Key Measurements for Your Kitchen Renovation: Essential Guide

If I had a dollar for every time I googled something like ‘how much space between island and cabinets,’ I probably wouldn’t have had to spend nine months busting my ass to DIY my own kitchen, but now I’m here to pay it forward and give a rundown of the key measurements for your kitchen renovation.

Obviously, there will be specifics in every different room that may require slightly different numbers, but I thought a lot about these details so here’s a jumping off point to maybe quell at least one of the 9,389 questions you’ll need to answer before your kitchen renovation is done.

Cabinets to Island

While this will depend a little on the width of the room and the space on the other side of the island, most renovation experts say at least 36 inches is needed to stand and work comfortably at the countertop, and still be able to open and close drawers/doors.

We went a little wider than this and did 41 inches which we’ve found is enough space for one person to be chopping veggies at the island while someone else walks behind without having to do the awkward shuffle (though it is fun to yell BEHIND like we’re chefs in The Bear).

It’s also enough space to have the dishwasher open to unload while also opening drawers in the island to put stuff away, which was a huge pet peeve in our skanky old kitchen where I had to take stuff out of the dishwasher, close the door, then put stuff in the upper cabinets, then open the dishwasher again.

Countertop to Lighting Distance

Again, a little bit dependent on the use, but for our pendant light over the island, we opted for a 30-inch space between the bottom of the shade to the countertop.

This gives a bright enough light to be considered task lighting when you’re working in the kitchen, but is still enough space that it doesn’t block the view of anyone standing in the kitchen and looking out or vice versa.

Note: Our ceilings are 8-feet tall so a shorter distance here made sense, but if your ceilings are closer to 9- or 10-feet tall, stretch that gap to 36 inches.

Countertop to Upper Cabinet Distance

A general rule of thumb here is 18 inches, though again we stretch it a tiny bit and did 21 inches.

Our reasoning here is that cabinets that don’t stretch to the ceilings is a huge pet peeve of mine and knowing we wanted to find a way to extend them (a how-to of that process is here), I wanted to shorten that gap as much as was reasonable. The slightly bigger space underneath the upper cabinet also gives more breathing room to our appliances like the toaster and the Keurig which we knew would be put in that area as a little appliance nook.

Open Shelving Height

Generally, I’d follow the same “rule” as the upper cabinets, but because our DIY open shelf had a peg rail and I knew I’d be hanging things like cutting boards off the shaker pegs, I went a little taller with the shelf to account for that.

Our shelf is 25 inches higher than the countertop, which is still a comfortable distance for me to reach to put the plates and dishes up there away (and I’m a very average 5’5” for reference).

I will note, though, that in previous houses when we’ve done two shelves, we’ve done the first at about 18 inches from the countertop and the second roughly 10 inches above that (which is a good distance to be able to fit some upright cookbooks/decor).

Apron Sink Width

A dinky sink is not the vibe, and I hate the look of dishes piled up in a sink so naturally, instead of actually washing them and putting them away in a timely manner, we got a bigger sink.

Our apron sink is 30 inches wide and it makes such a difference. It’s so nice to be able to wash a whole casserole dish or frying pan in there, and it fit both our toddlers in there for a bath in the brief period our bathroom was out of commission.

Obviously this is personal preference, but if you’re tearing up a kitchen anyway, you might as well consider the little luxuries!

Island Width

This is another one that comes down to personal preference, but I’m adding it in as a reference point. I sometimes feel like I look at influencers’ kitchens or the ones in Better Homes & Gardens and have no real concept of how big of a space we’re talking about, so sometimes it’s helpful.

Our island is 67 inches wide and 41 inches deep. It’s made up of three cabinets side-by-side, so the depth of the base is actually more like 26 inches, but the countertop lips over that extra amount to account for stools to go underneath.

Oh, and an extra measurement is that island seating (for an average-height person) requires at least 15 inches, but I’d go more if you’re a family of NBA players.

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