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Contractor and Reliable
Remodeler
services to get the best quote for your home improvement project. Both services
are FREE.
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Kitchen
Secret #13
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.
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