Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
beekeeperswife_gw

Corner Drawers instead of Lazy Susan?

beekeeperswife
12 years ago

If you have them, do you like them?

There are 2 corner cabinets in the kitchen, can I do one with the drawers and just leave one with the lazy Susan?

Below is the link to Dutchwood's brochure. You can see a photo of what I'm talking about.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dutchwood's brochure

Comments (37)

  • mamadadapaige
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think Lazy Susan's are one of those things people either love or hate... I am not a fan. I don't like reaching in to grab things -- I have one in the current house and everytime I have to go in there to get something there is this tiny feeling of reluctance.

    I much prefer a magic corner or a lemans pull out for a corner if it is possible.

    With your set up, if I had to pick between the pull out drawers or lazy susan I would go for the drawers... I'd rather kill some of the space and have the convenience of a drawer.

    Just my opinion - I will bet this will be a polarized discussion!!

  • CEFreeman
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well.

    I think blind corners are just plain stupid. But now they've invented lots of pull out things.

    I think cabinets where you have to open a drawer to pull the shelf out are stupid. Messes up the door, extra steps, and more I could think of, but you get my point .

    I've always been a lazy susan person because you could get to stuff. It rolled right out in front of you! Particularly on upper, corner cabinets. Talk about blind, lost space without them!

    But I've never worked with that corner drawer thing. Boy, in recent years they've sure gone wild with drawer possibilities. I remember thinking about under sink bathroom drawers that could have been cut .. and now they're a standard option!

    I think I might go with the drawers because you could get more use out of the back space. That means the back of the drawer is diamond shape into the corner, right? How do the drawer glides work? Or are you losing space because the back of the cabinet is wider and the drawer must accommodate the opening?

    I'm still leaning towards a lazy susan. I'm a space hog, but I think it's because for so long I've had no storage at all other than 100s of plastic bins stacked around the room to create walls.

    What do you like?

  • marcolo
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You have to be very specific about what you're deciding between. Corner drawers, and what kind of Susan, and for what purpose?

    I have the kind with the doors attached, and it's great for pots and pans. The angled corner cabinet types have smaller openings, and are better for smaller pantry items (though I'm personally not a fan). I'm not sure I see either type on the Dutchwood brochure.

    plllog is a big booster of her corner drawers. Have you seen her pics?

  • melissastar
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bee, stylistically, I don't see anything wrong with doing one as a susan and one as drawers...assuming that works best for what you want to store. I did notice in the brochure that the susan offered is a standard one, with a pole. Can you get a super susan...that is, one rotating kidney shelf on the bottom and one rotating kidney shelf on a fixed shelf in the middle of the cabinet?

    I finally got mine a few weeks ago and I am in love with it. That sucker is a beast. Holds one large crockpot, one small crock pot, 2 waffle irons, large cuisinart with a bag full of extra cutting/grating/slicing blades. Oster blender and two containers, a stack of HUGE stainless bowls and colander (commercial food prep size), two stacks of other more normal sized mixing bowls, salad spinner, coffee/spice grinder, food scale, immersion blender, sifter, box grater, mini-cuisinart food processor...and I'm probably forgetting some stuff too.

  • joyce_6333
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bee, I'm usually not one to comment on kitchen design because I find it so very personal, and I'm certainly not an expert by any means. Depends on what you like and how you cook, etc. However, I just want to offer this about lazy susans. (I've never had the corner drawers) In my last house, the lazy susan was in a corner where the cabinet front was at an angle in the "L". Worked very well, and it was a full circle, so added storage. In the new kitchen, we have the 3/4 susan, with the hinged cabinet door. I just hate that hinged door. When I bake, I like to have the door open because I keep large containers of flour, sugar, etc in the susan and it's nice to just leave them in the susan on the top shelf, and reach in for supplies as needed. This hinged door always is in the way, banging into the other cupboards. And to close it, you have to make sure that 3/4 susan is returned to the proper position to shut the door. A real pain for me. Since the bottom susan is almost on the floor, you either have to bend way over, or use your foot to return it to the proper position. I do love the lazy susans because of the great amount of storage..as Melissa says. I store many of the same things in mine.

    Old Kitchen (2001)

    New kitchen with hinged door in corner (2011)

  • sail_away
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would have to see the corner drawer in person to see how much of the available space I was losing. Of course, if you've got plenty of storage already, then that's not an issue.

