Plan a 30” H island, and the rest at 36”. 36” is still within the realm of usability for a 60”H woman. Life happens. That would be a complete gut if you had to sell the home if you went with 30”H all the way around.

What Sophie said. I'm about to design a kitchen for a woman who's only and inch taller than you are and she's also a baker. My plan is to put in a table-height surface in a portion of the island to solve that problem. By keeping the standard height counters on the perimeter you won't have added costs for cabinetry, as non-standard heights would get you into semi-custom or custom pricing. Plus, there are others who live in the home; her husband is taller as is her son. Good luck!

A baking counter is always 30” and IMO to lower all the counters will not be a good idea for resale. In fact it is nice to have an actual baking area in a kitchen design so just work toward that .

i'm short (5'1 and shrinking) so i understand. i also want to be able to resell my house without a gut.

make your island the low man out. i cook on my island, it works fine. (i prefer island cooking, for many reasons). you'll be able to order a normal dishwasher and all the rest. and at time to sell, only one item needs to be changed.

Appreciate everyone's input. I only want to take my counter down to 32" (not 30). The lower counter height will also make it easier for me to cook on my cooktop which can be built to whatever the counter is. Definitely don't want to cook on my island. Have never cared for that design option. Has anyone had experience or heard of a dishwasher that can fit under a 32" tall counter?

I think this would be a really bad idea and would tank your resale. New owners would lowball you because of the cost of gutting and re-doing the kitchen.

Well if you can't find it, then consider putting the dishwasher in the island.

I'm also short and second the idea of just having one lowered portion of the counter for baking. I have seen lots of kitchens configured in this manner.

FWIW, I am also having toe kick risers built into each of my cabinets which have an upper cabinet so that I can access the upper cabinets without bringing out a step ladder or attempting to access and risk having everything plummet on my head :-)

My current kitchen (which I did not realize) did not have standard 18" between the counter and the uppers which I actually found helpful since it made the upper shelves that much more accessible.

I kept my Kitchenaid mixer on the counter and when I needed to lift it, I would just slide it forward so it cleared the upper - I'm not sure that an upright mixer head would fit under 18" anyway. I didn't keep my Cuisinart FP on the counter so storing under the upper wasn't an issue and I kept my tallish coffee maker on the counter in an area where there were no uppers.

I am in the process of doing a gut remodel (demo just finished) and so I did as much as I could to have the kitchen function well for my short stature. I am having a Bosch side opening wall oven placed at an ideal height for me which enables me to access from the front of the oven fairly close as opposed to the side reaching over. I am also having an apron front sink with only an 8" depth put in - again both the apron front and the slightly lower depth of the basin is ergonomically beneficial for shorties like you and I. :-)

If 32" counters are what you need and want, go with them. It sounds like you plan to be in this house for a good long time, so do what is right for you! Retirement is not the time you want to be cursing yourself for not getting lower cabinets. You've got a singular issue you're trying to deal with, a one-size-fits-all solution won't help you a bit.

5'0" tall and the struggle is real. Our countertops are 36" and it works. We did lower the uppers just a hair.

More importantly for me was height of the toilets: there is some standard range and I had them hang all the toilets at the minimum height for the standard. No more dangly feet!

I have a 32” island and it’s amazing!!!! But tall/standard perimeter. Also 5’1”. It’s great for helping kids too!

My mother solved the dishwasher height issue by installing it in a full height cabinet with dish storage directly above and a large drawer underneath. The island is directly opposite so there is adjacent counter space for a staging area if needed.

Really really bad idea for anything but the island. If the cook top is that big an issue? Install a roll out toe kick Plan for some upper cabinetry to go all the way to counter. But do not lower a perimeter to 32.

I also didn’t lower the perimeter because that would be really unfair to my husband. I don’t have any issues with the sink and cooktop being standard height. I also went with a French door oven so I don’t have to awkwardly reach over the open door. It’s been great. The lower island is great for prep. Chopping and baking is at a comfortable level.

I am the same height and a baker too.. i have never had a problem with full height counters. Am I missing something?

If you're set on 32" counter heights, consider designing around (2) dishwasher drawers, one on either side of the sink. The drawers are about half the height of a standard DW and together they have the same capacity as a single full-height DW. You won't be able to put a full-height DW under a 32" counter, period. The beauty of this configuration too, is that if your household is like mine, we are forever running out of glasses but we like to fill up the whole DW before running it. This way you can run your glassware separately from dishes and pots and you're not wasting water.

Do whatever works for you. I’m quite tall, but even so, I find my upper cabinets too high, ( other than the bottom shelves). In my next kitchen, all uppers will be lower, function over form.

I am short and am doing 36” on the perimeter and 34” on the island because that is where I will be doing most of my prep. My dishwasher has to go in the island (no choice with my layout) so I am looking at ADA compliant dishwashers. They have a slightly shorter tub but have the same range of features as a standard height dishwasher.

Everyone's comments have been interesting. I have lived and cooked in other countries where the counter height is 32 inches and found it made a huge difference in how my back feels after prepping and cooking for hours. Short people who have never experienced working with a lower counter top don't know what they are missing! While I understand concerns regarding resale, I am 55 years old and plan to be in this home for the rest of my life. I will be using this kitchen for 20+ years of my life. People who buy high end homes that have kitchens that are 20+ years old usually gut and remodel anyways, so I am not at all concerned about resale issues with my lower counter. After doing a lot of research, I am having my architect design the perimeters at 33 inches which is what I need for the ADA compliant Miele dishwasher and lowering the upper wall cabinets respectively. The wall oven will also be lowered to my specifications. My island which will serve as our casual eating area will be at 36 inches to accommodate counter height stools. My husband who is 6 ft tall can use the island to help prep if the 33 inch is too short for him. There will be a prep sink integrated into the island. I think this is the ideal solution for my needs. Thank you all for your input.

Then do what you want why are you asking. I would like my counters to be 39” but it creates a lot of issues so I leave mine at 36” do what works for you.