Kitchen Counter Goes to New Heights | Mt Kisco Real Estate
Traditional counter heights are useful. They allow us to enter any kitchen and, even with our eyes closed, find the counter where we expect it to be. Despite this significant convenience, industry standard counter heights don’t work for everybody, because there’s no such thing as industry-standard human beings.
You don’t have to stand for the one-size-fits-all mentality. I spoke with numerous designers who are bucking the norm to offer clients custom features that won't hurt (and might actually help) resale value.
You don’t have to stand for the one-size-fits-all mentality. I spoke with numerous designers who are bucking the norm to offer clients custom features that won't hurt (and might actually help) resale value.
The benefits of multiheight kitchen counters. Do you feel overexerted every time you prepare a meal? Architect and universal design expert Carol Sundstrom explains why this might be. “If you are short, reaching up and extending forward to chop on a standard-height countertop contributes to shoulder strain,” she notes. “If you are tall and constantly bending forward to see the food you're prepping better, or extending your arms fully to reach a countertop that is too low for you, that contributes to both back and shoulder strain.”
Having multiple counter heights is a great solution for multiple users. “I prefer to see more than one height of countertop in a kitchen, rather than all the counters raised up because the owners are tall, or all the counters lowered because the owners are petite,” Sundstrom continues. “Aside from making friends and family who may not share your same proportions feel comfortable when they are helping you, you also preserve your resale value.”
Having multiple counter heights is a great solution for multiple users. “I prefer to see more than one height of countertop in a kitchen, rather than all the counters raised up because the owners are tall, or all the counters lowered because the owners are petite,” Sundstrom continues. “Aside from making friends and family who may not share your same proportions feel comfortable when they are helping you, you also preserve your resale value.”
A good height. Though there is no industry standard to such custom features, Sundstrom suggests raising and lowering counter heights in 2-inch increments when mocking up a kitchen, then fine-tuning them.
Features that can be stepped up or down in a kitchen. Eat-at counters offer great benefits, as this one by Yvonne Randolph shows. The 12-foot island was divided in half to form a table-height eat-at counter. "The clients, who are in their 60s and entertain a lot, didn't want the clunky effect of sitting at bar stools," Randolph says. "They have a deaf son and daughter-in-law, so they decided to round the edge. It's much easier to sign around a table without corners."
You don’t need to communicate through sign language to appreciate such a feature.
You don’t need to communicate through sign language to appreciate such a feature.
Counters that work for every preference and body. This kitchen, designed by Toni Sabatino, offers a lowered sink area, the height of which is 31½ inches, as opposed to the standard 34½ inches. The motive was purely aesthetic. “We chose to make the copper sink the focal point and felt the break in the counter would draw the eye.”
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