4 steps to the height of kitchen wall units

High, but not too high. A simple guide with tips on how to position wall units correctly.

Let’s start from the beginning. What is a wall unit? A modular storage element that is not floor-standing but is hanging and mounted on the wall, that can either be closed with doors or open-fronted. Wall units complete the kitchen base units, in terms of practicality and aesthetics. They are essential pieces of furniture with which you can create compositional “designs”, in a wide variety of sizes, finishes, colours, types of openings and lighting. Where do you start when choosing the perfect wall unit? Let’s find out in 4 steps.

1. Size is important

For every style of kitchen, there are wall units that help define the design, whether it is minimalist and contemporary, sophisticated and elegant or classic and country chic. On the one hand wall units are real “transformers”, adapting to every aesthetic taste, while on the other hand they follow extremely precise measurements and sizes.
The standard depth of the wall units is 36 cm, less than that of the base units and worktop, which on average is 60 cm. This is to allow plenty of room for moving around the kitchen without bumping into anything while preparing dishes or cooking. The standard distance from the base unit varies according to the model and is between 51 and 60 cm approximately. However, this size is variable since the wall units can be fixed at different heights to suit specific needs.

2. Height is halfway to beauty

The height of kitchen wall units varies with the type of storage solution selected. Today we can choose 40, 60, 80, 120 cm wall units, modular structures, closed or open compartments. We can decide to only fit our kitchen with wall units with doors, which give a great sense of tidiness and clean-cut lines. Or we can combine closed and open elements, shelves and equipped structures to create even more dynamism.

Another element to take into account is the height of the person or people who use the kitchen the most. The wall units will therefore be positioned higher or lower for maximum ergonomics, with a view to being able to move around without any problems and have full access to everything.

3. Types of openings

When choosing kitchen wall units, the way they open is also important for comfortable and accessible daily use. Let’s have a look at the main ones:

Hinged opening: this is the classic opening of kitchen wall units, where the door is attached to the frame with hinges fixed to the side and it can be opened to the right or to the left. A cost-effective solution, it can create an obstruction to the view and to movements.
Push-pull opening: ideal for smooth doors with no handles, the wall unit is opened by lightly pressing the door.
Flap door opening: the door opens upwards by gently pushing it, a very handy solution as it allows you to access inside the wall unit without any hindrances.
Folding opening: the door is split in half and folds up as it rises. In this case, as with the flap door, the space above the wall unit will have to be calculated accurately.

4. Let there be light

Regardless of the height at which the wall units are to be placed, we also need to take into account the correct lighting. In this instance we are talking about lighting up the inside of the wall unit, to make it easier to find what you need, above to light up the room and, most importantly, below to properly light up the worktop and make it easier to prepare dishes. The most common system is undoubtedly to fit LED profiles under the line along the entire length of the wall units, in the centre or closer to the wall: a functional and aesthetic choice that simplifies the work and adds elegance to the setting. Another stylish solution is to have LED lights built into the side panels of the wall units, which create wonderful lighting effects, particularly with glass doors where striking visual pictures come to life.