Kitchen dimensions: the standard heights and depths
A kitchen’s dimensions come down to a few numbers everything else is calculated from. Below are the ones we start from, and where we depart from them.
The worktop: 900 mm
The standard height of the worktop is 900 mm from the floor. At that height a person of average build has their elbows a little above the surface, and the back does not lean forward while chopping.
We also build it differently: from 850 to 950 mm. Changing the height is worth it when one person does most of the cooking and is noticeably taller or shorter than average. At the measuring visit this takes a minute to settle — step up to any surface and rest your palms on it.
Between the worktop and the wall cabinets: 500–700 mm
From the worktop to the bottom edge of the wall cabinets is 500 to 700 mm. Below 500 it is tight for your hands and for a pan; above 700 the top shelf is out of reach without a stool.
That gap is where the task lighting lives. We set the strip 20 mm from the back wall of the cabinet, 10 to 12 W per metre, colour temperature 4000 K — a neutral white, under which meat on the board looks the same as it does in daylight.
Depth: 570 below, 370 above
The base cabinets are 570 mm deep, the wall cabinets 370 mm. The difference is not arbitrary: above the working area you need room to lean towards the hob without meeting the cabinet with your head.
The worktop we make from 600 to 900 mm deep. People go past 600 when services run behind the surface, or when its edge doubles as a bar counter. A non-standard depth we take up to 1000 mm.
The upper row we take up to the ceiling, leaving 30 mm. That gap is what lets a cabinet go in under an uneven ceiling without being cut to fit on site.
The plinth: 90–120 mm, adjustable
The plinth is 90 to 120 mm high, and it adjusts. In a standard flat the floor is rarely level: each foot is wound out to its own height, the worktop comes out true, and the plinth covers the difference.
The niches for the appliances
Niche sizes follow the European norms. Oven — 560 × 550 × 590 mm. Microwave — 560 × 550 × 390 mm. Dishwasher 45 cm — 450 × 550 × 815 mm, the same at 60 cm — 600 × 550 × 815 mm. The fridge we count separately: for built-in models the manufacturer sets the niche.
That is why we draw the working project once every appliance model is known. The order runs like this: the chosen appliances first, then the drawing, with the niches already in place.
Send us your measurements
The numbers above are a starting point, not a verdict: a kitchen goes into a particular room, with its own window, door and pipe in the corner. Send us the dimensions of the room — the sketch and a preliminary estimate follow the next day, and the exact measurements we take on site.