While 18" has been the standard for many years, I've seen many people on here increasing the space to 20-22 inches. I think it started because there are so many more types of countertop appliances than there used to be (Mr. Coffee coffee maker/toaster/standard blender vs. higher end espresso machines/air fryers/blenders that perform many functions/food processors/etc.) and they are all taller than the older appliances. It would be nice to have more room if you leave appliances on your counter (I don't leave mine out - except for my SO's very nice espresso machine).

Also, for people who use a slab backsplash, it allows more the the slab to be seen (increasing the space is especially nice if a slab with veining/dramatic movement is installed).

The downside is if a person who uses the kitchen isn't very tall - it makes it difficult to reach some of the shelves in cabinets (plus, cabinet heights have also increased making it more difficult to reach items stored at the top even when using an 18" height backsplash).

my mother was petite and designed her kitchen with lower base cabinets, and of course the uppers were also lower. At 5’5”, I always appreciated the convenient level!

@bpath - Our house also has lower cabinets less than 18”. The previous owner and I are around 5’2” and I’m sure she did this deliberately - which I’m grateful for.

Thanks Dani, good considerations! We’ll only have an espresso machine out, but we’re doing a nice marble slab. We had 18” in our previous kitchen, and I always wished they were slightly taller.

As long as you have enough easily reached storage, like plenty of drawers and a pantry, then higher upper should work ok.

Look at all the dimensions for your upper cabinets. Bottom of my light rail is at 18", but inside the first shelf is at 21" and I can still reach everything on my second shelf and some items on a third shelf by stretching and using fingertips. I am 5'3". If I raised everything by 4", I would probably have a hard time reaching many items on the second shelves.

I have lots of drawers in my large U-shaped kitchen and a 5' x 7' walk-in pantry, so only being able to use the 2 lower shelves for everyday items works fine. We store rarely used items in the upper shelves and I keep a 3-step folding ladder in the pantry for when I need to get those items down.

Thanks Chispa. Apparently 24” is standard in many countries.

Probably because the kitchens in many other countries are smaller than US kitchens and raising the upper cabinets makes the limited counter space more usable and makes the kitchen feel bigger or more open.