    I do have one corner cabinet, with a lazy susan which I assume is the kidney shape Melissastar mentioned. It makes use of every bit of space in the corner. I think the reason Melissastar and I have been so happy with our corner cabinets is because of what we choose to store in there---crock pots, rice makers, electric fry pan, very large pressure cooker for canning, etc. If you have large items that would logically go in that location, then the revolving shelf works wonderfully for that. It really comes down to (1) what you want to store in those locations and (2) what appeals to you aesthetically.

    Incidentallly, I'm talking about heavy duty wooden lazy susan that you can literally turn with your little finger and with no pole in the middle.

  • kirkhall
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So, here is what I don't understand about lazy susans of today...

    I have an old lazy susan 3/4 shelf-style (2 shelves). The door is attached to the shelves, and rotates with the shelves. So, unlike my MIL's new kitchen cabinets, I don't have that stupid hinged door in the way when I spin it around to get my items.

    I can "leave it open" so to speak (the door rotates into the cabinet) and the shelves are accessible. Mine is on a pole, and after 30 years, the pole is wearing out. But, I don't want to replace my cabinet (this one in particular) because I hate the "new" style.

    If you have plenty of storage, do what works best--drawers or lazy susan.

    If you need the storage, I'd go for a lazy susan, but only if I could get the type like I have--where the entire corner cabinet face rotates into the cabinet.

  • carybk
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'd be focused on assessing your storage needs. You can almost certainly fit more in the lazy susan, and probably larger things. Our lower lazy susan has a single door and is easy to use, but we needed to maximize storage.

  • clarygrace
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Bee! My Moms' neighbor has the corner drawers you are asking about and she likes them. She stores her plastic containers and other medium size items. She also saved the bottom drawer for her pups' bowls and other paraphenalia!

    I like the super susan options, with pull out drawers...have you seen those?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kraftmaid super susan image

  • desertsteph
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    '100s of plastic bins stacked around the room to create walls. '

    I didn't think anyone else lived like this...

    I'd rather have the drawers!

  • beekeeperswife
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for all the opinions. I am thinking about how I will use this cabinet. Well, cabinets, since there are 2. Currently I have a lazy susan that has the pole and the door spins inside. I have plastic containers that hold my oils, vinegars, honeys (of course) on the top, and the bottom has my vases, and the giant plastic wrap roll from Costco. I would probably use one of the corners for that stuff again. Maybe not the vases, I'm sure I'll find somewhere else for them.

    But I wonder if I would use one of these for my containers of flour/sugar, etc. Yes, that's what I want to keep there. Well, then, maybe I'll stick with the lazy susan. Look at that? It's settled.

    Plllog, your information is great. And I can see that I wouldn't lose space, but if I want to do some tall stuff, they might not work. Unless they can make one of the drawers deeper to hold the containers for the flour. Oh geez, now I'm really thinking about it. I guess I'll call the cabinet maker and ask about the depths. I'll have to show him your drawings, if that's ok.

  • plllog
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bee, I have ClickClack canisters. My flours in in tall ones, and the sugar and specialty things are in a size down. Plus some really small ones for really small things. I planned my drawers around them. The bottom drawers are 13" outside/11" inside, and fit my tall canisters and my stockpot. The middle drawer is 11" outside/9" inside and more than deep enough for the next tallest canisters and my everyday pots. The top ones are 6" outside/4" inside for utensils and flatware. I might have done well with some shallower drawers for my baking pans, but I don't mind the stacks and liked the look with them all level.

    You're more than welcome to show this all to your cabinetmaker. :) That's why I put them out in public. :)

    As I said before, you can accommodate tall things with tall drawers. If you like the idea of being able to pull the drawer out and lift up, drawers are your answer. You can put in just two drawers in one corner if you want to have the tall things. It's wide things that will probably fit more on a super susan tray, because the tray itself is wider rather than longer, so there would be less wasted space on the sides.

  • amarantha
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There are a couple other options - not sure if anyone else suggested them as I didn't read every response completely.

    1. give up the corner completely - make it dead space in the corner and put in 2 banks of drawers instead. You could also possibly make the "dead corner" accessible space from an adjacent room that shares that wall. I don't know if you've posted a layout anywhere so don't know if this would work for you.
    The link below is from an old GW posting (that links to a woodworking site) that I found several years ago - I've had it filed since then and it has good discussion on the topic. Look at the post from the poster "coffehaus" -it's almost at the bottom (abitaqueenbee poster clips the same thing 2 posts below). I don't care for corner cab solutions like the susans etc and so I eliminated the corner from my layout and ran the sink cabinetry run all the way to the wall. It worked better for my layout.

