If the design of your home hasn’t been updated in the past 20 years, there’s a good chance that many of your spaces are not being utilized. This may be especially unfortunate in the case of your kitchen, which is, of course, the most important piece of real estate in your home. When space is at such a premium you need to have every inch of it put to good use.

A lazy Susan may be the solution to the problem of wasted space that many kitchens across New Jersey have to deal with. When bottom cabinets are created with no thought as to how corner areas will be used, you sometimes get out-of-the-way spaces. These are the spaces that require you to comically stick your whole arm inside the cabinet, or even get inside them, to blindly grasp for that spaghetti sauce you need.

Or because the space is so deep it’s quickly cluttered with items that block you from accessing that same spaghetti sauce without battling with dozens of other jostling kitchen items. If you’ve found yourself in either of these situations (and haven’t given up on making a decent spaghetti dinner) then you should definitely look at getting a lazy Susan.

What Is a Lazy Susan?

If you’ve never seen a lazy Susan cabinet before, it’s basically one or more turnable platforms that spin around a central pole. You turn the platform to access something on it, then you turn it away and close the door when you’re done. Simple and elegant. 

Aside from you, your cabinets are the most important thing in your kitchen. It makes sense to want to use this genius solution to managing the space you have. How this is based on your already existing kitchen and your budget. There are different kinds of lazy Susans and they vary greatly in terms of price and quality. They’re available in 33’ and 36” cabinets and at Remya Warrior Interior Design we can help you install either size, hassle-free.

Are There Other Kitchen Cabinet Storage Options?

As the saying goes, though, there’s more than one way to get the job done. Let’s look at some alternatives and see if one of them might be right for your cabinet issues.

Blind cabinet with pull outs: The best alternative to a lazy Susan is the blind cabinet with pull outs. The sleek hardware is comparable to a lazy Susan in that they hide your items until you’re good and ready to see them again. In this case, you see them by sliding the metal shelving out of your cabinet on a smooth ball-bearing system. The minimum required space for the pull out is 45” on 1 side and 24” on the other. Because they come in a number of different configurations you can get the size and look that works for you. Lemans, for example, pull out for shorter cabinets—42”.

The Blind cabinet pull out is sturdy, pulls out with ease, and can be optimized for those who are left-handed or right-handed. This may be the best solution for your storage issues as it can be used in spaces a lazy Susan can’t, for example:

• The sink or the stove is too close to the corner cabinet
• The 33” to 36” needed for a lazy Susan isn’t available

While the price for this fantastic option is a little higher than the lazy Susan, I have had several clients gush over it, as they’ve become real conversation starters in their home. The slide-out blind corner cabinet is a wonderful combination of looks and practicality, and it may be exactly what you need.

Corner recycle center: If your corner spaces are empty, one alternative to the lazy Susan might be to use the area to store your recycling bins. Recycling is mandatory in New Jersey, so unless you’re into pilling up sanitation department fines, these bins are a household necessity. Creating a sort of corner recycle center removes the bulky items from the kitchen floor and puts them out of sight until they’re needed. 

The downside is that if you’re already lacking cabinet space it’s better to have your bins on the kitchen floor and your pots stored away than vice versa. Also, a better solution for your bins may be to have a 15” or 18” garbage pull out towards the end of the kitchen. I prefer this option as it keeps the trash separate from where the food is prepared, a necessity in my book.

Corner drawers: Another kitchen storage solution is the corner drawer. Corner drawers have been heavily hyped, most likely because of their newness and innovative look. They turn those irksome corner spaces into another wonderful part of your wonderful kitchen.

There are, however, several drawbacks to these fixtures. For one, they don’t use the space well at all. If the whole corner cabinet is a 36” x 36” space, you might only get 12” to 15” of the usable area since the large spaces between the corner drawer and the standard drawers next to them can’t be used. I’ve never been a fan of wasted space and generally wouldn’t recommend these.

Sink base in the corner: A final option for your kitchen cabinet corner is to simply place your sink into that empty space. This option takes that large area and uses it to store all the pipes and plumbing extras that might normally take up valuable real estate in a more easily accessible cabinet.

What Solution Is Right for You?

Right now you may be dealing with a kitchen corner cabinet that just isn’t making the most of the space it has. Now that we’ve looked at the different options, we can help you find the right solution for your family’s needs.

In updating your kitchen to suit your needs, know that Remya Warrior Interior Design is here to help. We’ll be there with you through every step to ensure you get the most fun and function out of your corner spaces, your kitchen, and the rest of your home. To find out how we can help contact us today.