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leeann_may58

Urgent kitchen help!

22 days ago

im in desperate need of help here. this is the back wall of my kitchen. the uppers seem way too large and i need help trying to fix that. i also need someone to look at mg lower drawer sizes and give some help. on the lower drawer length i have 126” to work with. i dont like spice pull outs. so i did 21” and 27” drawers. cooktop is 30” electric. my kitchen company isnt guiding me enough and i need help with what would be best please!!




Comments (15)

  • PRO
    22 days ago

    The uppers are way too large. With 48 you want a 15 and a 30 with the 15 opening away from the range top so you can have spices and oils available while cooking. The wall oven cabinet needs to be pulled forward 3” so the countertop can die into the side panel versus awkwardly sticking past 1 1/2 inches. I’ve also never understood storage under an island overhang that just gets kicked all the time.

  • 22 days ago

    Too many small drawers.

    I would do three 42" drawer stacks. Make sure they are built to take the weight of pots/pans and with heavy duty hardware.

    One of those stacks should be a 4-drawer stack for maximum storage flexibility You don't have to have symmetry on either side of the range ... your island blocks most of the view anyway.

  • 22 days ago

    Agree with wider drawer stacks (especially if face frame cabinetry)

    And perhaps replace one of the smaller stacks with a vertical door or pullout for baking sheets.

  • 22 days ago

    Be sure with the double ovens and refrigerator right up against walls that you can fully open them.

    Does the door immediately to the right of the ovens swing in or out? If in, can you fully open the door without the handle hitting the ovens’ handles or glass doors?

  • 22 days ago

    yes the oven area is fine. i need help dividing up the base cabinets and uppers.


    for base i have 21, 27, 30, 27, 21.. are 21 and 27” drawers too small?


    or i can do 18, 30, 30, 30, 18?


    for uppers i was thinking one set of cabinets opening from center at 32” wide and one single door at 16”. thoughts please??

  • 22 days ago
    last modified: 22 days ago

    Have you determined what you're storing where? For example, I would measure your tallest pot and your largest skillet and make sure you have drawers with interior dimensions large enough to fit each of them. Likewise, a plan for baking sheets, etc. Maybe your lowest drawers are deeper than the middle, maybe not, but knowing what you want to store near the cooktop or ovens (pots, pans, pot holders, utensils) should help drive your planning.

    I like @chispa's advice for wider drawers; in my experience they provide more flexibility. Ditto the advice for heavy duty glides.

  • 21 days ago

    Wider drawers provide more storage overall, because less space is taken up by cabinet sides and drawer sides. Beyond 42” wide may become more difficult to open one-handed though.


    In my experience upper cabinet doors wider than 18” can be awkward because they get too close to your face when you open them.

  • 21 days ago

    I think you should find a different kitchen designer if they do not want to work with you to help you arrange your kitchen that works for you. The hood vent and the uppers over the stove should be 6" wider than the stove. Right now you have it at 30" and it should be 36". I am not sure if this is a preference or a rule of some kind but I do not like the uppers being right next to the stove. I like a bit of space before the uppers start. I have a stainless canopy vent hood and my upper cabinets are set back 12" each side from where the range is. I also do not like wall ovens or fridges immediately next to walls. I planned my kitchen with what would be in the drawers. My pot drawer is 30" but it would have been better at 36". My bowls and container drawer is 24". My linen drawer and food storage wraps drawer is 15" but 18" would have been good as well. I do not store table cloths etc in the kitchen but some people do. After all my bases were done I then did my uppers.

  • 19 days ago
    last modified: 19 days ago

    If it was me... Keep your 30" cooktop burners but make the hood over it and the cabs under it be 36". You will appreciate the space and the extra breathing room. Uppers to be 15" next to stove and opening away from it, then 30" double doors... or 16" and 32" like you said if those sizes are available to you.

    Make the lower drawers to either side 18" and 27" so 18-27-36-27-18, making at least one of the 18 inchers into a 4 stack. I believe I did the math right for inches available! I do not like drawers over 36" wide as I feel the proportions start to look gargantuan instead of attractive.

  • 19 days ago

    thank you so much for this thoughtful response! i love it!!

  • PRO
    18 days ago
    last modified: 18 days ago

    IMO the min. width for pot storgae would be 30" and I think 42 is too big. All drawers not spices or oils stored beside a range I actually like mine across from the range in the island . The styel of the drawers is where you have to understand what needs to be stored for how you cook and symmentry is not a huge deal . Kitchen cabinet sales people can only design what the software they use can do. I do Ikea kitchens often I never use the planner it has limitations. Get a good independant KD then you choose the cabinets thta work with the perfect design for you. I spend hours even sometimes days with clients to get a kitchen that works for them . Kitchens are expensive get it right the first time .

  • 17 days ago

    last question! you ladies are soooo helpful! i decided to do 36” drawers under cooktop, so do i do 30” drawer and 15” cabinets or 27” drawer and 18” drawers? i feel like i may miss thr drawers if i do 15” cabs but 15” drawers feels so small.

  • 17 days ago

    Go with WIDE drawers. You can always subdivide or partition a wide drawer, but you can't make a narrow drawer wider. You also waste space with the framing around each drawer stack.

  • PRO
    16 days ago

    The picture I showed you had a 36" set of drawers under the cooktop and then a 30" drawer & 15 " cabinet on each side. You could make those pullouts if you want:



    You could put them next to the cooktop on each side. You could also use one as a tray divider cabinet.

    I have a 27" drawer base and it's ok. I managed a configuration to really fit a lot in it. A 30" would have been so much better.

    You could also do 2 12" pullouts and have 33" drawers. I also have a 12" pullout. I have spices and jars of pasta sauce, boxes of spaghetti etc. I would have loved to have a 15" one. I currently do not have a tray divider cabinet but will definitely have one in my next kitchen.

    Lots of options depending on your needs.