    2. Consider a full step-in pantry if you have the room for it- fully framed in. You'll give up counter space but will gain it inside the pantry where you can store small appliances and extra baking dishes etc as well as food.

    Hope these make sense. Just more ideas to think about! Fun :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: older post from GW about giving up corner cabinet for more drawer space

  • sail_away
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Plllog, Thanks for doing the math, and for explaining things so clearly. The diagrams and photos help a lot, too. I think, based on the stuff I have to store right now, if I had two corners I would still have the lazy susan in one, but I'd put the drawers in the other. But that's just based on my stuff---plus I'd want to see the exact measurements before I made a final choice.

    Of course, I actually have only one corner in my kitchen, so, happily, I don't have to make any decisions. But it's fun to imagine what I'd do ...

  • plllog
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Re what Amarantha said, a total blind corner with no access only loses you about 5-7% storage per level. The main reason to have a corner cabinet is if you have full overlay doors. That way they can go all the way to the corner without a big filler.

    Here's a picture with canisters for you, Bee. :) I just noticed that one of the big ones isn't in there, in front in the bottom drawer. There's very little wasted space with these round canisters, and I put small things like the baking soda or an open bag of chocolate chips in whatever gaps there are.

  • formerlyflorantha
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    what lies behind the blind corner?

    In our kitchen we have 3 blind corners. One got a lazy susan (has tea, cereals, canned snacks, and booze in it), one became a niche that is accessed from the coat closet (contains an Elfa unit of 2 baskets holding our off-season footgear) and one that is accessed from the outside of the peninsula as a cabinet with door (has shelves for our best flatware, party gear, etc.)

    Have also seen an interesting 1950s retrofit kitchen with the blind corner of the peninsula fitted out on the outside of the peninsula with a dishwasher.

  • drbeanie2000
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Is there a significant price difference between a corner Susan/Super Susan/Magic Corner and the corner drawers?

    I, too, have the hinged door that has to open before getting to the 3/4 round lasy Susan at my house now, and I agree that it is a PITA.

  • CEFreeman
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think those corner drawers look a mess. I realize they work for some, but I couldn't live with that. I really hate my 12" 3-drawer cabs, and even my 24" 4-drawers simply because the drawers are too narrow or too shallow to be practical for me.
    I'm so anal, though, that they have my picture in the dictionary.

    I've seen so many kitchens that had (to me) really nonfunctional drawers that I guess I'll do anything to avoid them.

    It seems like so much extra work to make them work!
    Ah well.

  • plllog
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Drbeanie, it depends on who's making it, I'd guess. Some lines you buy the cabinet shell and buy your own mechanism and install it yourself. Some upcharge you highly for anything less popular. My full service cabinetmaker charges by the kitchen. Anything made out of wood is included, plus a certain amount of hardware (hinges, glides, etc.). If there are different glides for the corner drawers, I probably had to pay the difference between those and regular, but I would have had to pay for the lazy susan hardware if I'd chosen that.

  • zartemis
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We went with both (in one corner):

    We were going to do a stacked lazy/super suzan and started planning out where we'd put things and needed a place for some tall appliances. We also thought that most accessible storage would be the first drawer right below the countertop. I thought about using the corner cab for those tall items and they were a bit too tall to make it easy to have two lazy susan shelves. And that gave me the idea of just doing the top corner drawer -- that prized first drawer space. Asked our cabinet makers if they could and they said yes.

  • kaismom
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My kitchen did not change footprint or the configuration but I made a few changes that made a great deal of 'usage' improvement.

    One of those improvement is that I used to have a corner lazy susan with a door that had a piano hinge: much like Artemis above. I really disliked how difficult it was to get large items out of the cabinet. I predomantly store large items in my lazy susan. I have places for everything else. I store large washing bowls, large pots and pans in my lazy susan because I find it is more efficient (location wise) to store smaller items in my other drawers. My laze susan is 24 inches left of my sink and the location is ideal for stuff to wash/drain fruits and lettuce.

    I replaced it with a blind tucking in/pulling type of lazy susan with the shelf that completely pulls out of the cabinet box. It pivots on one end rather than rotate about its center. It costs significantly more than a typical lazy susan hardware. These are more difficult to find as a standard offerings in a cab company because of its upcharge. Hafele makes them. It is called "Lemans pull out system." It operates very smoothly.

