Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Base cabinets have been 24" deep since biblical times. If there were ever an ergonomically unsafe or poor sized cabinet, dontcha think someone would have invented it by now? I don't even know how to respond to the rest of that post.
We use file cabinets on wheels under the workbenches in the shop. That works a treat there, although aesthetically, I don't want them in the kitchen.
I've thought about stainless steel commercial countertops with wood cabinets below for the kitchen, but still not sure about that.
I've had the counters with curtains below, that worked fairly well, although the shelves below were stationary so there was still the rummaging around under the countertop issue.
The next kitchen will have the corner of the area under the cabinets accessible as part of the bedroom closet behind the kitchen wall. That will solve the unreachable corner under the cabinets problem, but I still don't know what the rest of the cabinets will look like. I'd prefer built in cabinets to get rid of the double layer space between the back of the cabinets and the wall, which IMHO is just a place for bugs to breed. It would also be nice to not have that boxed in area below the cabinets. Again, another area for bugs. This is Hawaii, there are bugs pretty much no matter what you do.
It might be interesting to have a stationary counter top and cabinet sections which can roll out for cleaning and accessing the back of the cabinets? The counter top may be stainless steel since that doesn't break dishes. Neither does Formica, although SS will last longer. But, SS is very 'industrial' looking so, hmmm.
I don't like kitchen cabinets. I had a fire less than a month after I bought my place so I got to redo my kitchen and I love it. The walls are painted all the way down and the flooring goes all the way to the walls. I use my china cabinet as a pantry. The "stuff" that use to fill it is still packed. A bar height table that matches the china cabinet is my work top. It has two matching stools.
I have two freestanding metal cabinets that my builder painted to match . My microwave sits on one and a laundry sink (meant to be temporary but I have been using it a couple of years now) sits on the other.
I do a lot of my cooking on the porch.
I don't know how many people you cook for but I say please yourself. If I need to sell, the plumbing and electric are there and it wouldn't take much to put in a traditional prefab kitchen setup. Mine sure is easy to keep clean
So NO cabinets for the minimalist crowd?
Or upgrade with filing cabinets or some large plastic bins from the container store?
Talk about a neo-hovel look!
I have seen many awkwardly designed or modified kitchens, especially at the corners. Some cabinet corner space is usually less accessible or wasted space. A lazy susan is extra cost. And lower cabinets are too deep. My solution is remove all built in lower cabinets. The space under countertops can be empty for whatever a resident wants to put there: cabinets, drawers, storage boxes, or knee space for sitting at the counter. One cheap way to get rollout shelves is used filing cabinets.
LOL. Since the great majority of kitchen-owners will want CABINETS, then it makes no sense to remove them. Knee space??
Only old cheap kitchens. Now as a homeowner I can redesign my kitchen, but I probably can't afford pro work, which makes me think the biggest flaw is the built in requirement for pro work.
Just like those crazy people who insist that only trained surgeons can perform surgery, or only lawyers can go to court and so on. Imagine the nerve of thinking people with training and experience are going to do something right the first time when everything should be DIY.
The fact that you can't easily install kitchen cabinets correctly doesn't make it a flaw that functional cabinetry with all kinds of bells and whistles to increase usability exists.
My current kitchen under counter area is all drawers. I was surprised at first when we moved in, but it turns out I like them. The under counter spaces beneath the built in cooktop, and the sink are open cabs. But the other areas are built in drawers.
Using metal file cabinets sounds inconvenient and unsightly. I don’t think they are resistant to moisture either. Just thinking about pulling out those file cabinet drawers makes my back hurt.
OP, call around to kitchen remodeling places and ask if they know if someone will be discarding old cabs. You might be able to find some that way. Get help installing, if you don’t know how. Paint them up and you will have a better arrangement that what you are imagining now.
My current kitchen under counter area is all drawers. I was surprised at first when we moved in, but it turns out I like them. The under counter spaces beneath the built in cooktop, and the sink are open cabs. But the other areas are built in drawers.
Using metal file cabinets sounds inconvenient and unsightly. I don’t think they are resistant to moisture either. Just thinking about pulling out those file cabinet drawers makes my back hurt.
OP, call around to kitchen remodeling places and ask if they know if someone will be discarding old cabs. You might be able to find some that way. Get help installing, if you don’t know how. Paint them up and you will have a better arrangement that what you are imagining now.
Yes, drawers OR cabinets - it matters not which one you prefer really, just that folks need STORAGE under their counters. That was my point. Yes I like drawers too, and most newer construction offers more drawers now in the base units. My new island is all drawers.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
