ladycook, I had to laugh. I'm 5'9" and have often thought that if I had the money, I'd raise my counters by easily 6", maybe more. I'm always hunched over my cutting board or other prep areas, no matter where I've lived. If it is an all-day cooking marathon, I take lots of ibuprofen for back problems. I know most kitchens are designed for the average women's height in, what, 1954? As a tall woman, it is tiring to bend over these counters when it is more than a short prep meal. this place is the first that I've had room for a kitchen table, and I still cant remember (and it's been 10 years) that I actually can sit down and do some of the prep work and save my sorry back from having to bend over. Ah, well, we all have our crosses to bear!