Dedicated Cabinets and Accessories

Remember the pots and pans drawer we talked about last week? In my opinion, as a designer for twenty plus years, Pots and Pan Drawers may have impacted changing the functionality of kitchen's! I know there have been many innovations. However, this type of cabinet has simplified life for countless homeowners.   Here is why I love them.

Historically pots and pans were tucked into those blind corner cabinets. Usually these dysfunctional
cabinets were the largest, yet most impractical use of space. They were typically placed next to the stove and extended around the corner to the sink.  Then this scenario happened everywhere, " Where is that pan?  I know I put it in here! " As an adult, you needed to get one of your young kids to crawl in looking for whatever was lost inside. Or, you had to be a contortionist with a flashlight to find the pot or pan needed!.

There are internal accessories called "swing-out shelves" now that make the blind corner cabinet a little more functional. However, in my opinion, a corner cabinet with a full base and an upper half shelf or a corner Lazy Susan cabinet is superior. Both can be utilized for food. The second option is perfect to store pots and pans. However, my vote for the best goes to the Pots and Pans drawers! They are either two deep drawers or a three drawer model with a top shallow drawer and two deep drawers below. The top drawer is a wonderful place to  store cooking utensils, hot pads, & cutting boards. Interior accessories are available to divide the width and depth of this spacious drawer. That creates defined categories to hold everything you need in one convenient drawer!

The typical base cabinet with stationary shelves works fine. Or you can add roll out shelves to the interior of the base cabinet. However, to access what you need requires opening the cabinet doors and pulling the shelves out. Why not reduce the effort to one movement, just opening the drawer

The bottom drawers are deep enough to store big deep pasta pots, every size pot or pan you need, and heavy skillets. It is surprising how much weight these drawers manage and still operate with soft close features. The construction on glides is strong and purposely designed for weighty items.
There are two other options as well. These drawers are strong enough to hold dinnerware if you choose. There are plate holder accessories designed to stack all your dishes too. Storing your dinnerware in the base cabinets allows the wall cabinets to be available for more creative use. Glass doors with lit finished interiors are beautiful focal points as well as functional. Would you like to display favorite family heirlooms or special trays, glassware or specialty dishes?  Storing breakfast foods close to your refrigerator for convenience is great when there are some wall cabinets free from storing your everyday dinnerware.

Clean open expanses of your counter top makes your kitchen look bigger, cleaner, and more inviting!
Small appliances, docked charging stations, dish drainers, and other various kitchen necessities can dramatically minimize counter space needed to prepare and cook. I find a clean clear counter relaxes me when I enter my kitchen. I happen to have a smaller kitchen. One of the inconveniences of that is needing to combine "charging areas" for our electronics with either the cooking  or cleaning centers of my counter top. Ugh!

One of the newer innovations addressing this issue, is another favorite. It is called a Docking Drawer. This great functional cabinet drawer will eliminate unsightly clutter. How many devices end up being charged on your kitchen counter now? Probably a few, correct? Docking Drawers  are a popular addition to our remodeling projects. They completely eliminate the headache of electronic clutter and endless tangled cords! This practical choice takes all your devices, tucks them neatly into a tidy drawer. Your counter space can be completely free for food prep  and cooking.

Having a place to "park " mixers, blenders, food processors frees up counter space as well.
It can also become a unique and beautiful focal point in your kitchen. Next week we will discuss these efficient cabinets and other specialty selections that make your kitchen truly organized!