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Depth of upper cabinets in relation to lowers

10 years ago

Would it look OK to have upper cabinets that are about 14 to 14.5 inches deep (to give usable space of 12.5 inches deep inside) if the lower cabinets are standard depth (24 inches, with an overhand for the counter, so I guess total depth is closer to 25). I know that some people make their lowers 27 inches deep, but we have a tight space between the perimeter cabinets and our island, so I can't make the lowers any deeper than standard. However, I'd still like the upper cabinets to be a bit deeper to accommodate wider bowls. (We haven't chosen the cabinets yet, but might be going with a local cabinet maker, so he can make the cabinets whatever depth we want.)

Thanks again for everyone's help!

Featured Answer

angela12345

10 years ago

We have 15" deep uppers over our prep sink. Base cabinets are standard 24" deep. Works just fine.

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Comments (6)

attofarad
10 years ago
Taller people will not be able to see as far back on the counter
top, when they are right up against it. Over my bar area, I have
14" deep (plus 3/4" overlay doors) over standard 24" cabinets,
and it seems fine. i also have 14" over 25.5" kitchen lowers,
and 16" over 29.5" lowers.

I'm big on mock-ups. I suggest that you tape cardboard to some
existing uppers, sticking out to where they would be, and see
what you think.
OldTimeCarpenter1
10 years ago
There is a relationship between (1) the height of the upper cabinets above the countertop, (2) the depth (front to back) of the upper cabinets and (3) the depth of the counter top.

With a standard 24" countertop, the maximum practical depth of the upper cabinets is 14" -- any deeper and you are uncomfortable working at the countertop because you constantly (if subconsciously) feel you are going to bang your head.

We frequently use 27-30" deep lower cabinets with a 28-31" counter top depth, which allows up to a 16" deep upper cabinet. A cabinet with fixed shelves should be no more than 16" deep (14" is better) -- otherwise stuff in the back gets lost. But, if you are planning to use pullouts or other organizers, then a 20" upper cabinet is practical

Sizing cabinetry for adequate storage is both science and art. You can search the phrase "iron rules of storage" (quotes included) to read several articles on how to size your kitchen storage.

I would just give you the name of the web site, but every time I mention it I get an unpleasant note from the Mandarins at Gardenweb. While you are on the site you might do a site search on "Kitchen Ergonomics" for more useful information

Since you are using custom cabinets, you are not stuck with pre-determined manufacturer dimensions, and the sky is the limit on creativity.

Good luck with your kitchen.
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Buehl
10 years ago
I have a mixture of 15" deep and 12" deep cabinets over standard depth base cabinets (24" deep cabs + 1.5" counter overhang = 25.5" overall depth).

I do not have any issues with working at my counters. I'm a bit tall (5'10"), but I am the shortest one in my family (DD 5'11-3/4", DH 6'5", DS 6'6"). No one has ever complained.

However, we all have different tolerances for having things in front of us. I think the fact that I do have a 12" deep cabinet b/w two 15" deep cabinets helps to mitigate the claustrophobic feel.

Note that I do have two peninsulas with nothing above them that I can also work at - although, I don't usually work at them. I spend probably 90% of my prep time in front of the upper cabinets.
sena01
10 years ago
My uppers are about 13.5" (34 cm), and my counter is just 23.5" (60 cm) deep. But uppers are 19.8" (50 cm) above the counter. I am 5' 9" and very comfortable working in front of the uppers.
andreak100
10 years ago
We decided on 14" uppers with 24" lowers (25 1/2" with the counter in place). It's not in place yet, but we're hoping that it will be fine. With our current upper cabinets (@ 12") they are usually just a fraction too small for some of the things I wanted to put in them.

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