Is this an older home? 11 inches seems very low.

The last 4 or 5 houses we've lived in have all had the standard 18" clearance from counter top to underside of uppers. My 32 year old KA 4.5 qt. mixer is around 16" tall and clearance has never been an issue.

Standard height between the counter top and the bottom of the wall cabinets is 18". Most small appliances take this into consideration.

Our kitchen was completely replaced 4 years ago in a 40 yr old house. We do have LED strip lighting as task lighting under the upper cabinets and a narrow 2 1/2 inch valence to hide them. Our clearance is 15 inches from the valence.

11 inches! that's your countertop clearance? Most homes in the last 40 years, and more, average 16-20". mine is about 17 or so, and I wish it was a tad higher.

So, countertop appliances aren't too tall, your clearance is too short.

IMO the 18” spacing was for when women were very short I almost always do 22” spacing in kitchens I design. I agree your spacing is very odd .

Women were taller in the past--they wear heels in all the old ads!

(22" is nuts!)

I wanted 20", but then our uppers ended up being an inch too short, so I have 21" of clearance! I'm tall, so it works for me, and I'm not really thinking about resale....

Coffee markers ARE too tall. That needs to change, and it can be done with a little common-sense engineering. No kitchen design should have to cater to the whims of a small appliance that has grown too big for its britches. I have 18" or 19" of clearance between the counter tops and upper cabs of my new home. I'm tall, but I can barely reach the top shelf, so I certainly don't want to see the cabs set any higher. Most coffee makers are about 14" tall. Yes, there is ample clearance to fit a 14" coffee maker beneath my upper cabinet. However, most models require at least another 4" of clearance in order to open the lid(s) and load the water reservoir and coffee basket. Without that clearance, it's necessary to pull the uppity thing out in front of the upper cabinet, load it up, and then push it back into place. One maker (Bonita) has engineered a reservoir and a coffee basket to slide out rather than up, which shows what a company can do with a little out-of-the box thinking and some consideration for its customers. So easy to load and use. Makes good coffee too. Just wish it had a better "thermal" carafe (one that actually keeps coffee hot).