I would go all 24" drawers.

any particular reason why?

two 24" wide drawers (two columns, 6 total drawers)

Rather than 3 drawers of the same size, would consider configurations like these, since you are planning them for utensils. My top drawer on all my base cabs is less deep and wish I had more of them.

It depends on how you use your kitchen. For me, two 24" drawer stacks is far more effective storage than two 18" drawer stacks. And a 12" cabinet is virtually useless.

You *could* use it for cookie sheets, if you don't already have those planned for. (Mine are stored near my baking center, which I find more efficient.) You could also make it a pullout (which would be better than a cabinet), but, again, what would you store there? Cooking oils and spices are common, but they lose their effectiveness when exposed to heat, which they likely would be.

But, here's my disclaimer: I do have a 12" cabinet next to my range, because that's the space I had between the rangetop and one of my dishwashers after I centered it. (For me, if it's a tie between function and form, form wins. I had plenty of storage, and it was more important that the hood was centered.) It's actually a drawer stack of two 12x15 drawers, and they are empty, because I don't need the storage for anything. Most people don't have that luxury, though, and need to utilize every bit of their kitchen.

Think it through, think about your storage needs, and where you plan to keep everything. And then decide.

do a 15 in stack and 33 in stack....[15 can be rollout pantry] or 18 and 30. Drawers below the counter with the good rails, glides are easy to open and 30 or 33 is not too big.You'll easily divide within the drawer ,making sections...but you'll be surprised how easy it is to fill it. Silverware and utensils can go in the top drawer or two of the 15 or 18 in width. My mom had 36 in stacks....….they were wonderful...and then there was a 15 inch stack or two. More importantly: get with where you want a 4 drawer stack...or if 3 drawer stack-the shallow top drawer and two deeper drawers below perhaps....designate all this. I would also, at least, change [24 and 24] to [21 and 27] because same dimensions does not help mental recognition of where items were placed...too many all the same width...you forget.But of your two sketches, with no changes, I would pick the right one....w one tweak: put the 12 inch piece between the 18 in stacks

Thanks for everyone's input, so far!

Here's a rendering of the space we're dealing with, if it helps at all. The top drawers have a hidden drawer inside so we do use up some of that space.

Now we're considering changing up the stacks or changing the widths...

which one?

the left one but if you think at all you want a top shallow draw, put it in.

I would do 18" and 30", it would balance out the large ones on the right side.

Take an inventory of your stuff amd measure your stuff.

If you don’t have a place to store oils or baking sheets/cutting boards, use a 12” cabinet for that.

Spices are good in a top drawer 18-24” wide depending on how many you have.

Pots and pans need a bigger cabinet.

Personally, I don’t like the look of two different sizes of the same type of cabinet next to each ither (for ex, an 18” drawer stack next to a 24” drawer stack).

I agree with previous comments about how it depends on whether you want a narrow pullout for oils, but generally a 12" cabinet is annoyingly nonfunctional.

Definitely consider varying the depth of your drawers. Utensils only need a shallow (5") top drawer.

I faced a similar decision on both sides of my range, and I did all drawers in the widest possible dimensions (33"). I would do the same again.

My absolutely favorite cabinet in my kitchen is the very skinny one (9") with the door AND one drawer next to the range.

So if that 12" cabinet can have a drawer as well, and if it can be RIGHT next to the range, that's the configuration I'd go for. (or, 12" plus 36")

Mine are frameless.

My favorite cabinet is only 9", and people told me it wouldn't be useful. Ha!

In the bottom, I took out the shelf, and I stand the sheet-pan-shaped things there:

-the broiler pan

-the rimmed baking sheet I use for Tater Tots, etc. (but never for baked goods*

-the pizza stone

-the cast-iron griddle

-the round metal pizza pans (*I have to be gluten free, so can't use the stone)

-another water-broiler pan I have

(I actually keep my cookie-baking sheets elsewhere, mostly because that cabinet IS only 9" wide. That cabinet ONLY holds cooking things. Also no trays, no cutting boards, etc. They go elsewhere. This is for the stove. Also, when I'm making cookies, etc., I'm actually working on the other end of the kitchen where the mixer is, so it's more efficient to put those things over the fridge, standing on edge, w/ dividers.)

I find that when you're standing things on edge (or on end), you DON'T want much extra space; you don't want them to lean if you can avoid it. It's sort of like books--you pack the books together very tightly, and it's easy to slide them out. I have wiggle room, bcs the baking sheet has a rim, so I have to be able to maneuver past it, but I don't worry about it being pretty full--that's a feature, not a bug, actually.

And since the cabinet is narrow, i don't have a divider.

Those things stand on end, and they don't reach all the way to the top--so I think having a door that goes all the way up is going to waste the top 1/4 of the cabinet. That's why the drawer is the best bet there.

