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CABINET OPTIONS
A European innovation that is now finding a more appreciative audience
on this side of the pond is the storage plinth. Also known as
the toekick, this 5-inch-tall slot of space beneath the base
cabinets can be put to work by incorporating shallow drawers.
These drawers can hold flat articles that are fairly large – examples
include cookie sheets and wire cooling racks, serving platters,
a collapsible stepstool, folded kitchen towels and newspapers
or magazines bound for recycling.
Base cabinets. Moving
up to examine the foundation of kitchen storage, base cabinets
have undergone some progressive changes in the past few years.
Comprised of cupboards, drawers and hybrid pullout units,
these are the best and most likely places for storing heavy
and bulky items. Small appliances that aren’t used
daily (such as blenders and food processors) pots, pans and
bakeware are the most popular occupants of these cabinets.
There are two types of cabinet configurations: straight
runs and corner units. Standard straight-run base units measure
24 inches deep, and their widths are set in 3-inch increments
that range from 9 to 45 inches. Fixed shelves – which
have subjected cooks to spine-twisting contortions for too
many years – are becoming a thing of the past, with
more ergonomically sensitive and sensible rollout shelves
or trays taking their place. These optional enhancements
are inexpensive and easy to retrofit into existing cabinets.
Adding them will immediately improve the storage performance
of any kitchen without undergoing a major renovation.
Dish up storage. For
everyday dishes, here are several appealing approaches to
storage:
- Store them in large, deep drawers. Line the bottom of
the drawers with pegboard, and use moveable pegs to corral
plates and bowls in neat stacks.
- Plate racks, on their own or integrated into a bank
of cabinetry, put your dishware on display while keeping
it handy.
- If you intend to use a built-in plate rack for drying
your dishes, make sure it’sinstalled where the wet
dishes can drip into
the sink either directly or by means of a drainboard.
- Should you choose to keep dishes in a cupboard, check
out the array of minishelves that allow you to separately
stack plates of different diameters so that you can easily
get access to them one at a time.
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A full-height pantry cabinet
reclaims an otherwise underutilized corner of
the kitchen. Photo courtesy of Plain & Fancy
Custom Cabinetry.
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A word about glass-fronted cabinets: unless you have immaculately
kept cupboards, artfully filled with beautiful glassware
and dishes, think twice before giving the allclear on this
door-style option. Instead, consider using seeded, ribbed,
frosted or tinted glass panels on the door. You’ll
still reap the benefits from a lighter look, but you won’t
have to suffer the full exposure of your cabinets’ not
too neat or attractive contents.
Drawers. Within a straight
expanse of cabinetry, deep drawers are increasingly offered
as an appealing alternative to cupboards for several reasons.
First, they conserve motion: only one action is required
to get access to drawers, versus two – opening the
door and bending to see inside – for cabinets with
doors. Full-extension glides that allow the drawers to be
pulled all the way out, thus bringing the contents to you,
make it easier to see and reach what’s inside. Finally,
deep drawers can generally support more weight than slide-out
shelves.
Drawers can also be fitted with quite an assortment of
accessories. Bakers will find covered breadbox inserts in
clay or metal handy for keeping the fruits of their labors
fresh. Acrylic or stainless-steel bins for flour and grains
keep canisters off the counter and a ready supply on hand.
Baskets. Some cabinet
manufacturers offer woven baskets dropped into a wooden frame
that fits into side-mounted drawer slides. In a
kitchen with a rustic or traditional theme, a stack of two or three
of these can provide convenient pull-out ventilated storage for
certain varieties of produce while adding an interesting note of
texture to the room.
Inserts. Standard 5-inch-deep
drawers remain a vital staple in the kitchen. Scaled for
utensils and silverware, even existing drawer storage can
be maximized with segmented or tiered cutlery inserts. For
maximum flexibility, look for trays with adjustable compartments
or use individual bins that hook together.
Pullout cabinets. Pullout
cabinets combine the convenience of drawers with the capacity
of cupboards. They can range from a pair of narrow base-cabinet
spice units that conveniently flank the stove to a towering
6-foot-tall pantry that can house just about anything.
Such full-height cabinets should be organized with larger,
heavier articles at the bottom and frequently used items
on the shelves at knee-to-shoulder height. If possible, opt
for adjustable shelving so you have maximum storage flexibility.
Store food staples in groups with separate shelves for baking
ingredients, breakfast items, snacks and dry items, such
as rice, grains and pasta.
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In a 45-degree corner, drawers
are easily accessible. Photo courtesy of
Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry.
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Corners. The 90-degree,
turn-of-a-corner cabinet is by nature space squandering,
leaving the curved wedge of room at the rear of the corner
almost completely out of reach. A 45-degree corner
base cabinet is more forgiving, but its primary benefit is
really felt at the countertop level, where the additional
surface area can accommodate a cooktop or sink.
The door treatments for corner cabinets differ on a case-by-case
basis and may affect how efficiently you can utilize the
cabinet. A pair of doors may split open down the center. In
kitchens with clearance issues, a doublehinged door can open,
fold in on itself and then swing aside. In some instances,
there may be only one door to a corner cabinet, a particularly
uncomfortable condition that’s known as a “blind
corner.”
