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seosmp_gw

Cabinet depth - upper

seosmp
10 years ago

Hi,

I know standard depth for uppers is 12" I also know some people have suggested to get deeper cabinets if money allows.

My question is, is that deeper cabinet depth always 15", or does it vary? Do some people go with 14" or 16" or ???

I currently have 12" in the plan and then the corner easy reach cabinet is 15" to give some depth to the cabinetry.

I'm wondering if I upgraded to deeper cabinets, would I go with 15" and then 18", or 14" and 17"?

Is there any downside of deeper uppers (other than cost of course)? I really only have 5 uppers that I'd do this with. My other wall of cabinets I would leave as 12/15 since it's more like a hutch area (glass cabinets/shelves in the middle cabinet).

Thanks!

Comments (12)

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    Personally, I wouldn't go any deeper than 12 inches ... any deeper and I would feel very cramped trying to work on the countertops.

  • MikeJrNY
    10 years ago

    12" D uppers are standard across the board. I wouldn't go deeper than 15" if you want to go custom due to potential weight problems and the wall cabinets overpowering the space.

  • taggie
    10 years ago

    Are you saying that you want to stagger the depths on the same wall? If so, then I'd say it depends on what the overall flow is re. how deep you go on the uppers.

    We did 13" uppers over 26.5" bases on our range wall, and 16" uppers over 25.5 bases on our breakfast bar wall. Neither are any problem to work at, and the deeper cab stores lots and lots of dishes and glasses.

    If you are staggering depths of uppers alone, none of which come down to the cabs, I'd be tempted to do 14/17 or even 13/16. If some of the uppers come down to the base, or if your base cabs are particularly deep, then 15/18 would probably be best. Hard to say for sure without seeing your plan though.

  • annkh_nd
    10 years ago

    I have a friend who has 15" upper over 30" base cabs. She loves being able to leave appliances on the counter, and still having room to work.

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    We are planning on 14" uppers - just enough extra depth to accommodate the stuff that has driven me crazy over the years when I put it into an uppper cabinet because when it was put in, it was just slightly too shallow to fix that additional row.

    I don't expect that I will find them too deep - I don't lean forward that much when I'm prepping something on the counter anyway, although I am on the shorter side (5'3") so it may not be as necessary for me to lean forward as some taller people might.

  • elofgren
    10 years ago

    We're pricing inset doors and everyone automatically does 13" - so a 12" plate will still fit inside.

    Tape something to the front of your cabinet doors and see what working is like with the extra depth in front of you.

  • seosmp
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks to all for taking the time to reply!

    taggie - yes, my cooktop wall runs into the sink wall (they are perpendicular) -- I was going to do that corner cabinet at 15", so it juts out a few inches from the adjacent 12" wall cabinets on the cooktop wall and sink wall --- this would be for looks only - to add some depth to the cabinetry.

    elofgren -- well I taped a ziploc box to the cabinet!! Not an issue at all! Thanks for the suggestion!

    Now, I'm thinking maybe I'll do all 15" cabinets, including that corner (as currently planned) and then maybe do frosted glass in the 30" cabinets that are on each side of the hood (stainless, not cabinetry). I'm just looking for some good design ideas to make it look good. I'll have a big 60" counter height bumped out window along the sink wall, so I'm thinking that's enough interest along that wall (i.e. no need for glass doors).

    I'm flying by the seat of my pants, if it's not obvious.... my cabinetmaker has got to be thinking I'm crazy! :)

  • gwlolo
    10 years ago

    Please take into consideration your base cabinet depth as well. I have 30in base and 18in uppers. Works or me as the delta or the clearance is still 12 in.

  • oldbat2be
    10 years ago

    Ditto GWLolo. Love the 30" countertops and deep uppers. Recently, DG re-engineered an upper cabinet for vertical storage for my 3 large serving bowls.

    These bowls (not the 18" cabinet):

    Now they fit very nicely in here:

  • michele0901
    10 years ago

    Oldbat2be - I love all your Penzey's spices. What is the spice rack you have?

  • elofgren
    10 years ago

    I ordered a NXR range today and was looking through the installation manual. They specify a maximum of 13" deep upper cabinets. It's not real clear if they're talking about above or next to the range. Anyway, you may need to consider other things (range hoods, built-in microwaves) and also clearance requirements for your particular stove.

  • oldbat2be
    10 years ago

    Thanks michele0901. My oh-so-handy DH made them :)