Improve Your Kitchen With These Corner Cabinet Hacks
Kitchen corner cabinets often end up as a chaotic mess of rarely used appliances and overflowing tupperware. But with some strategic organization, they can be valuable storage real estate. The right corner cabinet solutions can double your usable space while keeping essentials easily accessible.
By implementing lazy susans, pull-out shelves, vertical storage and other optimizations, you can conquer cluttered corners. Read on for ways to transform your neglected nook into a storage superstar.
Problems with Corner Cabinets
Corner cabinets come with inherent challenges. Their pie-shaped footprint limits access to items pushed to the back. Without storage aids, they become clutter collectors and food graveyards.
Dark, awkward corners cause things to get lost only to be discovered months later. And disorganization looks messy and chaotic. But targeted solutions can help you reclaim this underutilized space.
Lazy Susans and Turntables
Installing a lazy susan or turntable provides easy access to corner cabinet contents. These round trays rotate a full 360 degrees so no item gets trapped in the back. Lazy susans come in a variety of materials like wood, metal and plastic. Choose a full circle design or a crescent shape to fit your specific cabinet.
Pros: You can see everything at a glance and prevent wasted space. Cons: Heavy items can be tricky to rotate, and shelves limit storage capacity compared to upright options.
Pull-Out Shelving
Sliding shelves mounted on tracks allow you to fully extend contents of a corner cabinet. DIY options are available, but you can also have custom pull-outs installed at varying widths based on your needs. Consider adding a drawer base cabinet for large pans and baking sheets.
Pros: Provides full access to back corners and customizable sizes. Cons: Hardware is visible and can be expensive compared to lazy susans.
Tiered and Vertical Storage
Stacking shelves or hanging organizer racks double storage capacity by utilizing vertical space. Great for consolidating cookbooks, bakeware, plates, and other kitchen items. Use risers, dowels or shelf pins to divide and elevate shelves.
Pros: Increased storage and efficient use of unused vertical room. Cons: Reaching top shelves can be difficult, and shelves are fixed rather than adjustable.
Blind Corner Optimizing Pull-outs
Specialized pull-out shelves installed in blind corner cabinets optimize otherwise inaccessible space. Blind corner organizers use angled trays that pull out together to provide full access. For 90 degree corners, consider dual roll-out trays.
Pros: Transforms and declutters a challenging space. Cons: Can be an expensive upgrade and may require custom cabinetry work.
Baskets, Containers and Organizers
An affordable way to optimize corner cabinets is by corralling contents in storage bins. Plastic containers, woven baskets and spinning organizers contain items while keeping them visible and accessible. Labelling helps identify bin contents.
Pros: Budget-friendly, fully customizable and promotes a tidy look. Cons: Limited on weight capacity compared to built-ins.
Benefits of Corner Storage Solutions
No matter which solution you choose, corner cabinet optimizations provide serious storage gains. Strategic organization prevents packing items too densely or losing them in the depths. Your most-used items can be more conveniently accessed.
Solutions range from quick DIY projects to more involved custom cabinetry. But any upgrade helps declutter your kitchen and reclaim storage real estate. A few simple tweaks can double the usable space in your corner.
- Purge any unused items for a clean slate before optimizing
- Use inside cabinet doors for extra vertical storage with racks
- Install a pull-out trash or recycling bin in the corner base cabinet
- Consider open corner shelves instead of enclosed cabinetry
- Apply adhesive contact paper inside for an easy update
- DIY ideas like vertical spice racks and foil/wrap dispensers
With a little creativity, you can conquer your corner cabinet clutter. The key is finding the right storage solutions for your needs and available space. Implementing just a few targeted tweaks can make a major functional improvement.
With the variety of options available, you can customize your kitchen corners for optimal access and capacity. Reclaim this often-overlooked space and wonder why you waited so long!