Plan Your Kitchen Island Seating to Suit Your Style and Household
In the debate over how to make your kitchen island more functional, consider seating on more than one side
I once heard a story about a homeowner who had a major design regret. During a previous renovation, she elected to put all four bar stools on the same side of her kitchen island, a frequent spot for her family meals. This left her with a beautiful look but turned out to be an unfortunate mistake from a functional perspective. Why? Because she now has to choose between everyone in her family facing in one direction like strangers instead of facing each other, or pulling up a stool to sit on the other side of the island without legroom, with her knees bumping against cabinets for the sake of family bonding.
The moral is not to let a good visual impression get in the way of functionality. Before you renovate your kitchen or give your island an update, consider these options for how to choose the best dining arrangement to save your household – and your knees – a lot of bumps down the road.
The moral is not to let a good visual impression get in the way of functionality. Before you renovate your kitchen or give your island an update, consider these options for how to choose the best dining arrangement to save your household – and your knees – a lot of bumps down the road.
This arrangement works fine when just one or a few guests will be perched, chatting with the chef, or for a small household where most meals involve just one or two people. If you don’t expect to use your kitchen island for groups larger than that, it makes sense not to dedicate any more space to seating.
Need expert help designing your kitchen island? Call on a kitchen designer near you on Houzz for customised solutions
Need expert help designing your kitchen island? Call on a kitchen designer near you on Houzz for customised solutions
Choosing a kitchen island without sides will give a bit more space for legs and knees, and more flexibility to scoot the stools around to the side so diners can face each other more easily.
Two-sided seating: adjacent sides
Adding seats to just one adjacent side can go a long way to making your kitchen island a more inviting spot to dine. By extending the island overhang on two sides instead of just one, you will allow guests to sit facing each other.
You can keep seats on both sides at all times, or save space by keeping stools on just one side most of the time and pulling a seat over to the available shorter side when needed.
Adding seats to just one adjacent side can go a long way to making your kitchen island a more inviting spot to dine. By extending the island overhang on two sides instead of just one, you will allow guests to sit facing each other.
You can keep seats on both sides at all times, or save space by keeping stools on just one side most of the time and pulling a seat over to the available shorter side when needed.
This can be a great compromise where the floor plan doesn’t leave a lot of room for seating. By extending the overhang a few centimetres on the short side of your kitchen island, it can be used as a dining spot in a pinch, without losing too much storage or circulation space.
If you use a rounded corner like this one, you can effectively get three directions of seats from just two sides of the island, for a dining experience that’s even closer to sitting at a round table.
Two-sided seating: opposite sides
If your kitchen is long and skinny, it may make more sense to have a long, thin island, with seating on two opposite sides. This means guests can face each other, although if the island is quite narrow, you may not have much room to fit place settings among serving dishes on your benchtop.
Face First: Kitchen Islands Showing Off Their Best Side
If your kitchen is long and skinny, it may make more sense to have a long, thin island, with seating on two opposite sides. This means guests can face each other, although if the island is quite narrow, you may not have much room to fit place settings among serving dishes on your benchtop.
Face First: Kitchen Islands Showing Off Their Best Side
If you don’t mind the more eclectic look, mixing bar stools that have backs with backless bar stools will give you the best of both worlds, with comfier seats for everyday use and more compact seats to pull out for bigger get-togethers.
10 Decorative Ideas for Your Kitchen Island Facade
10 Decorative Ideas for Your Kitchen Island Facade
Three-sided seating
Generally, fitting seats on three sides of the island requires a large kitchen. However, there are multiple configurations that can work for different layouts.
In this example, the island is fairly square, with a rectangular dining zone taking up roughly half of its deep depth. This gives enough room for just one seat on two of the sides, but that is enough to allow two to four guests to converse easily.
Generally, fitting seats on three sides of the island requires a large kitchen. However, there are multiple configurations that can work for different layouts.
In this example, the island is fairly square, with a rectangular dining zone taking up roughly half of its deep depth. This gives enough room for just one seat on two of the sides, but that is enough to allow two to four guests to converse easily.
Another option is to extend a dining area out from the island to create a T-shape as seen here. This essentially butts a full table up against the island, for plenty of seating for six or even more people.
