Wrong cabinets!

8 years ago

Hi everyone, my mother in law is remodelling her kitchen. She ordered her cabinets based off of the plan that her original contractor put together. My brother-in-law had to take over and unfortunately neither caught that the wall cabinets were too tall for her 7 ft ceilings before putting in the order. So, now we have cabinets that are 36” instead of 27” or 30”. This leaves only about 14-15” between the countertop and the cabinets. Is it worth buying replacements or can the small space work?

Featured Answer

PRO

April Acquavella

8 years ago

18" is the standard so the cabinets would be 3" to 4" lower than standard. The 18" is based on average human height and proportions as well as the typical countertop small appliances. If your mother-in-law or people living in that house are taller than average, it may get a little uncomfortable with visibility working at the counter. Lower wall cabinets can also make the space feel more cramped. It can be a personal preference as my personal kitchen wall cabinets were set 22" above the countertop.

I would consider it worth buying replacements in the long run. Hope it turns out!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

PRO
JAN MOYER
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Do over. Sorry. That will be inconvenient and with low ceilings a cramped and hemmed in feeling will result.
Related Professionals
Fort Myers Interior Designers & Decorators · Springfield Interior Designers & Decorators · Meridian Interior Designers & Decorators · Morgantown Interior Designers & Decorators · Pittsburgh Interior Designers & Decorators · Tacoma Interior Designers & Decorators · Chico Architects & Building Designers · Montrose Architects & Building Designers · Anchorage Architects & Building Designers · Dalton Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Starkville Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Ardmore Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Taunton Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · New York City Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Saint Marys Kitchen & Bathroom Designers
Judy Mishkin
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
are you sure they were a mistake?

if your mother in law is short(er), and not planning to move any time soon, the lower height is a great gift to her.

if she is tall, well thats different.
User
8 years ago
I have an old house, and the cabinets are lower on the wall. There is only 14" of clearance between the counter and the bottom on the cabinets. It looks fine as the ceilings are 10 feet. I'm short so it's a bit easier reaching in, but I still can't reach the top shelf as the cabinets are long and go all the way to the ceiling. However, it is frustrating that my coffee maker and Kitchen Aid do not fit underneath. The toaster fits while not beng used, but I have pull it out when using it or the bread hits the cabinets when it pops out. So you might want to reorder.
User
8 years ago
Sounds like a redo with the cabinets and the brother in law both.

You should have had a KD do the design. Not a contractor. Or a brother in law.
Monica Stiles
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks everyone, you’ve all confirmed my suspicions. Re-do it is!
acm
8 years ago
I *hate* having less than 18 inches under wall cabinets -- anything you store along the walls is hard to use and looks crowded (think mixer or toaster or knife block). Much better to add wait time and get proper spacing. Bummer.
Helen
8 years ago
I am remodeling and recently discovered the area above cabinets was not 18" but was 15". I actually like it a lot because I am on the short side as well so those extra inches lower make a big difference in accessibility.

I haven't had issues in terms of feeling claustrophobic or impeding functionality. Everything except my tall coffee maker fits under the cabinets and I do have an area above the dishwasher and sink which has no upper cabinets so that's where I keep the coffee pot.

I was contemplating having my cabinets deliberately lower during this remodel but couldn't do it because of symmetry issues - but other than that I would have done so. I would consider this to be a serendipitous event :-)