1 in my over the frig and over the MW cabs, 2 in 30" cabs, 3 in 42" cabs

I have 36" high uppers with 3 shelves plus the bottom. The way the carpenter put the shelves in, the top two are pretty close to each other... considering it's hard to reach up there, it may not be a bad thing that I can't stack too much on top of each other.

Of course, I can always readjust the shelves. Just haven't figured out what's going where yet. :-)

I remember talley_sue here on GW telling me she ordered her cabinets with extra shelves because she hates stacking things and she wanted a lot of shelves close together. She is a marvel of organization and space optimization!!!

Btw, my cabinet over the OTR microwave doesn't have any shelves in it right now. There's a cutout for the electrical cord coming from the top of the m/w on the right, and the outlet was positioned on the left vertically centered right where you'd want to put the shelf! If the outlet had been a little lower, I could have had a shelf in there. Nothing like planning ahead.

Well, it may answer the questions of where to store the tall cereal boxes...

My cabinets were installed last week and go to the ceiling. I, too, only have 2 shelves per cabinet. They were custom made, so I am going to ask the cabinetmaker to make me some more shelves. If his price is out of sight, I'll get some MDF cut at HD or Lowe's.

My kitchen isn't that big, so I've been obsessed with making every inch count. Not only did I get 3 shelves with my taller cabinets, but I used my cordless drill and very, very, very carefully re-drilled several of the shelf-heights so that everything fits better and is easier to reach (we're all short in my little family). I found that 8" was best for my canned goods, 9" was best for my baking area and 11" was best for condiments & vinegars. Never mind what your KD says is "standard", get those extra shelves and make the best use of your space!

3 in the 42" cabinets and 2 in shorter ones. used to have only two in all --- huuuuuge space saver having the third. mine are ultracraft fwiw.

I agree with having more shelves. My tallest cabinets have 27" usable height w/three shelves. If I were building again or doing a complete cabinet remodel I would select adjustable shelves, and drawers for a lot of the base area, after many years of working in a kitchen. Adj. shelves might not give a 'decorator' look, but the functionality cannot be beat.

I feel we should decide what functions best in our kitchens, not the KD. They have great ideas, and suggestions, but you will ultimately be the one using the space.

Jane

This isn't a case of a KD "deciding" anything for a client. Different cabinet lines have different "standards" as to the number of shelves that come with which size cabinets. (All quality cabinet lines provide for adjustible shelving.) If you are uncertain of how many your cabinet company provides with your size cabinet, all you need to do is ask your KD or call the cabinet company direct. It's a very simple matter to order more shelves if you think you will use them. I always order at least 2 additional shelf packs for most of my larger kitchens without being asked to. There hasn't been a client yet who didn't appreciate that detail and who wanted the shelves sent back!

It may be standard for that cabinet line, but I agree-get more! And unless they are super special, it is probably cheaper to make your own (HD does cheap or free custom cuts so you might not even need tools).

My 42" tall cabs have 3 shelves plus the bottom. In one cab I put a 4th shelf which works great when there are lots of short items.

Anne