Stove Wall

The 30" wide stove is drawn in the center of the wall. This is a focal point of the kitchen and will have a hood that can be designed as a feature. There is 54" on each side of the stove. This is divided into 3-18" door segments on each side. Three separate 18" cabinets could be used, but instead a 36" double door cabinet is drawn next to an 18" cabinet with a drawer stack (a single 36" cabinet will be less expensive than two 18" cabinets). If the actual dimensions of the room cause the 54" to be slightly larger (say 55"), a 1" filler piece can be installed. It is always best to use stock width cabinets in multiples of 3". Also remember to use cabinets that have 15" to 21" doors if possible because other sizes will be too narrow or too wide.

Sink Wall

The sink should be located at a window if possible. A 36" base cabinet is chosen for the sink because it will have a pair of 18" wide doors and most sinks will fit in this size. The 24" wide dishwasher is then drawn to the left of the sink. The corner cabinet is then chosen as 36" wide which means that it will have a 12" wide door. This is not ideal because the space in the corner will be hard to reach. If there was more space, either a 42" wide corner cabinet with an 18" door, or a 36" by 36" corner cabinet with turntable would be used. To the right of the sink, an 18" cabinet ends the cabinets. This could also have a drawer stack.

Refrigerator Wall

The refrigerator is a double door, 36" wide model. First a 42" wide corner cabinet is selected so that it will have an 18" wide door. Then the refrigerator is centered in the remaining space with an 18" cabinet on each side. All three cabinet doors on this side will now be 18" wide.

In general 18" wide doors have been used where possible in this plan for consistency. This may not always be possible and is not necessary. But, it is a good idea to plan some consistency when choosing door and cabinet widths.

Sizing Upper Cabinets

The next step is to select the upper cabinet sizes. A plan of the upper cabinets needs to be drawn directly on the base cabinet drawing. In the example below, the lower cabinet dimensions are omitted to clarify the upper cabinet layout and dimensions. All upper cabinets are 12" deep. The same 18" door width is used where possible. 12" by 24" cabinets are used in the corners in order to line up the 18" doors above with the doors in the lower cabinets. Alternatively, the corner cabinets could be 24" by 24" with a diagonal front.

It is more important to try to match widths of upper cabinet doors as much as possible than to match with door widths below (ie. avoid a 15" door next to an 18" door that is then next to a 21" door). Lining up the upper doors with the lower doors is not necessary but it can give the kitchen a sense of logic and order. No cabinets are located above the stove to allow for a featured hood, and no cabinets are located above the sink to allow a clear view out the window. The refrigerator has a 36" wide double door cabinet above, but it is only 15" high to allow for the height of the refrigerator.

Drawing Kitchen Elevations

The next step is to draw Elevations of each kitchen wall. In this case there are three walls. Label the elevations #1, #2, and #3 and indicate these numbers on the plan drawing with arrows pointing at the walls. The drawing below shows the Elevation of the "stove wall" as an example. Notice that the counter height is 36" and the upper cabinets are set 18" above the counter. In this example the upper cabinets are 30" tall (standard) with a 12" high gypsum soffit above. They could have run all the way to the ceiling (42" tall cabinets) but the top cabinet shelves would not be reachable and they would cost more. The soffit can be made out of wood studs covered with painted gypsum board or wood panels that match the cabinet finish.

The lower cabinets are usually made with a 4" high "kick" recess at the base. Counters are usually made with a 4" high backsplash although this can be eliminated or custom sized. The cabinet doors in this drawing are shown without any particular design since this is usually specified elsewhere. The dashed lines on the doors indicate the direction of the door swing, the point indicates the hinge side of the door.