WSJ article re depth of upper kitchen cabs.

[Patrick McCarthy]

The Sat/Sun edition of the Wall Street Journal has an article re the "new trend" in upper kitchen cabinets. Author says more people ar opting for 14-16 inch depth and now 21 inch space above counter top rather than the old standard of 18".

The suggested rationale is that a lot of our dishes have gotten larger ( i noticed this with the old diswasher vs new one), so the interior depth of 11" wasn't sufficient. 21" above counter due to the added bulk.

Since i am planning on tearing apart my kitchen next, I am curious as to your thoughts/experiences/etc.

Thank you in advance, patrick

[Phil Thien]

I'm sorry, but that is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of.

First, most (99.99%) of upper cabinets are the standard 12" deep. How long do you think they will continue to manufacture these larger dishes knowing that about 99.99% of those that purchase them bring them back to the store "because they don't fit in the cabinets?"

Second, 14-16" is 2-4" larger. How much larger are the plates anyhow? My plates are pretty large (11", I just checked), who needs a plate larger than that?

Who is behind this large plate nonsense, big agri? Are they trying to get us to eat more food?

I just think it is a terrible idea all around. In five years, nobody is going to be using giant plates.

I'm declaring it a fad.

[Paul Wunder]

Phil, why don't you just tell us what is on your mind. No cause to be shy.

[Peter Kelly]

I think stacks of heavy plates in upper cabinets isn't really all that ideal for storage. Blum and Hafele have some nice drawer organizer systems for crockery that really work a lot better for this.

Wouldn't 16" deep upper cabinets block the view of the countertop?

[Richard McComas]

Now I'm embarrassed that I follow fads. My standard up kitchen is 14 1/2'' plus the door. With 3/4 backs it gives me 13'' inside. Nobody ever complained and in fact seems to really like it. I've been doing it that way for a long time now. I explain the extra cost in materials. So far no one turned the option down. I don't get hung up on the height about the counter. Mine range form 18 to 20".

[John A langley]

For a long time now I've been ripping my plywood for my upper cabinets 11-3/4 with a 1/4 back and a 3/4 face frame. It gives me a 11-3/4 interior and a 12-3/4 exterior. It does not cost me any more in material and the ladies love the deeper cabinet. I aim for 17 to 18 inches between countertops and the bottom of upper cabinets. I think that 20" might be getting a little high for some people.

[Julie Moriarty]

Are they trying to get us to eat more food?

We're already doing that...

There's nothing like trends to get people to spend money. When first time buyers are insisting on granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, real wood flooring... in the kitchen of a $150K house, there's a problem, with reality.

[Mark W Pugh]

I personally do not see anything wrong with a wider upper cabinet. With all the stuff my better half throws up there, we need a little extra space. We always go for the wider paper plates!!!

[peter gagliardi]

Absolutely nothing wrong with extra storage! I have been making extra deep upper cabinets for about the last 10-12 years, along with base cabs 2" taller, and sometimes deeper as well. That's why they call them custom- duh! There is no, I repeat no reason to be pigeonholed into stock sizes especially if they don't fit your needs, stature, or lifestyle. I don't know anyone who puts in 30 or 32" tall vanities in baths anymore, why? Because they just don't work for us any more- been doing that for at least 25 years as well. It's your house, have what you like and need.
Peter

[johnny means]

In general, Grandma's kitchen doesn't work for the modern consumer. Their are lots of things becoming standard in todays kitchens that may have seemed unnecessary or silly in the 1960s. I'm pretty sure double vanities and walk-in closets weren't standard 30 years ago. Remember when a master bathroom wasn't the size of a small bedroom. IMO, 12" deep uppers have been inadequate for a lot of uses, including my plates, for a long time now. Consumers want products to improve over time and I see no reason why more spacious cabinets wouldn't become the standard.

[Patrick McCarthy]

[QUOTE= We always go for the wider paper plates!!![/QUOTE]

Mark, very funny.

[Phil Thien]

There's nothing like trends to get people to spend money.

Exactly right.

Dr. Seuss himself covered this topic in the Sneetches story.

See, some of the Sneetches had stars on their bellies ("stars upon thars"). Other Sneetches did not have stars.

Now, the Sneetches with stars walked around acting all superior and stuff. One day a fellow named McBean shows up with a star machine, and charges star-less Sneetches money to get a star on their belly. Pretty soon, all the Sneetches are the same, they all have stars.

Of course, the Sneetches that had original stars did not like the new equality. And McBean had a solution. He had a machine that could remove a star. So he charges those Sneetches to have their stars removed, and they could once again walk around acting all superior.

Of course, this goes on and on, with McBean getting rich.

See my point? This is EXACTLY what is happening now. Pretty soon, the new fad will be square plates. An 11" square plate has almost the exact same area as a 12" round plate. And the cooking show hosts will say things like "well of course everyone should use square plates. If you have large round plates and cabinets to accommodate them, we encourage you to have all that replaced with square plates and cabinets that will accommodate them and nothing more."

If you guys haven't read the Sneetches story, you really should. It covers everything you need to know about kitchens.

[Mark W Pugh]

..... I don't know anyone who puts in 30 or 32" tall vanities in baths anymore......
Peter

I built one for my mom. People should consider higher vanities standard. Why bend over darn near 90 deg to brush you're teeth?

[Richard McComas]

Spending money is a good thing. It keeps helps keep the economy going. If no one spends money there is no economy and McBean can't provide any jobs. I think I'll stick to what customers want.

[Phil Thien]

Spending money is a good thing. It keeps helps keep the economy going. If no one spends money there is no economy and McBean can't provide any jobs. I think I'll stick to what customers want.

That is obviously the right approach.

But I have a question: What percentage of prospects ask for deeper cabinets without any prompting from you?