawers are 69cm (from the description - I need to measure the carcass). We don't yet have the cabinets which make up the other side but we were hoping to make these shallow to give a breakfast bar. If they were 300mm deep (do these exist?) we'd want at least another 300mm of an overhang. Which puts us at 1300 or more likely 1400mm... I know the under bar cupboards will be annoying to get into (I'm going to bang my head) and I need to measure to see if all that stuff you don't use much will fit in a 300mm deep cupboard.

[wowfudge]

Could you have the cupboards on the side with the breakfast bar opening at right angles to the overhang, so accessed from the sides of island instead? It would then be the side walls of those cupboards or decor panels under the overhang.

[didireallysaythat]

wow hadn't thought about that ! I've just looked up the measurements and the three cabinets I have and they are 196cm long, 69cm deep. I need to work out how much stuff we have as side access would stop me knocking myself out but would not make use of the full 196cm space.

[wowfudge]

Here's a thought: two cupboards with side access and a small one between the two opening under the breakfast bar. You could even have a tambour door on that one, depending on the style of kitchen you are going for or just cover over the space.

The other thing you could do is have the breakfast bar as a separate shelf supported from the top of the island giving greater clearance for accessing cupboards underneath it.

[PigletJohn]

300mm is the depth of a wall cabinet, but you can probably get them to match, and add legs to them. Some people use them as floor units in narrow galley kitchens. It is just enough for a large dinner plate (usually) or a large cookbook, and if you put bottles and glasses in it, it is shallow enough to see and reach them.

If the worktop overhangs the cupboards, like a breakfast bar, you will have to crouch to see into them.

[Hiahia]

'If the worktop overhangs the cupboards, like a breakfast bar, you will have to crouch to see into them.'


True but I think that it's fine, for seldom used items.

We have 30cm deep cabinets with shelves. They house party/fancy glassware and crockery, all the house's manuals and associated tools, lightbulbs, rarely used kitchen appliances (fondue set...) and candles. Super practical and the crouching is ok. Our island is a bit higher than the norm, 1m high.