Ever wondered why the bottom front of your kitchen base cabinets have a depression that runs a couple inches deep?
That space is called the cabinet ”toe kick” or “toe space, and just like the base of the kitchen cabinet system, is an absolute necessity.
Here’s Why Kitchen Cabinets Have Toe Kicks
Cabinets have toe kicks in order to prevent the toes from repeatedly crashing into the base of the kitchen cabinet as users work on the countertop, thereby reducing the possibility of a toe injury. Toe kicks, through their recess, also provide comfort to users as they work on the countertop by granting them closer proximity to it.
What Is A Kitchen Cabinet Toe Kick?
A cabinet toe kick is the brief indentation at the bottom front of the base cabinet which disturbs its completed look.
It’s a feature deliberately made to improve comfort and efficiency while working in the kitchen.
You’ll get to know how in a minute.
Why Is It Called A Toe Kick?
The toe kick is referred to as such because it provides the space for the toes to “kick” into as one performs work on the kitchen countertop.
If the space wasn’t present, meaning that the base cabinets were made with complete rectangularity, the “kick” effect would easily be felt as the toes continuously bump into the hard base of the cabinet.
The toe kick is also referred to as the kick space i.e. the space where your toes kick into, or the toe space in allusion to the position where your toes would rest as you work on the countertop.
When Was The Cabinet Toe Kick Incorporated Into Kitchen Cabinetry? And why?
Toe spaces weren’t a feature of kitchen cabinetry until the 20th century when the shift to a new domestic work-surface began. And this shift was the result of a flourishing middle class, which lead to the advancement in household management through the growth of the home improvement industry.
The shift was made from table to the kitchen countertop, but soon after, designers realized its fault.
It was that the traditional base cabinet (with the all completed look) presented a serious problem to individuals working in the kitchen.
And what was that problem?
People constantly bumped their toes into the base of the cabinet which lead to toe injuries.
Also, the completed rectangularity of the base cabinet made working over the countertop a bit less comfortable (or rather very awkward) as individuals had to bend forward in order to perform their activities on the countertop which imposed stress to the lower back.
Soon, designers turned to the valued field of ergonomics for solution, and eventually, they came up with idea of toe kicks.
What Is the Purpose Of A Toe Kick
What Are The Dimensions Of A Cabinet Toe Kick?
Kitchen toe kicks don’t have an officially recognized dimension, meaning the dimensions aren’t standardized by an official body, but due to the ease of working with certain measurements over the years, tradesmen (i.e. woodworkers and carpenters) as well as manufacturers have adopted a faux standard for it.
The table below show the adopted dimensions for a standard toe kick.
| s/n | Dimensions of a Toe Kick | Measurement (in) |
| 1 | Height | 3 ½ |
| 2 | Depth | 3 |
The values above were obtained from the average human feet.
The height was the measurement taken from ground level to the highest point on the bridge (on the feet) of the average sized human.
The depth is the distance (based upon the average humans feet) that gave rise to the perfect space for the toes to move about while concomitantly providing a comfortable workspace for the individual to work with.
Toe kicks can be made higher than the aforementioned measurement when there’s the need to purpose it for a drawer.
Do All Cabinets Need A Toe Kick?
Only cabinets installed with a functional and practical countertop would actually require a toe kick embedded into the cabinetry as that would boost the experience of working in the kitchen.
This means that base kitchen cabinets must be embedded with toe kicks in order to provide spaces where the toes would fit effortlessly while the user works on the countertop.
Some Interesting Cabinet Toe Kick Features
Over the years, the toe kick space have seen genesis of some incredible and useful applications. Here are some of them below.
Toe Kick Lightening
Toe kick lightening as the name suggests, is the installation of directional rope lights or LED tape lights in the toe kick area for the purpose of adding to the overall aesthetic appeal of the kitchen.
When done the right way, toe kick lightening can contribute immensely to the palette of the kitchen, the overall aesthetic appeal as well as the general lightening scheme, especially at night.
