The Kitchen Design Rules -- and When to Break Them!
Lark Interior's principal designer, Janelle Patton, in a client's Westlake, Texas kitchen
When people learn I’m an interior designer in Dallas, TX, their reaction is almost always the same. Their eyes light up, they reach for their phone, and they say “I have a question for you about my kitchen!”
I’m like the dermatologist at a party where everyone wants to show you their weird mole. But instead of moles, it’s kitchens (and thank goodness for that!) I’ve reviewed floor plans at playdates, weighed-in on kitchen backsplashes while getting my blood drawn, and once solved a kitchen flooring dilemma while checking out of Trader Joe’s in Fort Worth.
I get it. While it’s cliche to say that kitchens are the heart of the home (because - side note - if a kitchen is any vital organ, it’s definitely the stomach), cliches are cliches for a reason. Kitchens are central to the way a home functions. Kitchens act as the home’s gathering place, they are the homework-help-zone, the birthday-candle-photo-backdrop, and even the dog’s favorite haunt. Everyone wants a pretty, functional kitchen – and most of us have at least considered renovating the space over the years.
It should be simple, right? Right? Well, take it from someone who has renovated a LOT of kitchens (including my own, which I talked about here and here). It’s not simple.
Kitchens are one of the most “technical” rooms in a home. Think about it – they need to be incredibly functional. The cabinets need to fit that roasting pan you use twice a year AND your everyday dishes. The sink needs to be close enough to the stove that you don’t drip boiling water on your toes on the way to drain the spaghetti. And just forget about walking all the way around that island to the fridge every time you need to grab another vegetable to add to your salad.
The result of all that technical stuff is that, over the years, many norms or “rules” have developed to guide kitchen design. These standards ensure everything functions the way it should. And, believe me, when the rules get completely ignored, you can end up with some pretty funky results. In the kitchen of my Upper Westside New York apartment you couldn’t reach the sink if the dishwasher was open. As you might imagine, doing dishes was practically an Olympic gymnastics event (and that was AFTER I’d already done the Decathlon – aka, walking up 5 flights of stairs while carrying groceries.)
But here’s a little secret: no kitchen designer in Dallas, Fort Worth, NYC, or Timbuktu follows all the kitchen design rules all the time. Because following all the rules is boring. But you have to know the design rules before you know when it makes sense to break them.
The Kitchen Design Rules
So let’s start with learning what the kitchen design rules are – and then I’ll give you some examples of when to break them.
A renovated kitchen in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. Design by Lark Interiors
Kitchen Design Rule #1: Standard Kitchen Dimensions
There are standard measurements for just about everything you can think of in a kitchen – from countertop height to sink size to backsplash height and more. We created this handy dandy visual on Instagram for you to save so you can have them at the ready – you know, just in case you get cornered at a party and are asked what the standard kitchen walkway size is (hey - if it happened to me, it could happen to you!)
Here are the standard kitchen dimensions in more detail:
Kitchen Countertop Dimensions
Standard Countertop Height: 36”
Standard Bar Height (though we rarely do this! Buh-bye two-level countertops. We wish you we never met you): 42”
Standard Countertop Thickness: 2 cm - 3 cm, depending on the stone you use
Standard Countertop Overhang: ½”
Standard Countertop Overhang to Accommodate Seating/Barstools: 12”
Standard Countertop Width Per Barstool: 24” (so an 8’ island would fit 4 barstools)
Kitchen Cabinet Dimensions
Standard Base Cabinet Depth: 24”
Standard Upper Cabinet Depth: 12”
Standard Toe Kick Dimensions: 4” h x 4” d
Max Cabinet Door Width: 24” (though we typically don’t exceed 22”. Wider cabinet doors are prone to warp/break)
Minimum Cabinet Door Width: 12”
Standard Shaker Size: 2”
Upper Cabinet Height: To the ceiling
Miscellaneous Kitchen Dimensions
Standard Walkway between Island and Perimeter Cabinets: 48”
Standard Backsplash Height (Height Between Countertop and Upper Cabinets): 18”
Standard Dishwasher: 24” w
Standard Microwave: 24” w
Standard Pull-out Trash: 18” w
Is your head swimming yet? I know. Whenever my kids tell me they’ll never use math in the real world, I just point them to the above.
Kitchen Design Rule #2: the Kitchen Work Triangle
The kitchen work triangle is one of those design principles that’s been around forever. Every kitchen contractor in DFW and interior decorator in Fort Worth can rattle off this old battle-axe without a hiccup. I bet you know it too – but in case you skipped that day in home-ec, here’s the gist:
In your kitchen, you’ve got your three main work zones: the sink, stove, and fridge. These are the spots where you spend most of your time when cooking. The idea is to position these work zones in a triangle–so everything’s within reach, but not so close that it feels cramped.
Here’s three principals to guide the way you to think about the kitchen work triangle:
Kitchen work triangle illustration
1. Kitchen Work Triangle : The Sweet Spot for Distance
You want each side of your triangle to be between 4 and 9 feet. The whole triangle should add up to somewhere between 12 and 26 feet.
2. Kitchen Work Triangle: Keep it Clear
Nothing should block the triangle—no islands, no cabinets—just smooth sailing between those three points
3. Kitchen Work Triangle: Think in Zones
When you’re at one point of the triangle (like chopping veggies at the sink), the other points (like the stove and fridge) should be easy to get to without feeling like you’re running a marathon
When it comes to designing a kitchen, knowing the rules is like learning the recipe before adding your secret ingredients. You need to understand why certain guidelines—like the work triangle or countertop clearance—exist so that when you decide to break them, you're doing it with intention, not by accident. It’s the difference between a space that feels thoughtfully eclectic versus one that’s just chaotic.
