The expensive drawer is open. The stockpot is beside it. This is an awkward moment to discover that outside drawer height and inside storage height are different measurements.
Measure the inconvenient collection
Bring the biggest pan, the mixer bowl, the tall blender jug, and the stack of everyday plates into the planning conversation. Include lids and handles. A cabinet schedule saying "pots and pans" is not a storage test.
Drawers often make daily items easier to see. Cupboards can accommodate awkward heights with fewer horizontal divisions. Neither is automatically better throughout a kitchen. The mix matters more than winning the argument for one type.
Try the open version
At a showroom, open the drawer fully and stand where the cook would stand. Imagine another person crossing behind you. With a door cabinet, reach for an object at the rear without kneeling on an imaginary empty floor. The dog and the recycling bin may have opinions about that floor.
Ask for the internal dimensions and the rated load of the exact hardware. Blum’s TANDEMBOX information describes full-extension access; that feature does not tell you whether your chosen cabinet fits your particular appliance.
Spend the clever hardware where it helps
Our preference is easy access for the things lifted every day, with a deliberately sized cupboard for the odd-shaped equipment. Add dividers after deciding what belongs there. Buying an immaculate grid of organizers first is a surprisingly efficient way to organize the wrong kitchen.