Lightening of cabinets doesn’t just stop with the toe kicks, the upper cabinets too can have lightening installed on the bottom to give the kitchen a polished look. The bottom light also helps illuminate the countertop as a user works on it.
Toe Kick Drawer
Nowadays, the recessed area of the toe kick is also purposed for a “pop out drawer”.
This drawer is typically used to store flat items such as trays, baking sheets, napkins, towels or baking materials like foil paper and parchment paper, and can be accessed with a single kick to the front.
The toe kick drawer still tries to maintain the recess (to allow the main purpose of the toe kick to be served), but it offers an extra storage space and prevents wastage of the area below the bottom panel and the elongated sides that give rise to the toe kick, basically the bottom.
Here’s a video below that’ll teach you how to modify your existing toe kick space and turn it into a drawer.
Toe Kick Vent
The toe kick vent system is an installation in the toe kick area meant to provide cool air circulation into the cabinet there by preventing a lot of the damages that moisture could give rise to on the wood of the cabinet and also to the items contained inside of the cabinet.
Toe kick Heater
Toe kick heaters are simple installations meant to supply heat to the kitchen.
The heaters are small and therefore can fit perfectly into the toe kick area without being noticed.
Toe kick Sweep, VacPan, Vacuum
The toe kick vacuum helps with the collection of debris and dust in a household.
It can connect to the central vacuum system of a house to collect debris directly from the toe kick, eliminating the need for a dust pan.
Other products like SweePovac also exists that don’t connect to the central vacuum system, but instead, gather debris in a dust collection bag placed inside the device which is installed in the toe kick area.
What Are The Alternatives For A Toe Kick?
Toe kicks are a useful addition to the base cabinet of a kitchen, but you don’t need to have them in place if you don’t like the way they look.
Here are some alternatives to a toe kick.
Traditional Style Cabinet
The traditional style cabinet features a base cabinet without toe kicks.
The entire cabinet takes on a complete rectangularity.
You can chose to go this route if toe kicks aren’t your thing, but bear in mind that the potential of having your toes crash against the bottom of the base cabinet is now heightened.
Extended Door Stiles for Traditional Cabinets
You can retain the same traditional cabinet design for the base, with the door stiles dropped to the ground and an opening provided between the legs to serve as the toe kick.
This way, you don’t have a full rectangular cut out taking up “useful” space at the bottom.
Attach an Adjustable Leg
With an adjustable leg, the entire cabinet is raised some height above ground which provides free space for the toes to explore without crashing into anything.
Increase the Countertop Overhang
The main reason why toe kicks exist is because of the discomfort presented to users when working with the countertop if they weren’t present.
Instead of focusing on toe kick to solve the issue, one can turn their attention to the countertop and increase its overhang a couple inches more to ease working with it.
When this is in place, the drawers should be made full extension in order to eliminate the inconvenience that would arise from the overhang.
Should A Kitchen Island Have A Toe Kick?
A kitchen island can be installed with a toe kick when it has a practical countertop for users to work on.
It can also be provided with a toe kick, where air register, vent, ductwork, heater and tape light can be installed to serve the various purposes which they serve respectively.
What Is A Toe Kick Plate Or Board?
A toe kick plate or board is a rectangular cut of similar size to the toe kick used to mask out it’s contrasting look with the rest of the cabinet.
Do Store Bought Cabinets Come With Toe Kick Plates?
Store bought cabinets typically have the toe kick boards supplied in the packaging alongside the rest of the materials too.
For custom made cabinets, you’ll have to ask your woodworker to carpenter to construct one for your toe kicks.
Should Toe Kick Plate Match Cabinet?
The toe kicks don’t actually have to match the cabinet color.
Too much of uniformity in a kitchen is actually bad sometimes, and you should always strive to find the right balance of color in the kitchen to make it pop out.
One popular trend is to use a stainless steel plate to finish off the toe kick, and that works perfectly well with off white cabinet colors, white cabinet colors, wood cabinet color, black cabinet color and maroon cabinet color.