    Because the entire tray completely pulls out of the cabinet box, it functions similar to a drawer, ie items are delievered out to you, rather than you reach into the drawer. If you look carefully, the entire kidney shaped shelf is completely out of the box, not spins around and 1/2 way of the box as would be most lazy susans. When you are moving fast, it makes a great deal of difference when it is easy to access your stuff. I was a large upcharge but I am very happy I paid for it. When you do the corner drawers, there probably will be a significant upcharge (from the standard lower priced lazy susan) because of the added number of drawer hardware.

    Just wanted to give you another possibility.

    This web site lets you see videos of how they work.

    Here is a link that might be useful: like this

  • CEFreeman
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Having just purchased a huge corner cabinet with one of those dumb, hinged doors, I'm trying already to figure out how to reconfigure it as a lazy susan, like Kirkhall, with the doors attached to the round part.

    Another challenge!

  • hellonasty
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love my super susan. It's huge. It fits all of my small appliances. It's a lot better than before, when I had to go down to the basement every single time I needed anything at all (we had zero storage in the old kitchen).

  • drbeanie2000
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    zartemis,

    Great idea! I would never have though of that.

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The corner drawers are still wasting a lot of space.

    We have hinged corner doors (hinges between the two sides as well as on one edge to the cabinet) and they work well.
    You can open them up and the pair of doors is nearly flat against the cabinets allowing full access to the interior.

  • janelor
    9 years ago

    Plllog, what is the width of your corner drawers? Thanks.

  • toddimt
    9 years ago

    I have the corner drawers as well.

    36" or 39" wide depending on framed or frameless.

    http://www.blum.com/us/en/02/20/40/#TECHDATASHEET0

  • janelor
    9 years ago

    toddimt! Thanks so much! I just measured across the opening last night, because my husband had me worried that there just wasn't enough room for anything in that little space! It's over 17", so once the carpenter finishes I think it'll be perfect. I was so so happy to see those specs. Carpenter is out of town so I can't ask him.


    Are you pleased with your drawers? Can you fit much in them? Do you wish you'd put in a Super Susan instead? I'm still very excited to get the drawers, but I'd love to get other opinions.


    Thanks so much for your quick reply.

  • toddimt
    9 years ago

    You will need 18" of space on each side of the corner (36" wide base cabinet). Need even spacing on both sides. 17" would mean 34" and imagine something could be made for this.

  • AnnKH
    9 years ago

    I think the V-shaped drawer front would drive me nuts. If I were to do this, I'd use an angled cabinet, so the front of the drawer would be square. My super susan cabinet is angled, and has a drawer above.

    My SS holds a mixer, toaster, waffle iron, crock pot, rice cooker, George Foreman grill, and extra-large Tupperware bowls on the turntables; I'm quite sure all of that would not fit in drawers, even if the cabinet was angled.


  • kelleg69
    9 years ago

    Brickeyee, can you show a pic of yours? I am not sure I understand. I am thinking about this same issue. Thanks.

  • janelor
    9 years ago

    So, toddimt, exactly how wide are your drawers inside? And how long is each drawer front (the two that make a "V")? I'm really worried now. I don't want tiny (worthless) drawers there. I need to figure something out quickly.

  • janelor
    9 years ago

    AnnKH, I don't want to keep all those appliances in my corner cabinet. I can see that your SS would definitely be the way to go there. I have other places in mind for those items. I really want a baking corner right near my stand mixer, and plllog's picture really fired me up!

    My husband suggested a hinged door and just leave the cabinet open behind it. I told him not no, but hell no. I'm already having a hinged door above, and I'm not happy about it.

  • toddimt
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Sorry, I was away. I will try and measure them tonight for you. However, I am pretty sure the drawing in the link below are the specs. The last page has the drawer width dimensions. This is based on the 36" base cabinet.

    Blum 36" Space Corner

  • beth09
    8 years ago

    I read a post on here somewhere that angled doors/counters on corners are more expensive. Is this true?

  • janelor
    8 years ago

    Toddimt, my carpenter built a prototype drawer, and it is awesome. We're very excited, as is my GC. Impressed with how much usable space I'll have in that corner, with three drawers. Until he built me a drawer and I saw it installed, I was panicking. I really didn't see how there could be room for so much in that little opening. Thanks for your input. And thanks to plllog for all her pics and info.