Kitchen base cabinet drawer sizing

[Robert Reece]

Hi folks.

New to Sawmillcreek here, looks like a great place.

I have drawn up the kitchen I am going to undertake and I am using almost exclusively drawers in my base cabinets. Is there a rule of thumb about how to size the vertical dimensions of each drawer front panel so the base looks good? I have some bases with 4 drawers and some with 3.

I was considering inset drawer fronts, but then I have to give up 2" on the top and bottom for a face frame. I might try to eliminate that so I can have that extra 4".

With a regular height cabinet, that leaves about 30" for the drawers. So for example, if I wanted 3 drawers in that space would 6", 12", and 12" look good? And if I wanted 4 drawers, would 6,8,8,8 look good? Or would 6,7,8,9 look better?

I realize I need to make sure what I want to store there fits and I can handle that. I'm trying to nail down how it looks and what is typical. If I can slide an inch here or there to get a better look, that would be great to know.

I have a sketchup if anybody wants to see that.

Thanks -Rob

[Jim Becker]

I did something akin to 6", 12" and 12" in my kitchen...you can see one on the left side of this picture. There is an identical one just to the right of the sink area. I love drawers instead of open cabinets!

http://sawsndust.com/images/kitchen-remodel/kr-tile-2-280.jpg

These have been perfect for our needs. And everything is face frame and inset. My top rail, however, is only 1 1/4".

[Robert Reece]

Jim-

Thanks for the reply and I really like your kitchen. I think I am basically settling on your drawer proportions. How do you like that apron front sink? Did you order that online or find it locally?

Rob

[glenn bradley]

This (http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/drawsizer_hambridge.htm) works well for aesthetics. As for usability, you'll have to make some adjustments. Here's an example of the output:

WoodBin Drawer Sizer

Method: Hambridge Proportioning
Use Case 1: Drawer heights computed from width and number of drawers


http://www.woodbin.com/images_drw/ham1w18h30nd3sp7inc0rt0uin.png Height (computed): 19 5/8 in
Width (input): 18 in
No. drawers: 3
Drawer spacing: 3/4 in

Total material: 2.2 sq ft
DrawerHeight (in)14 7/825 3/437 1/2

[David Giles]

Just finishing up the kitchen (tile backsplash going in today) and used all drawers on the lowers except for the sink and corner cabs. Bottom opening was 11.25, middle was 9, and upper was 5.25. Toekick space was 3.5", each faceframe rail was 1.5" except for the top rail at 1.75" wide. This gave an 35.25" overall cabinet height (31" high sides). A 3/4" thick top with a 1.5" lip was set directly on the case sides. This gave a little more drawer space, but it made leveling the cabinets more critical. 1/2" spacing between drawer fronts all around.

Love the "all drawer" look. Wish I'd ditched the angled corner cabinets and made drawers there as well.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the reply and I really like your kitchen. I think I am basically settling on your drawer proportions. How do you like that apron front sink? Did you order that online or find it locally?

Thank you. There are some drawings here (http://sawsndust.com/p_kitchen.htm) that will give you a closer idea about how the kitchen was designed. Scroll down that page to see them.

The SS farm sink is an Elkay product. I did happen to buy it online, but this was back in 2003. That vendor is no longer in business. But...there are a lot more folks selling this stuff online these days. Google is your friend... ;)

[Larry James]

This (http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/drawsizer_hambridge.htm) works well for aesthetics. As for usability, you'll have to make some adjustments. ...........



Thanks for the Wood Bin link Glenn. I'm trying to come up with ideas for remodeling our kitchen and adding cabinets to the dining room, and the drawer sizer is very helpful in visualizing various combinations. Also, easy to use graphic as a SketchUp component.

Larry