But now that you know the rules, you’re ready to learn how to bend or break them in ways that can elevate your kitchen design.
Are you ready? Let’s break some rules.
When to Break the Kitchen Design Rules
Rule #1: Your Kitchen Backsplash Should be 18” High
A Dallas kitchen, design by Lark Interiors
When to Break the Rule
If you have 9’+ ceilings: Interior decorators in Fort Worth, Dallas, and basically all of Texas work in homes with tall ceilings. TALL. We regularly design kitchens in rooms with 11-12’ ceilings. And that is a lot of vertical space. So the first rule of kitchen design that we ignore completely is that a kitchen backsplash should be 18” h. In most kitchens we design, we allow for 20” between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets. It just gives everything a little more room to breathe, and takes up some of the vertical space.
When to Stick to the Rule
If you have low ceilings: If your ceiling is 8’, definitely stick to the standard 18” backsplash – you need every square inch of that vertical space for storage!
If you’re short: I am 5’8” and every time my 5’3” mother-in-law visits, she accuses me of putting everything too high in the kitchen. Mostly she’s teasing me about the fact that I can easily reach the second shelf of the cabinets and she can’t – but if I was designing a kitchen for her, I’d definitely stick to the standard 18” backsplash height.
Rule #2: The Distance Between your Kitchen Island and the Perimeter Cabinets Should be a Minimum of 4’ Wide
When to Break the Rule:
When you it allows you to maintain another important design element: I recently broke this rule when designing the kitchen below. In the architect’s original plans, the kitchen island was a few inches off-center of the very clear center line that went from the kitchen window all the way through the dining room. I knew that as soon as we hung lighting, this would become VERY obvious. As I put it to our client, this slightly off-center island was going to drive her cuckoo for cocoa puffs every morning as she ate her cocoa puffs. Since we could move it over and still maintain a 42” walkway on the smaller side AND there were no major appliances on that side, we went for it. Basically, in this case, having the kitchen pendants line up with the dining room fixtures and the kitchen window was more important than having a wider walkway.
Texas kitchen rendering and design by Lark Interiors
When you have limited space: remember how I mentioned I used to live in New York City? Well, when you are designing a 900 square foot apartment, no one has space for a 4’ walkway. Not happening. That is valuable real estate and having things just a little bit closer is definitely worth it. This applies in a lot of smaller kitchens. The minimum walkway I would recommend, however, is 42”. Again, you don’t want to get trapped every time you open a cabinet door or bash-in your shin whenever the dishwasher is open.
When to Stick to the Rule
When space allows: This rule is a good one. You never want to end up with a kitchen traffic jam situation. If you have ample space and good center lines, go for 4’ (or larger!) for all kitchen walkways.
Rule #3: The Kitchen Work Triangle
When to Break the Rule
I’m going to risk kitchen designer purgatory and say this out loud: the kitchen work triangle is an outdated kitchen design rule. (Pause. Wait for lightning to strike. Hope the goddess of kitchen design isn’t looking. Who is the goddess of kitchen design, you ask? Obviously whoever did Nancy Meyer’s kitchens. Duh.)
That’s right. I said it. And I’ll say it louder. The work triangle is an outdated kitchen rule! Phew! That felt good! One more time for the people in the back. THE WORK TRIANGLE IS OUTDATED!
Here’s the thing: kitchens have evolved a lot. We’ve got open layouts, big islands, and multiple cooking zones. Prep (secondary) sinks are common. Double ovens abound. Fridge and freezers can be split! (My personal fridge and freezer split during our recent kitchen renovation and the kids—Yasso Mint Chocolate chip bars— are so much happier.)
Basically just use common sense when you’re designing your kitchen. Think through where you’re likely to prep and your path to everything you need. If you’re going to spend most of your time chopping and cooking on one side of the island, don’t put your fridge on the exact opposite side. Common sense, ya’ll.
When to Stick the Rule
I say to heck with this one. Consider the work triangle as a loose suggestion — NOT a rule.
Rule #4: Your Kitchen Cabinets Should Go to the Ceiling
When to Break the Rule
When your ceilings are over 10’: I get it. We all have PTSD from eighties kitchens with micro upper cabinets topped with dusty, dirty fake plants. I feel you. Truly. My grandmother was literally stressing about the dust on the tops of her upper cabinets the week she passed away.
But here’s the thing: I think we’ve overcorrected. Everyone is so concerned about having their cabinets go to the ceiling that they are putting in literal cabinet skyscrapers in their kitchens. No one and I mean NO ONE (even Ali Ames, who is 5’11”) can reach those cabinets.
If you ceilings are more than 10’ tall, don’t take the cabinets to the ceiling. There are a number of ways you can make this feel intentional — add beams that die into the drywall above the cabinets, furr-down the ceiling above the cabinets, add a frame around them, or even add transom windows above them.
A Dallas kitchen with transom windows above cabinets
When to Stick to the Rule
If your ceilings are 10’ or lower. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.
The Moral of the Story
Kitchen design is hard. There are rules and exceptions to the rules and rules that shouldn’t even be rules. So, what’s the best advice? Hire a professional kitchen designer. At Lark Interiors, we’re experienced Dallas interior designers with over 100 kitchen designs under our belts. We know the ins and outs of creating functional, stylish kitchens that fit your lifestyle and home. Whether you’re tackling a kitchen remodel or planning a new build, partnering with an expert interior designer in Dallas ensures your project’s success. Don’t leave your dream kitchen to chance—let Lark Interiors guide you through the process. You’ll be glad you did.