Compared with having a stand-alone table away from the island, this takes up less floor area because you don’t have circulation space between the island and table. Of course, the trade-off is the table has only three useable sides.
In an average-sized kitchen, the decision often comes down to whether you want a more casual or formal experience. For casual dining, this is a great solution that keeps the chef in on the action.
In an average-sized kitchen, the decision often comes down to whether you want a more casual or formal experience. For casual dining, this is a great solution that keeps the chef in on the action.
Four-sided seating
Lastly, there is the option of skipping the proper island all together and using a traditional dining table as an island instead. This gives up the storage space of an island cabinet but still provides an extra surface for food preparation as well as a dining space when the meal is ready.
If you use a bar-height table, it can easily double as a workspace. However, it will be extra important to use seats that tuck up against or under the table so the surface is easy to reach.
When Tall Tables Trump Traditional Kitchen Islands
Lastly, there is the option of skipping the proper island all together and using a traditional dining table as an island instead. This gives up the storage space of an island cabinet but still provides an extra surface for food preparation as well as a dining space when the meal is ready.
If you use a bar-height table, it can easily double as a workspace. However, it will be extra important to use seats that tuck up against or under the table so the surface is easy to reach.
When Tall Tables Trump Traditional Kitchen Islands
Selecting the number of seats
Islands are often staged for photos with the maximum number and size of plush seats that can fit on each side. However, in real life, people don’t always take up just one-seat’s width of space, with knees and elbows needing some room of their own.
Islands are often staged for photos with the maximum number and size of plush seats that can fit on each side. However, in real life, people don’t always take up just one-seat’s width of space, with knees and elbows needing some room of their own.
An island can look just as stylish with some breathing room around the seats or bar stools, and anyone who dines there will be glad to have enough personal space to feel comfortable.
Plan for each guest to have about 60 centimetres of width. But beas generous as you realistically can. If you’re planning out the configuration of your island, try drawing or taping out different scenarios to see which allows for the most seats of this size in your space.
Plan for each guest to have about 60 centimetres of width. But beas generous as you realistically can. If you’re planning out the configuration of your island, try drawing or taping out different scenarios to see which allows for the most seats of this size in your space.
Backless stools
Once you add seats to any side of the island that is in the potential flow of traffic or the chef’s workspace, you may want to consider using backless bar stools for your seating, or a style that can tuck fully under the bench and out of the way.
Out-of-the-Ordinary Kitchen Islands Designed to Dazzle
Once you add seats to any side of the island that is in the potential flow of traffic or the chef’s workspace, you may want to consider using backless bar stools for your seating, or a style that can tuck fully under the bench and out of the way.
Out-of-the-Ordinary Kitchen Islands Designed to Dazzle
Seating with backs or arms
If you have a narrow island, seats with backs and arms will provide a more comfortable dining experience. At the same time, arms generally take up more space and often won’t tuck under your benchtop as easily. If you hope to use stools with arms as well as backs, plan for each guest to have 70 to 80 centimetres of width instead.
Carefully consider whether you have the space for roomy stools with arms. If you do, consider it an investment in many comfortable meals at your wonderful dining island.
Your turn
How have you configured seating around your kitchen island? Share your tips in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the renovation conversation.
More
Need more kitchen inspiration? Don’t miss 3 Great Small Kitchens… and How They Did It
If you have a narrow island, seats with backs and arms will provide a more comfortable dining experience. At the same time, arms generally take up more space and often won’t tuck under your benchtop as easily. If you hope to use stools with arms as well as backs, plan for each guest to have 70 to 80 centimetres of width instead.
Carefully consider whether you have the space for roomy stools with arms. If you do, consider it an investment in many comfortable meals at your wonderful dining island.
Your turn
How have you configured seating around your kitchen island? Share your tips in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the renovation conversation.
More
Need more kitchen inspiration? Don’t miss 3 Great Small Kitchens… and How They Did It
An island with seating on just one side is a common arrangement for a reason, and it can work well for some situations. However, if you’re looking to use the island as a frequent spot for family meals, it’s usually not ideal. Placing all seats on one side means everyone who is seated will be facing forward in a line, which doesn’t facilitate conversation.