I have had both (a little room on the right side of my machine and I've also had a lot. For me I would go with the 34". I like having my threads close, I have a stand that I can move and the extra room was nice. When I had the extra room, I also had a table lamp (I had great lighting, but sometimes I needed more). I would use it a lot at night or for long hours of very fine sewing. With the extra room my extra light was never in the way. If you have the room, bigger is better. We can all make due with small, but bigger can make sewing easier. Good luck