Design Deep Dive #1 - Make Sure your Drawers Don't Hit Any Appliances!

One of the first things you will learn as a cabinet designer is to make sure that you have a large enough filler in a corner where two base cabinets meet so the drawers can open without hitting the adjacent hardware. The last you want to do is give a customer an amazing kitchen only for the finished to be ruined by an oversight from an amateur design mistake. The conventional way to avoid this disaster is to add 3 inches of filler to each side of the cabinets meeting in the corner. This is sometimes known as the three-by-three rule and you can see it in action in the picture below.

Every new designer should learn this within their first couple of days on the job. However, drawers and hardware are not the only obstructions you may find in a corner, appliances that are located close enough to the corner that a drawer can hit them are also a major concern. Many ovens, dishwashers, and under counter refrigerators have large handles that stick out more than three inches and it's important to study the appliance specs or measure the existing appliances before you finalize the drawings and order the cabinets.

 If a dishwasher in the corner has a large protruding handle at the top, then you will have to make the adjacent filler at least 1 inch wider that the depth of the unit including the handle  for the adjacent cabinets drawer to clear the handle. Using the dishwasher spec above, calculate the adjacent filler size, subtract the cabinet depth of 24” from the appliance depth w/ handle and add 1”.

This is a common design issue, especially with older houses where the electricity cannot easily be moved, and the range or dishwasher is already in the corner. Smaller kitchens can also have appliances close to corners due to limited space. Below is a CAD floor plan view with notes of a properly planned corner dishwasher that is 27 5/16” deep. If you were to use a standard 3” filler your drawer would not open.

This tip is equally important for the designer and installer. The designer may provide notes and detail, but it is ultimately up to the installer to follow them. Whenever there is an appliance in the corner, pay close attention to depth to get the fillers and clearances right.

Thanks for reading and keep building!

The Cabinet Talk Team