diff --git a/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/components/_icon-links.scss b/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/components/_icon-links.scss
index 8edba3fdb..bb4334c09 100644
--- a/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/components/_icon-links.scss
+++ b/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/components/_icon-links.scss
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 ul.navbar-icon-links {
   display: flex;
   flex-flow: row wrap;
-  column-gap: 1rem;
+  column-gap: $nav-icon-column-gap;
   justify-content: space-evenly;
   align-items: center;
   padding-left: 0;
diff --git a/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/sections/_header.scss b/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/sections/_header.scss
index b2c969ab1..e57d59b56 100644
--- a/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/sections/_header.scss
+++ b/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/sections/_header.scss
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
 
   .navbar-header-items__end,
   .navbar-header-items__center {
-    column-gap: 1rem;
+    column-gap: $nav-icon-column-gap;
   }
 
   // A little smaller because this is displayed by default on mobile
diff --git a/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/variables/_layout.scss b/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/variables/_layout.scss
index eaae298a2..571403595 100644
--- a/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/variables/_layout.scss
+++ b/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/styles/variables/_layout.scss
@@ -37,3 +37,8 @@ $admonition-border-radius: 0.25rem;
 $focus-ring-radius: 0.125rem; // 2px at 100% zoom and 16px base font.
 
 $navbar-link-padding-y: 0.25rem;
+
+// Ensure that there is no overlap of bumper disks (smallest circle that
+// contains the bounding box of the interactive element).
+// - https://github.com/Quansight-Labs/czi-scientific-python-mgmt/issues/81#issuecomment-2251325783
+$nav-icon-column-gap: 1.12rem;