Ah, the corner cabinet. For many homeowners, these cramped cupboards are the bane of their existence. The biggest kitchen blind spots occur where two rows of base cabinets adjoin. While half of the cabinet space is accessible, the other half is buried.
It is intensely frustrating to have a cabinet that doesn’t do what cabinets are made to do. It sits there, maybe crammed full, perhaps empty, but ultimately unable to fulfill its true potential. It’s nearly impossible to store things inside efficiently. Even if you’ve packed it full of items that you never use just to occupy the storage space, you’re in for a real treat if you ever have to dig things out of the very back.
Solving Corner Cabinet Woes
It’s no one’s fault. Logistically, corner cabinets sort of have to be there to make the kitchen layout work. Still, it’s a huge pain to try and navigate this space when it’s full, and it feels like a missed opportunity to leave it empty.
So what’s a homeowner to do? Don’t despair! Your blind corner cabinet doesn’t have to be like the dark side of the moon. It’s easy to convert this inconvenience into an asset by applying these four organizational solutions.
1. The Pull-Out Cabinet
The original attaches directly to the cabinet door, acting as a facade on the front of the cabinet. When you pull it out, the shelving moves along the tracks and out into the open.
The Magic Corner II is not attached to the cabinet door but has a handle that fluidly pulls out the first row of shelves, which can then be swiveled 90 degrees to make room for the second row. It’s an ingenious solution, and the result is a fully-optimized cabinet space – and a whole lot less hassle.
2. The Half-Moon
The half-moon is a more advanced cousin of the Lazy Susan, and it’s perfect for storing lighter items of all shapes and sizes. Out of all the options for your blind corner cabinet, the Half-Moon is easily the most affordable choice.
The Half Moon Lazy Susan attaches to the cabinet’s inner base on a fixed bracket with roller wheels. These wheels allow the floating shelves to swing 90 degrees when the door is opened, giving you full access to everything inside. Many of these types of shelves also sit on an extendable frame. Once the door is open, you can pull the shelves forward for maximum ease of use.
Because these shelves are minimally supported, they’re not intended to hold stacks of heavy pots and pans. On average, they can hold up to 15 pounds of weight, give or take. This makes them ideal for storing containers, wrappers, and foodstuffs, especially if your corner cabinet is next to the stove.
3. The Cloud
No, not that cloud! The cloud we’re talking about is a set of swiveling shelves that can be manipulated individually so you can choose what you need rather than having to rifle through. These cloud-shaped free-floating shelves move smoothly along a track installed inside the cabinet, allowing them to be pulled forward.
When stored, they fit snugly inside your blind cabinet, allowing you to maximize the space’s full depth without losing accessibility.
4. The Curved Shelf
A curved shelving unit is similar to the half-moon Lazy Susan in shape. Rather than attaching to a bracket at the base of the cabinet, they are attached to the door itself. Because the structure is well-supported and solid, it can bear more weight than its Lazy counterpart.
The amazing thing about these shelves is that they are tiered, and can be mounted on two separate brackets – one each for upper and lower storage. For the best accessibility, you can divide your cabinet door into two sections—upper and lower—and pull each shelf out individually.
With any of these innovative storage solutions, the days of lamenting your useless corner cabinet are over. Need help selecting the right one for you, ordering, or installing? Call the experts at Winthorpe Design & Build, and like the contents of your cabinet, the work will be out of sight!
