pickle2 I have 4 drawers. Two have a 15"h drawer front on them, Two are internal drawers. You see them once you pull on the 15"h drawer front that hides them. They can be pulled open at the same time or not, depending on the clasp position. Dimensions: In one set (deep drawer and shallow internal drawer) the distances are 10.75"h and 3"h In another set (deep drawer + shallow internal drawer) the distances are 8.375"h and 4.75"h ; I've not had these drawers long enough yet to know if the spacing is right for my needs. I could screw the internal drawer higher or lower if I wanted more or less space in the deep drawer. How: I got standard Ikea cabinets. I removed the bottom plate of the Ikea cabinet cube. I put the cabinet feet under the side panels. I have thus created a larger volume. I got standard Ikea drawers (ie. Tandembox by Blum) I screwed the (Ikea Tandembox Blum drawer front) hardware onto 15"h fronts. Each drawer has a base that is about 1/2" thick; two drawer floors take up 1"h This leaves about 13.875" available for each combination of two drawers. In one of my two drawer sets I have a bit less height available because a steel support takes up some room at the top; it was installed to give additional support to my counter at the cut for the cooktop. You could do the same thing with 4 separate drawer fronts. I didn't do this because my entire kitchen looks like it has two drawers everywhere; this keeps the lines lined up, and it reduces the visual complexity. Behind the drawer front there is a lot happening: in another cabinet I have my kitchen sink and drain, which fit into this 14.25" height. hth -d p.s. My drawer fronts are a bit less than 15" (Askome doors turned sideways). This leaves a bit of space under the counter for fingers to grab the drawer front. No need for handles. The counter overhang is large enough to stop direct line of sight into the inside of the drawers.

Best width for pot drawers? As wide as possible! Mine are 48" wide and about 20"-21" front to back (there's a ventilation area behind. The top drawer is very shallow (1.5" deep) due to the cooktop, and holds griddles, spatter screens and the like, and some utensils like stirrers and wooden spoons. The two lower drawers are interior 9" deep and 11" deep. I have another set of drawers about 36" wide on the L of the same counter that holds baking pans. I have the same depth drawers all around, and have some stacks inside. That worked better for what I have than four drawers, though seeing how things fit, it would almost work to have two shallow drawers on top, and two deeper drawers on the bottom, and spread the baking dishes in the shallow drawers, but some of my pots are too big. My drawers were custom, though, and made to my exact specifications. The pot drawers have extra heavy glides and strong bottoms to hold call my cast iron. So, back to what I said before: Best width is as wide as possible. Wider drawers allow you to turn the handles and whatever and fit more in. That's a lot to fit into two drawer banks! Maybe you should make mockups out of cardboard cartons and make sure all your stuff fits. I have a lot of stuff, but I have 5 drawers with knives and utensils in them. I could probably get everything into three, but that's including the largest two drawers. And two 48" wide drawers full of pots. If I were you, I'd do the 30" bank for the pots.

What do your sister's shoes look like? No, really. Does she half open a drawer and pull out the pan from the bottom of the stack? Or does she open the drawer fully, and lift the stack to get at the pan she wants? And yourself (your family?) What are her cabinets made of? Will yours be made of the same stuff? Does she have a condition that affects her ability to control the things she's holding? (Arthritis, palsy, nerve damage, limp muscles, too much drink, congenital clumsiness?) It's not anything I've ever heard about. My own pot drawers haven't been in long enough for me to know about them, but the first thing I'd do is figure out what nicks are from "normal" wear and tear, and how much is from lack of care, lack of grace or infirmity. If you can eliminate all of those, then I'd look at the materials and see if it is something about them that makes them more prone to nicks, and see if there were another choice that would hold up better.

I would not like the drawer as shown, as I think you lose space. I do have (on purpose) a dual rollout, with the lower with more "depth" than the upper (and a drawer on top, as described above). You not only get the flexibility to store the larger pots on the bottom, you can get stacking racks for fry pans and such (I use pan separators). Plus, you gain a few extra inches in the back for handles that extend beyond the limits of the drawer. Of course, your pullouts also extend the full length of the drawer. I have way too much cookware for the arrangement shown above.