In the last episode of The Little Couple they talked about this issue. Since she is only 3' 2" she needs a very low counter to work on. They are having a custom kitchen built.

My mother is on the short side (5'1") and she rarely has trouble reaching things in cabinets because she purposefully only stores things she needs rarely up high. When she does need something from up there, she asks my dad or climbs up on the counter (although considering she's approaching 60, that may be something she needs to stop at some point soon).

She has a little step stool, but the only time she uses it is for kneading bread.

I'm 4'11" and oddly, our counters work better for me than for my roommates (all three of which are around 6'). The only problems I have are with getting stuff from the second self and up in our cabinets, but that's what step stools and tall roommates are for :)

My 4'10" grandmother has a tiny kitchen with a table planted right in the middle. She does pretty much all of her chopping work on that table.

At 5'2", I've never really noticed an issue with using regular counters. Maybe I'm just used to working on them, even if they're probably not the best height for me. I do need to buy a footstool for reaching the upper shelves in my cabinets though. I'm used to climbing onto the counters, but one of my counters in the house I recently bought already shows the results of doing so repeatedly: the countertop has dropped an inch on one side, so it's not level anymore.

I'm only 5' 1" and never had a problem with our countertops which I think are standard? The only time it bothers me is if I'm working on something kind of labor intensive - like rolling out dough. I like the shorter countertop, for that purpose, but also so that if you have kids they can participate in cooking with you.

My ex's mother was partially disabled, and when she had her kitchen updated to be barrier free, it included lowering all cabinets, counters, etc. It was the only place that I, at 5'0", never had to get a chair to get something on the second shelf. Her husband was over 6', so they compromised by making 1/2 the length of the island sized for her, and the other half for him.

I'm 5' 2". I have little trouble using standard counters for most tasks, but if I'm kneading bread dough or rolling something out, I move to the kitchen table. I only store things I use rarely on the top shelf and I have a step stool. When I was a kid, I'd climb on the counters to reach that stuff, but now that I have fibromyalgia, it's easier to just use the stool or a chair. When I lived with my boyfriend, he'd get stuff down for me.

Another shortie here (5'0"). Standard counter height is okay, but not for extended periods of time. If I'm in for a lot of chopping or peeling, I set up at the kitchen table and sit down to take a load off my feet too.

My old apartment (built pre-WW2) had counters at 32", which were so much more comfortable. Unfortunately, the lower height and a deep sink made it impossible for my boyfriend (5'11") to wash dishes without straining his back.

My short mother prefers the dining table to her standard counter tops. I love this idea though-caters for all sizes!

I'm 4'11" and do most of my cooking at the table rather than the kitchen bench. We have some high cupboards and a step-stool but I tend to climb up and sit on bench in order to reach things rather than using the stool.

I'm just under 5'1"...while I don't have much of an issue with most tasks in my rental kitchen, kneading is definitely a pain and hard on my wrists without the aid of a stool. I also can't reach the top shelves of my cupboards and given the limited space I don't have the luxury of limiting these shelves to rarely used items. I basically keep the footstool closeby at all times or call my boyfriend over in a pinch.

I love this shorter countertop idea! A lower kitchen cart also seems like a great alternative...maybe one day I'll have the space for one :)

This is really a good idea.

I've seen people with enough kitchen area use lower height kitchen carts on wheels that lock. But custom is good for those that can do it.

I love that idea!

I'm 5'2" on a really good day, but like many others I don't have an issue. However, I also don't roll dough very often; I'm gluten-intolerant and find gluten-free baking to be a real pain. I buy all of my bread at an amazing gluten-free speciality bakery here that makes great products for about the same price it would cost me to make them.

But I need to climb counters, use a stool or have my boyfriend around for reaching objects higher than the second shelf.

(oh, or I just slip on a pair of heels to reach.)

I was thinking of lowering all the counters in a kitchen remodel, but this is way better!