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Even awkward angles can supply
a slice of productive storage. Photo courtesy
of Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry.
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While this may sound ominous for storage possibilities,
the situation is salvageable. Inserts – those
wire, plastic or wood shelves,spinners and sliders that can
convert anempty-box cabinet into a shining example ofcustom-made
storage – will rescue the most recalcitrant corner.
There are numerous forms of cornercentric inserts. One
solution to a blind corner is to fit it with what ’s
sometimes called a “magic corner.” This is a
set of shelves that ’s joined in the middle; with one
end attached to the corner-cabinet door, the shelves automatically
unfold outside the cabinet when the door is opened. Other
examples of angular space saviors include two- or three-level
carousels and lazy Susans. The former, which is also
fastened to the inside of a cabinet door, rotates 270 degrees;
the latter spins a full 360 degrees.
Finally, a spinning, three-bin recycling center may be
the best use of a corner base cabinet. Accessibility isn ’t
an issue, as each container rotates to the fore of the cupboard.
Trash talking. Because
trash and recycling bins are used several times each day,
the location of each is an important consideration. Here
are some tips to make them more convenient:
Plan a cutout in the countertop that allows you to drop
vegetable peels and other non-protein food scraps into an
undercounter bin that can be carried to the compost pile
daily.
Concealed trash bins that tilt out or pull out on a platform
installed on drawer slides not only save floor space and
keep pets out of the trash, but conserve time and motion.
You’ll find many configurations, including models that
hide behind a single cabinet door and conceal from one to
three bins, so you can recycle at the same spot where you
dispose of trash.
If your kitchen has a pullout chopping board, consider
installing a pullout trash bin in the cupboard below it.
Clearing cuttings off the board becomes a one-step operation.
COUNTERTOP STORAGE
To prevent countertop storage space from looking too jumbled, consider
an appliance garage. When this cabinetry concept was first introduced,
it wasn’t a particularly pretty sight: a clunky box pushed
into the corner of the counter that usually featured a wooden
tambour door, which had a tendency to stick.
But with advances in cabinet hardware come advances in design.
Hinged panel doors that flip up to open, or doors that slide
back along the sides of the cabinet, have opened up more
attractive appliance garage possibilities. If building
codes in your area allow, you may be able to put an electrical
outlet inside the garage.
Here’s a novel, more architectural twist on countertop
storage. Lately, there’s been a lot of interest in
setting a couple of shallow drawers right on the counter,
topping them with an elongated hanging wall cabinet. This
column-like design not only adds a vertical note to the kitchen,
but the assembly is a deft combination of storage types that’s
responsive to the needs of the user.
WALL STORAGE
A simple way to get more storage mileage out of a standard 4-inch-tall
backsplash is to top it with a 3-inch-wide ledge. This makes
a fine perch for small collectibles or jars of herbs and seasonings
and lends a custom finish to an otherwise boring detail.
Rails and rods. Rail or rod systems are not at all
difficult to install (even on tiled surfaces), but give some
thought to the best place to locate them. While having ladles,
tongs and mixing spoons suspended close to the cooktop sounds
likes a great idea, there’s a potential drawback. They’ll
be directly exposed to steam and grease. If you don’t
mind the additional cleanup, you’ll appreciate the
convenience; if you do, look elsewhere for this kind of storage.
Wall cabinets. Several
different paths are available for installing wall cabinets.
The soffits can be boxed in to be flush with the face of
the cabinets or remain open. The first treatment gives a
clean, built-in look to the cabinetry but eliminates what
amounts to a commodious, yet inaccessible shelf. An open
soffit, on the other hand, leaves the tops of the wall cabinets
unenclosed, and so depending on which way you tend to look
at collectibles on display, provides either a spacious band
of high-level display space or a roosting spot for dirt and
grime.
Open shelves. While
they are perfect for putting your collection of majolica
platters or antique coffee grinders on exhibit, open shelves
are also suspectible to collecting dust. Used as an accent
element, they give visual relief to the monolithic look of
solid-front cabinets.
Even though they’re just 12 inches deep, wall cupboards
have an uncanny way of swallowing up the item you’re
trying to find. Luckily, there’s now an abundance of
storage-supplementing inserts available for wall-hung cabinets.
Bottle and jar organizers. Bottles
and jars revolve into view when placed on a mini lazy Susan.
Stair-step organizers literally boost the visibility of back-of-the-cabinet
contents. For those who need a bit of extra help in reaching
upper shelves, there ’s a double-decker insert that
pulls down and out of the cabinet to make life easier.
Storage for spices. The
inside of the upper cabinet doors is a great spot for storing
spices. Look in retail storage supply stores and catalogs
for a variety of bins and baskets designed to attach to the
inside of the doors. Before installing, make sure the
unit is positioned clear of the shelves inside the cabinet,
or the door won ’t close properly.
Pot racks. Best suspended
over an island or peninsula to avoid banging your head, hanging
pot racks offer practical storage as well as an eye-pleasing
focal point. If you’ve got lots of pots, shop around
for a model that has a center shelf as well as hooks, or
divvy up your collection on more than one rack. Make sure
any hanging rack is secured to structural members in the
ceiling, and resist the urge to position it too close to
burners, or your pans will be enveloped by greasy cooking
vapors.
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