How to Stagger Kitchen Cabinets

There are numerous ways when designing your kitchen to give it more dimension by making some cabinets taller and/or deeper for the base cabinets, wall cabinets and tall cabinets.

Corner Wall Cabinets

Making the corner wall cabinet taller is from the most popular options, the easiest way to accomplish that is to get a wall diagonal corner cabinet that’s 6” taller and 3” Deeper than the cabinets next to it, for example if your wall cabinets are 30”H then you would get as 36” diagonal comer cabinet (WDC2736) the 15” depth is necessary for the crown molding on the shorter cabinets to have where to return in to, see images below.

Wall Cabinets

You can make the wall cabinet 15” deep by either pulling it 3” from the wall or having the factory make the actual cabinet 15” deep, there is usually a cost for the modification, you can also get a taller cabinet and bump it out or even leave the cabinet the same height as the other wall cabinet, raise it up 6” and leave space below it, see images below.

You do have to take in to account skins for the sides whenever you bump out a cabinet especially when you make it taller so you don’t see the open space on the side.

Base Cabinet

The most common cabinets that are bumped out on the base are the sink base cabinets or cabinets that are being used for cooktops.

A very popular option is putting decorative legs (turnposts) on each side of the bump out, don’t forget to get a filler for behind the legs.

Pantry Cabinets / Oven Cabinets / Over the  Refrigerator

The pantry cabinets, oven cabinets and cabinet over the refrigerator when you are using refrigerator panels on the sides can be 6” taller than the wall cabinet for a staggered look as well.

If you are doing an L shaped kitchen a popular option is to make the corner wall cabinet 6” taller, put a pantry on one side at the end of the L and a refrigerator at the other side of the L both 6” taller.

Wood Hoods

A very decorative way to make your hood be the focal point of the kitchen is by my making it wider than your range and taller than the wall cabinets.

If you want to create a beautiful decorative kitchen please call one of our kitchen designers for a free 3D kitchen design, we will make sure it will incorporate all your needs and wants and at the same time make sure all the molding and trim will work. Please call us at 800-788-7575 or email us at sales@rtawoodcabinets.com