Leave at least 81 cm (32 in) from the counter edge to the wall behind the stools if nobody walks behind them, 91 cm (36 in) if people need to edge past, and 112 cm (44 in) if they need to walk past. Those are the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) kitchen planning guidelines.
In a first condo, the island often sits a step away from the sofa or the dining table, so this is the number that decides whether stools work at all. Use the Island Planner to check your space against all three, along with stool count, seat height and pendant height.
Clearance chart
| Situation | Counter edge to wall or obstacle |
|---|---|
| Seats, nobody walks behind | 81 cm (32 in) |
| Someone edges past a seated person | 91 cm (36 in) |
| Someone walks past a seated person | 112 cm (44 in) |
| Walkway around an island end, no seats | 91 cm (36 in) |
| Kitchen work aisle, one cook | 107 cm (42 in) |
| Kitchen work aisle, more than one cook | 122 cm (48 in) |
| Wheelchair passing behind seated diners | 152 cm (60 in) |
All figures are NKBA recommendations, rounded to the nearest centimetre. Work aisles are measured between counters, tall cabinets or appliances. Local codes may differ.
Measure from the counter edge
NKBA measures from the edge of the counter, not from the stool, to the nearest wall or obstacle behind the seats. In an open-plan condo, that obstacle is often the back of a sofa, a dining chair or a column rather than a wall. People push their stools back as they sit down and get up, so the space fills faster than it looks on a floor plan.
What it looks like in a condo
- Peninsula facing the living room: measure to the sofa or the coffee table, whichever is closer. With less than 81 cm (32 in), move the sofa or seat people on another side.
- Island between the kitchen and the dining table: if dining chairs back onto the stools, measure to the chairs pushed out, not tucked in.
- Stools on the kitchen side: that space is also a work aisle, so NKBA's 107 cm (42 in) for one cook applies, and the dishwasher and oven doors need room to open.
Short on space?
- Seat fewer people on the tight side, or move a seat to an open end.
- Pick stools without arms, which slide in and out of a narrow gap more easily.
- Choose a lighter stool you can lift rather than drag.
- Keep the walkway clear of bins, plant stands and bags, which tend to collect at the end of an island.
Then check everything else
Once you know the room behind, check the other numbers: how many stools fit, what seat height to buy and how high to hang pendants.
A slim stool for tight condo kitchens
The TA Counter Stool is 45.5 cm (18 in) wide and 51 cm (20 in) deep on a slim black metal base, and at 5.3 kg (11.7 lb) it is light enough to lift rather than drag. Two are $399, applied at checkout, with free shipping in all 10 provinces. See it with a light to match in The Island.
Last checked October 2026.
Sources
- NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards, Guidelines 6 (work aisle), 7 (walkway) and 8 (traffic clearance at seating, including the access standard for wheelchair passage)
- TA Counter Stool product page (size and weight)