A kitchen island in a Fort Worth house has to fit the room before it can do anything else. Whether it works comes down to a few measurements: how wide the aisles are, how much room each stool takes and what has to run to it.
This guide goes in order: what you want the island to do, how big it can be, what it takes to bring water and power to it, and how it fits the budget. If you're planning the whole room, start with our page on kitchen remodels in Fort Worth.
What Do You Want the Island to Do?
Start with the jobs. Here are the main ones an island can take on. Pick the ones you'd use every week, because a small island can't do all of them well.
Prep surface. The National Kitchen & Bath Association's Kitchen Planning Guidelines recommend a stretch of continuous counter at least 36 inches wide and 24 inches deep, right next to a sink.
Secondary sink. A prep sink on the island, separate from the main sink, gives two people room to work at once.
Cooktop. A cooktop on the island has the cook facing the room instead of the wall. It also changes how the kitchen gets vented, which we'll get to below.
Casual seating. Stools along one side for breakfast, homework or company while dinner's being made. Counter height is 36 inches and bar height is 42, and that choice changes how much knee space you need.
Storage. Drawers, cabinets or open shelves underneath. Pot drawers and a place for the mixer or espresso machine keep them off the perimeter counter.
Trash and recycling. Pullouts near the prep area.
Charging and workspace. A drawer with outlets and room for a laptop or tablet.
Wine or beverage station. An undercounter wine fridge, beverage drawers or a small ice maker at the end of the island.
Landing zone for entertaining. Clear counter at one end for food and drinks when you have people over. If you host, keep a stretch of the island free of appliances and stools.
How Big Should a Kitchen Island Be?
Measure the room before you fall in love with the island. The aisle and seat numbers below are the association's recommendations, not code.
Work aisles. At least 42 inches for one cook and at least 48 inches for more than one, measured between counters, tall cabinets and appliances.
Walkways. An aisle you only walk through should be at least 36 inches.
Behind the stools. 32 inches if nobody passes behind a seated person, 36 inches to edge past and 44 inches to walk past.
Seats. Give each person 24 inches of width. Knee space should be 15 inches deep at a 36-inch counter and 12 inches deep at a 42-inch counter. So four stools take 8 feet of island.
Depth. Base cabinets usually run 24 inches deep. Add a 15-inch knee space and the top is 39 inches. With a 42-inch aisle on the work side and 44 inches behind the stools, that island takes 10 feet 5 inches between the cabinet fronts. For two cooks, at 48 inches on the work side, it takes 10 feet 11 inches.
If it won't fit. A peninsula or a longer perimeter counter can do the job. If the kitchen is too small no matter how it's drawn, then it's an addition, not a remodel. A bump-out that adds eight feet can do more than any cabinet layout.
Bigger doesn't always win. A very long island can dominate the room. In a big kitchen, two smaller islands can work better than one giant one.
What It Takes to Bring Water and Power to an Island
An island sits in the middle of the floor, away from the walls where the pipes and wires already are. A new line to it means work in the floor and at the electrical panel, not just a new fixture.
Slab or pier and beam. On a slab, the drains run under the concrete, so a sink in the island means cutting concrete, running new pipe and patching it. On pier and beam, the work runs through the crawlspace instead.
A sink. It needs a drain and a vent, and an island has no wall to run the vent up. The 2021 International Plumbing Code has a section just for venting island sinks, so ask how yours will be vented before you lock the layout.
Power. Outlets, a charging drawer and any appliance on the island need wiring brought through the floor. A modern kitchen can need several dedicated circuits, so ask whether your panel has the capacity. A gas cooktop needs a gas line brought the same way.
A cooktop. The association's guidelines call for at least 12 inches of counter on one side and 15 inches on the other. If the counter is the same height as the cooktop, it should also run at least 9 inches behind it.
Ventilation. The association recommends a correctly sized, ducted ventilation system of at least 150 cubic feet per minute (CFM). Over an island, that duct has to go up through the ceiling from a hood, or down through the floor from a downdraft. Fort Worth's amended 2021 residential code requires makeup air, meaning air brought in to replace what the hood pulls out, above 400 CFM if your house has certain fuel-burning appliances. If every appliance is sealed-combustion, power-vent, unvented or electric, the line moves to 600 CFM.
Permits. The City of Fort Worth's residential permitting page says cosmetic remodels (floor or wall covering, cabinets, counter tops, shelving) don't need a permit. Changing, installing or moving plumbing takes a plumbing permit. Changing or moving electrical equipment takes an electrical permit. Changing or moving duct work or an exhaust fan takes a mechanical permit.
