Styled Kitchen Countertop Discovery
I decided to add some white flowers to the kitchen this week to make things feel fresh and alive again. With Christmas things stashed away, snow on the ground, and dark dreary days I was in the mood for a pick me up bouquet.
While placing the flowers on the counter I thought to myself, there should be more room between the upper cupboards and the countertop; in no way should the flower arrangement look squished. Then it occurred to me every time I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer it bumps the upper cupboards and I have to move it to the island. Also the George Foreman Grill won’t fully open.
This had me thinking and I just couldn’t leave it alone so I went to my computer and had to Google how high the upper cupboards should be from the countertop. Well so the mystery is solved, I now know why small appliances don’t fit properly on my countertops; the uppers are 4” lower than they should be.
I knew hubby wouldn’t have made a mistake like that when putting them up so the only answer I could come up with was we measured and put the upper cabinets on the wall before the concrete countertops were in place and guess what the countertops are 4 inches thick. That has to be where the discrepancy is.
So I look at hubby and ask if I empty the cupboards will up raise them up 4 inches? Yes he gives me that look like I’m crazy but said he will do it. It means I will lose the crown molding around the top but I’d rather have the height difference between the two spaces instead of decorative molding.
Another discovery I made was under cabinet lighting. I had forgot it was even there until I started measuring things. Apparently I’ve never used it, I had no idea I even had it. With the cabinets so low I couldn’t see it but I certainly will be using it now.
Luckily my cupboards are very neat and organized so it won’t take me long to unload and reload them. Hopefully hubby will have time to do it this week for me. I also decided since he has to move the microwave, now is the time to get that new one so he doesn’t have to take the darn thing down more times than need be.
I can’t believe I’ve lived in this house for nearly 6 years and am just now discovering this.
Good morning! Our cabinets are set at the correct height and every appliance fits nicely underneath them except for the smoothie blender. It’s the Ninja brand. I have to keep it pulled out closer to the middle or front of the counter. Sort of bugs me. We have under cabinet lighting and use it all the time… don’t think I could function in the kitchen without it. My husband has plans to add different lights though… I think he just needs another project to keep busy. LOL Always up to something. xo
Diane our lights are motion controlled and I guess I never put batteries in them, lol. I keep all my appliances in the pantry so I never noticed if they fit. I have outlets in their so I just use the appliance in its place most of the time. You’re right it’s always something. I have a new tv stand that’s been riding around in my jeep for two weeks that needs to be brought into the house and assembled but I can only conquer one task at a time. It’s been so cold here I hate to tackle lugging it into the house.
Isn’t it funny how things will be discovered down the road after years of putting up with the problem. I’m glad you figured it out and he is willing to fix it.
Kim I can’t wait for the change I bet I’ll notice a big difference in the 4 inches of space.
I totally get why you would want to raise your cabinets but here’s something to think about. When we first moved to this house, the kitchen was very old with the original cabinets. They were lower than what is traditional now, but everything was so easy to reach and I really liked that although some taller items didn’t fit on the countertop. I didn’t even think about it when we remodeled our kitchen and I love how it turned out but the cabinets aren’t quite as accessible as the old ones were. I guess it’s kind of a trade off. Just some food for thought – ha ha!
JoAnne Im 5’7″ and still have to get the stool out to reach my top shelf in the uppers so I guess I will still be needing it, lol and Im not short by any means.
Many times it takes me awhile to have that AHA moment too. Then wonder why it took me so long. I am with you on it being too cold to be outdoors even though there is stuff you need to do. The cold just drives me inside. I have been cleaning out my studio cottage and had to lug stuff to the garage in the rain. Even though the temp is warmer than when it is snowing, the dampness chills you through.
Pam it’s so cold here no matter what you do you can’t get warm. I hate to even go out to burn the garbage or start my vehicle.
It amaze me when we make a change that we lived with things the way they were for so long.
I’m excited to see how you style everything with those 4 extra inches.
Carol I had no idea the cabinets were so low. Sure hope hubby gets them done this week. Im not going to unload them till hes ready though, I don’t want a mess everywhere for days.
Wonderful hubby 🙂
Linda I agree 🙂
Dawn, I had a similar problem with my top cupboards. When we had a new kitchen installed 8 years ago, they added a 4 inch trim at the bottom of the cabinets, so that I would have to tip my Cuisinart to get it under the trim.
When, we had the new kitchen installed, I had a harvest table made for my kitchen that was 9 feet long with 10 chairs. Every time I made a table cloth for it , it would always be too long. It was not until I had had the table for 2 years that I finally had enough and measured my table. That is when I realized they had only made my table 8 feet long. It was then too late to go after the company…lesson learned!…why do we wait !!
Cheryl sounds like we have similar situation. Im not sure why we wait so long to figure out what’s going on, lol but Im glad I got to the bottom of it.
Hi Dawn, how many inches between the cabinet and counter is the ideal? We have old cabinets. I hope your husband can raise the cabinets this week. Please show us the difference when you can.
keep warm, Kathleen in Az
Kathleen there should be 18″ and ours are almost 15″. I will definitely show a before and after shot.