Are my drawers deep enough?

10 years ago

Planning to order my cabinets TOMORROW!! Just found out some measurements I am worried about and hope you can help.

All on one wall of my kitchen will be my professional cooktop with 2 drawers under it and a set of 3 drawers to the left and right of the cooktop. We are getting Omega full overlay face framed cabinets. My kitchen designer said that the drawers will end up as follows:

The interior height of the drawers on either side of the cooktop are as follows: top drawer 3", middle and bottom drawer: 7.25". She said I have about one more inch of usable height in each drawer then the given measurement. She said the 2 drawers under the cooktop will be 7.25" each.

I should add that the drawers on the sides of the cooktop will be 39" wide and the drawers under the cooktop will be 36" wide.

I heard these measurements and am panicking that they are not going to be deep enough. I was planning to put pots and pans in the drawers under the cooktop and in the drawers flanking the cooktop I was planning to put cooking utinsels and gadgets in the top drawers and tupperware, bowls, pyrex and some serving bowls and platters in the bottom drawers.

What do you all think??

Thank you in advance!!

Featured Answer

AnnKH

10 years ago

I agree about what seems like a lot of wasted space. My 3-drawer stacks have 3", 9", and 11" drawers. Mine were custom, so I was able to specify deeper drawers on the bottom. In one bottom drawer I have cake pans and pie plates stored on their sides; in the other I have canisters of flour, sugar, rice, etc. If my bottom drawers had been the same height, those things would not have fit.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

suzanne_sl
10 years ago
Those measurements should be fine. I keep just those sorts of things in 3 drawer stacks to the sides of my stove and in the island. They fit just fine. I have one set of mixing bowls that have covers and those didn't really fit in the 3-drawer stack. I put them on edge in the upper across the aisle from the island.
PRO
VG Design
Original Author
10 years ago
I am disappointed that in a 34.5" tall drawer cabinet I only get 17.5" of drawer height for 3 drawers (7.25 +7.25 + 3)!! My mother in law has a 36" tall drawer set and was able to get 4 drawers, including THREE 9" drawers plus a 3" drawer at the top! I don't get it!!
Related Professionals
Lafayette Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Newburyport Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Lebanon Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Kenosha Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Denver Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Selma Kitchen Remodelers · Hattiesburg Kitchen Remodelers · Manhattan Kitchen Remodelers · Vancouver Kitchen Remodelers · Charlottesville Custom Countertops · Olean Custom Countertops · Santa Maria Custom Countertops · Santa Rosa Custom Countertops · Montrose Custom Countertops · Wenatchee Custom Countertops
PRO
VG Design
Original Author
10 years ago
any other words of wisdom? thank you so much!!
numbersjunkie
10 years ago
I think you'd do much better with frameless cabinets. Omega has a line - I think they are called full access.
romy718
10 years ago
Ask your KD to order heavy duty glides for any drawer 36" & larger. I had to replace my standard glides to heavy duty on four 36" drawers - the soft close stopped working because the contents of the drawer plus the weight of the drawer exceeded the standard glide maximum weight allowance.
PRO
VG Design
Original Author
10 years ago
thank you for the tip on asking for heavy duty glides.
crcollins1_gw
10 years ago
This was a rude awakening for me when my lower drawers were installed. I didn't get nearly the depth I expected. My 3" top drawers are a pain in the --- I can't even keep plastic wrap or foil in anything larger than the littlest roll in there. Maybe you'll be okay since you know ahead of time. Regardless, drawers are better than one big open hole with a door.
AnnKH
10 years ago
"drawers are better than one big open hole with a door."

Unless they aren't deep enough for your storage needs. Had I not specifically asked for deeper bottom drawers, I would not have been able to use those drawers as I had planned - and since I have only 3 drawer stacks in my kitchen, it was critical that all three serve their intended purpose!
crcollins1_gw
10 years ago
True, that, Ann. Ours work for what we need to store in them, so in our case, they are better than the big hole. But I'd sure like those few extra inches of height.
salex
10 years ago
I think the answer to your question (are they deep enough?) depends on how you plan to store your pots and pans in them. If you plan to store them flat, it should be plenty. On the other hand, if you plan to store them on your sides, they are likely not deep enough.

For comparison, I am just beginning to build my kitchen cabinets, and my pot/pan drawers will have 13-3/4" vertical clearance. Drawers will be inset with rough openings of 5", 7", and 14-3/4", with only 3/4" frame dividers between them and top/bottom face frames at 1-1/2". While this is not standard, it's a nice ratio that meets my needs for having most of my stuff in very shallow drawers (utensils, spices, etc.), and everything else stacked vertically in ridiculously deep drawers (baking sheets, pans, cutting boards, etc.).

As others have said, the amount of total drawer height depends greatly on cabinet construction (frameless offering more height). Even face frame cabinets can give you more height if you can adjust the distance between drawers (which depends on the amount of overlay on your drawer fronts).