What height is your kitchen counter and how tall are you?

[NbyNW]

I just checked the plan set for the reno we did last year and our cabinets are 34.5", which converts to 87.6 cm not including the countertop. That makes about 90cm if our countertop is 1" thick. I'm 5'1".

Ergonomics was very important to us for this renovation, so we actually hired an interior designer who specializes in this. She took measurements off of both me and DH. One of things she did for us was move the bottoms of the cabinets over the counters down to 14" clearance. Standard is 18". This means that I can comfortably reach both the bottom shelf and the next shelf up, without standing on my toes or reaching for a step stool. There is not as much room for taller appliances underneath, but we have plenty of countertop elsewhere that had nothing above it for those situations.

Incidentally, when our GC went to get estimates for the countertops, he went first to the manufacturer that our designer recommended, and they came in way over our budget. We then took our drawings to a custom cabinet maker that our GC had worked with before, and he was about to knock $12,000 off the initial estimate. And we were just as happy with the quality of materials and workmanship -- it was a no-brainer. So it is worth shopping around. A big manufacturer might seem like a good idea, you would think they would save on volume, but they also might have more overhead to support than the local guy. You just never know.

[ny biker]

I'm on vacation right now so can't measure, but I bought standard height cabinets from a US big-box store and they seem fine for me. I am 5' 7". I don't make elaborate meals but I do prepare something to eat at least twice a day and I spent a fair amount of time baking cookies last winter. I've never felt the counters were too tall or too short.

I agree that it's worth looking at the different options for organizers, lazy susans, etc. especially for corner cabinets. They do make things much easier.

One of the best things in my kitchen is the recessed sink. I was cleaning water bottles the other night and knocked over a 20-oz bottle that was full of soapy water, and cleaning it up was easy since all I had to do was push the water from the counter into the sink.

Another thing about corners -- after they install the cabinets, make sure you can easily open all the doors. When they installed mine they left out a 3-inch spacer that was supposed to go in the corner to push the corner cabinet out from the wall, and as a result when I opened the door it crashed into the cabinet next to it. I had to have the contractor come back and move the corner cabinet and have him remove a spacer that he had erroneously put at the other end of the row of base cabinets. This was after they measured for the counters so I worried that moving things would mess up the countertop fit. Fortunately everything worked out okay but it made me realize how important it is to check every detail at the end of every work day.

Good luck!!