When Is a Kitchen 'Corner Base Unit' not a 'Corner Base Unit'?



Posted: Monday, April 17, 2006

by Steve Smith
www.kitchen-secrets.com

When is a kitchen 'corner base unit' not a 'corner base unit'?

This is especially relevant if your kitchen isn't the biggest one in the world. If this is the case, the reason that you, the customer has invited the 'professional' kitchen renovation desiger into your home is to maximise the the space you have.

Little do you know, the designer actually wants to minimise it.

So what exactly does your kitchen designer want to hide from you?

A corner base unit becomes ineffective when you have to remove items you don't want in order to gain access to items you do want. It becomes daft when you find yourself with all the contents of a cupboard on the floor.

There are many different ways in which a designer might try and overcome the obstacle of 'turning round a corner' without increasing the overall final cost of the kitchen too much. Figure 4 shows two 400mm (16 inch) doors on a 1000mm (40 inch) carcass. This means that only 200mm (8 inches) of the possible corner space is utilised. The rest of the corner area is 'boarded up' and unable to be accessed. Figure 5 shows a corner design at a similar cost. This particular way of doing things gives access to 200mm (8 inches) more space within the corner, but introduces a towel and tray storage area to allow for the fact that the kitchen company will not make a unit carcass more than 1000mm wide. (40 inches)

Even with standard sized units there shouldn't be an excuse for the designer
not to fully use every bit of space in your kitchen. Figures 6 and 7 are the options to choose if you want this to be the case. Figure 6 shows a 1000mm (40 inch) corner base unit with a 400mm (16 inch) door.

This kitchen renovation would look very symmetrical, as every door used in it is 400mm (16 inches) wide. The only negative here would be the access available to the corner. The two options would be to either store items that you don't use that
often in the corner or introduce a semi-circular carousel than would spin out upon opening the door.

A designer might try and put you off having a carousel inside your corner cupboard by saying it won't let you use all the space - but the real reason is that it adds to the cost and you'll be less likely to decide 'on the night'.

Figure 7 shows the most practical method of designing a corner cupboard.This offers a 900 x 900mm (36x36 inch) corner base with two 300mm (12 inch) doors hinged together at the centre to offer a 'piano hinge' style opening. Storage can either encompass shelving immediately accessible after opening the door or a ¾ circular carousel can be installed. Again, if your budget isn't sufficient then a designer won't offer you this option. Corner solutions are an integral part of an efficient kitchen renovation. It is important that you choose the right option for your lifestyle and Kitchen Secrets recommends if necessary slightly increasing your budget.

© www.kitchen-secrets.com

Author Bio

Steve Smith worked as a professional kitchen designer for over two years. In his time working in the kitchen industry, he designed over 1000 kitchens, selling nearly 400. Latterly he became disillusioned with the 'hard sales techniques' being employed by many companies in the industry and has since developed an online Kitchen Design Guide.

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Reprint of Kitchen Design articles by Steve Smith is permitted.
However, the full author bio & active link to www.kitchen-secrets.com MUST be included.

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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by D Taylor
 4 years 202 days ago.
Cannot get onto kitchen secrets; are doors attached to carousel on the 'piano type' door system and rotate with the carousel; where can i find one? sounds great- too good to be true
» left by INMA
from SPAIN 3 years 104 days ago.
Hi there! I've been reading your comments, well the whole explanation about corner solutions with the drawings, I think you don't know the solution I have in my kitchen, I have the same corner in the photo and I have a kind of hinge which is called Rincomatic, it's a hinge joint between both combinated doors and it's very stylish because it has many finishes, I recommend you have a look on its website!! Apart from that the hinge includes a catch with a roller to prevent damage to the next door or item you may have next to them, I think you could see this and give  your opinion, in that way you may think this possibilitie is good for your kitchen corner problem!!
 
Regards!!
» left by Joanne from Southampton 2 years 229 days ago.
Hi Inma, I've tried this product, I looked for it on the internet and had contact to the company to supply me a sample and they did it! I think it's the best solution for corner furniture, we can see many solutions for this problem, but the majority of them are quite expensive and they waste much space. Thanks a million for your opinion and advice!
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