That would be correct. For example, Kraftmade makes their bathroom cabinets 33 inches high, add 1-2 inches for the counter and your at 35. Some taller people are switching to kitchen cabinet height cabinets so if we had done that with the cabinets we bought, they would have been 34 inches before counters, 36 after. I'm short so that was not even a consideration for us! HA! We went with 32 inch cabinets, add the granite and they will still be 34 inches high. I didn't think 2 inches would make that much difference but it really did!

Thank you, lukkiirish. I am thinking a finished height of 34" is just right. My cabinetmaker will do anything we ask (it's just money, right?!?) What did you do in the kitchen? I am thinking 36" for main counters, with the island at 33".

Your welcome! Our kitchen counters are 34, but when you add the additional 2 inches for the granite it comes to 36. I think that's an interesting approach to have the island sit at a different height. Have you gotten feedback about it in the kitchen forum? The reason I ask is because if you're going to have a sink or any other appliance like a micro cabinet the additional height may be more helpful to have. Even with storage because you'll be cutting of drawer or cabinet height. Know what I mean?

The standard FINISHED height for kitchen countertops is 36". For bathrooms it is 34". Nothing is mandatory, of course, but those are the standards that are normally used.

For bathrooms I would very much recommend using the standard height of 34", as you will have tall people and short people and kids and I don't know what all using them over their lifetime. Also, you are not normally in those rooms that long a time, or at least not normally hunched over the countertops for extended lengths of times. The kitchen is another story.

In years past the wife did all the cooking, but that is no longer the case. Now a fair number of men are getting into the kitchen, so when my six foot frame works alongside my wife's five foot two, it can cause a problem. IF the layout of your kitchen will permit it, it sometimes makes sense to have a particular countertop at a lower height. Those with the room for a kitchen island may elect to have it at a 34" or 33" finished height. Really, it just depends on whether yours is a two-person kitchen.

Ours is so small that, even though we often cook together, it is very much a one-person kitchen, as there just is not the luxury of enough space to permit dedicated working spaces. For that type of kitchen, I would recommend simply staying with the standard 36". But those with the space for it may well discover that two countertop heights is the most brilliant idea in their new kitchen!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet & Furniture Trends & Information