Nothing goes better around a kitchen island than stools. It’s nearly impossible to go wrong with this ensemble.
Take note; I stated nearly impossible, not completely impossible. You can actually go wrong with stools around a kitchen island if you add too little or too much.
But thankfully, it’s nothing a quick trip to the furniture store or a reduction can’t fix.
So, how exactly do you know how many stools you need for a kitchen island?
Keep reading to find out!
We will not only be covering how to determine the right stool number for your kitchen island but essential sizing information for these pieces of furniture.
Here’s How Many Stools Needed for Kitchen Island:
You will find below a table containing the various island sizes by foot and the right bar stool number for each size.
| Size of Kitchen Island | Quantity of Bar Stools |
| 4 foot | 2 |
| 5 foot | 2 |
| 6 foot | 2 |
| 7 foot | 3 |
| 8 foot | 3 |
| 9 foot | 4 |
| 10 foot | 4 |
What is the Typical Size of a Kitchen Island?
The typical size of a kitchen island is 40 by 80 inches (or 1 by 2 meters). These furnishings are usually purchased at a standard height of 36 inches.
Kitchen islands with a height of 42 inches or thereabout are also not uncommon, as a matter of fact, they’re more comfortable to dine on.
When deciding the best island size for your kitchen, it is important that you take your kitchen floor space into consideration. The shape of your kitchen area also matters a lot.
Adequate space must be left around a kitchen island for better accessibility and a more convenient or comfortable user experience.
To paint a clearer picture, try to achieve a clearance space of about 36 to 42 inches on every side of your island.
Your kitchen floor space should be at least 150 square foot (14 square meters) for a standard kitchen island to fit perfectly.
If your kitchen floor space is smaller than the above figures, you can still make things work with a smaller kitchen island.
It is not advisable to put an island in a kitchen with a floor space that is less than 13 foot.
Also, if you plan to have stools around your kitchen island, you should ensure that your island is at least 36 inches (90 cm).
Use your building code as a guide if you’re having a hard time planning out or organizing your kitchen space.
How Much Space Do You Need for Each Counter Stool?
An average counter stool has a width ranging from 16-18 inches, if it has arms or it swivels, the width may extend to 19-22 inches.
A general rule is to leave a space of about 6 inches between each counter stool surrounding your kitchen island.
The recommended spacing for counter stools that have arm rests and/or swivels is 8 to 10 inches.
This space is called an “Elbow Room,” and it must be enforced for the comfort of those seating on the counter stool, especially if they’re going to be adults.
So this means you will have about 3 inches or 4 – 5 inches of elbow room running from the right and left sides of each counter stool, depending on your type of counter stool.
Kindly note that the purpose of your counter stool must be considered when deciding how much elbow room or space is needed by each stool.
How to Calculate Your Kitchen Stand Space for Stools?
To calculate your kitchen stand space for the counter stool, simply sum up the width of the counter stool with the length of space on each side of the stool (elbow room).
Kitchen stand space for stool = Width of stool + Elbow room space
For example,
- If you have a counter stool with a width of 16 inches, you will need a space of 24 inches on your kitchen island or kitchen floor space.
- If you have a counter stool with a width of 22 inches, you will need a space of 30-32 inches on your kitchen island or kitchen floor space.
How Many Stools Fit on a Kitchen Island?
Usually, the comfortable seating space for a counter stool is about 30 inches (or 2.5 foot).
This value is estimated from a kitchen stool that swivels or has arms with a maximum width of 22 inches, so it is safe to use it as the maximum.
To calculate how many stools fit on your kitchen island, simply divide the size of the kitchen island by the estimated figure of a maximum comfortable seating space.
So, we are dividing by 30 if the size of the kitchen island is in inches. But if the size of the kitchen island is in foot, simply divide by 2.5.
Ensure to round off your final answer to the nearest whole number, if you get decimals when calculating.
- 5 foot island – 2 stools
- 6 foot island – 2 stools
- 7 foot island – 3 stools
- 8 foot island – 3 stools
- 9 foot island – 4 stools
- 10 foot island – 4 stools
You might be tempted to add extra stools, but keep in mind that you’ll have to sacrifice the ease at which you access your kitchen to accommodate more of these furnishings than necessary.
How Long Should an Island Be for 3 Stools?
To calculate how long an island should be for a particular number of stools, simply multiply the number of stools by the minimum comfortable seating space for each stool (30 inches or 2.5 foot).
Note that your result is a minimum length and you can choose to increase the length of the island for more comfort.
Also ensure to round off your final answer to the nearest whole number, when necessary.
For 3 stools, the length of the island will be 3*30 inches or 3*2.5 foot, which is 90 inches or 8 foot.
How Long Should a Kitchen Island Be to Fit 4 Stools?
For a kitchen island to fit 4 stools, the minimum length should be 4*30 inches or 4*2.5 foot, giving us 120 inches or 10 foot.
How Long Should a Kitchen Island Be for 6 Stools?
For a kitchen island to fit 6 stools comfortably, the minimum length should be 6*30 inches or 6*2.5 foot, giving us 180 inches or 15 inches.
Conclusion
Your counter stools are just as important as your kitchen island, especially if you don’t have a dining area. Be sure to only get the recommended number of stools for your island size.
Also, make sure you measure the width of your counter stool estimating the spacing, so you don’t have your stools awkwardly spaced around your kitchen island.
References
hgtv.com/design/remodel/kitchen-remodel/kitchen-island-with-stools
homedecorbliss.com/how-much-space-between-bar-stools/
frontgate.com/homeplusstyle/entertaining/the-bar-stool-measuring-guide/