(they also don't reach all the way to the back--I stand my oversize rolling pin back there. I don't use it often, but I'll dig for it when I need it. Now that i'm gluten-free, I should probably find it a new home)

In the drawer, I put my utensils (I don't have a crock anymore, because I was tired of having to wash the slotted spoon before I could use it).

There, the 9" is a little too narrow--but mostly because we now have two sets, gluten-free and regular. Back when I didn't have to worry about the gluten-free, the skinny drawer kept me from over-filling it with utensils I wouldn't use.

I only put the utensils you use when you are cooking at the stove. So:

-tongs

-cooking spatulas

-cooking spoons (but not mixing spoons)

No rubber spatulas, no measuring cups, no spoons that I might use for stirring but not for mixing.

That way, when I need something, I don't have to dig past non-stovetop-cooking things to get to it. It's very efficient and focused.

So, based on what I love, love, love, love, love about my kitchen, that's what I'd do.

Twelve inches would be exactly right--small enough to keep me from junking up my workflow with unnecessary extra stuff, and big enough to have a little more elbow room than my 9" cabinet.

Oh--my cabinets are frameless, so the interior of a 9" frameless is more like the interior of a 12" framed. That may affect your decision as well. If you were nervous about not having enough width, I might consider 15" and then a single bank of drawers for the remaining 32 or so inches.

But for categorizing, the 12+18+18 gives you lots of "cubbies" you can use--one drawer for X, another drawer for Y, etc. Whereas a larger drawer gives you more usable space, but you have to create your own dividers/dividing scheme. And wider drawers are annoying to pull out.

If you want, i can take a picture of it for you.

Seriously, I love this cabinet. It is major, major functionality.

(I ended up with it because I had no cabinet at all near the stove, and I moved the doorway in order to get a landing space right next to the stove, somewhere to set the olive oil, the spoon rest, etc. And it turned out to be my favorite. I was left with a 9" space on the OTHER side of the door, and I put a cabinet w/ 3 drawers there; it has turned out to be surprisingly useful too! One drawer holds pot lids, the other holds insulated lunch bags, and the top drawer holds all the things that have to do with closing things for storage (bag clips, plastic lids for cat food, jar opener...), menus, and the plug-in unit for the electric griddle, the in-oven roasting thermometer, etc. All in 9" of width (frameless cabinets)!

Personally, I don’t like the look of two different sizes of the same type of cabinet next to each other (for ex, an 18” drawer stack next to a 24” drawer stack).

I actually do like some asymmetry. I like it to look sort of deliberate (like, 12+18+18, for an off-center accent; or 12+21+12 for a center focus, etc.).

Me, too - my favorite cabinets are my 12” for trays and 12” pullout for oils.

My least favorite is my widest drawer 33”). Stuff rolls around, there’s more than one type of thing in there, it’s a mess.

emilyam819, I can totally see that, that a wide drawer would be annoying. (they're annoying to pull out as well, and they sort of look as though they should have two pulls, which is a pain since most people want to use one hand to open a drawer (often bcs they have something in the other hand, esp. in a kitchen).

Ooh, what about a 12" next to the stove for trays and utensils (like mine) and then the next one is a 12" pullout for oils (just a bit further from the stove, to reduce heat damage), and then a 24" bank of drawers?

what will the drawers be used for. It is the only way to best judge what the sizes should be. I have been in friends and family kitchens where the 30-36 in stack was utilized well, very efficient as to the placement and organization and anything smaller could not have worked. Of course, other narrower stacks were present in the kitchen. If this area is not essential for your storage needs, but just a place filler, and stuff will be rolling around than you can put a bookcase or cabinet with door. Most households I know, where DRAWERS in general were the primary under counter style do get utilized, easily filled-- don't shortchange yourself by at least having some at wider dimension. Don't get the drawers if you can't possibly think they are needed and don't know what they are for.

I want to echo all the others that say "It depends!" Every one of us might configure that space differently, and it would be perfect for our own needs (not necessarily yours).

Make sure you have appropriate spaces near the range for potholders, cooking utensils, spices, oils. Nearby you need a place for pots and pans. The amount of space required depends on how many things you have in each category.

One thing that was touched on but not emphasized: drawer heights do not need to be equal, but they DO need to be adequate for your storage needs. For example, on either side of my range, I have 3-drawer stacks where the top drawer is shallow (potholders and cooking utensils), the bottom one is deep enough to store cake and pie pans on their sides, and the middle one got the space leftover. If my 2 bottom drawers had been equal height, the cake pans would not have fit.

As I was designing my new kitchen, I found that doing the inventory/measuring really helped me to clarify what kind of storage I needed, and where I needed it. 5 years later, I am still in love with the kitchen, and wouldn't change much of anything.