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melanie1422

Dishes In Drawers

melanie1422
15 years ago

I would really love to put my dishes in drawers instead of in upper cabinets. If you keep your dishes in drawers, please tell me what size drawers, how big your largest plate is, and what you have holding the plates still - liner, pegs, dish holder, nothing? I'd love to see photos!

Thanks in advance!

Comments (31)

  • melanie1422
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Wow, the glasses and cups too! That's awesome. I don't think I have 36" though - if only!

    You have beautiful plates! Thanks for the help!

  • nomorebluekitchen
    15 years ago

    I keep my dishes in drawers too, and I love it. It makes it so much easier and safer for my kids who empty the dishwasher.

    My drawer is only 24" wide. I have large plates, (maybe 10") salad plates, and bowls. I don't use any system to keep them in place but I don't get any movement or rattling. We have Blum.

    I don't have my glasses and cups in drawers; for some reason i didn't think I could, but after this thread I'm going to give it a try. Love it!

    Anita

  • elizpiz
    15 years ago

    Melanie, here's a pic of a 24" drawer. Two top drawers are not as deep. As Anita said, you can still fit a lot in!

    Eliz

  • melanie1422
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    The 24" is a pretty good size... I could probably fit my dishes in there.

    So I don't need to worry about a system? I was going to go with the dish holders from Ikea, but I can't seem to find them on the Ikea site - I wonder if they're discontinued?

  • elizpiz
    15 years ago

    My thought is that a "system" would take up precious space in a drawer. Can you take a cardboard box of the same dimension as your drawer will be and see how many dishes you could get in without a system?

    Eliz

  • lexluthor
    15 years ago

    I asked about this same thing yesterday.

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0318583610031.html

    I guess, especially if you have the easy close drawers and a liner, you can just put the plates in and you'll be fine.

    We'll be putting everything back into our new kitchen next week, so we'll see how it goes.

  • melanie1422
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I guess it would take up extra space...I'm just afraid that my dishes will shift and break. Depending on which cabinetmaker I go with, I may or may not have soft close drawers. After my old kitchen, I'll just be happy with drawers that CLOSE!

  • melanie1422
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Lex, how did I miss your thread? I'm nuts, I guess. Oops!

    This is the kind of thing I was wanting...

    You just put in the drawer, put the plates down in it, and if you want to set the table, you just pick the whole thing up and move it. Except I can't find it on the US Ikea site - only on Ikea Malaysia, oddly enough.

  • lexluthor
    15 years ago

    I found the same thing on a foreign Ikea site too (I didn't think it was Malaysia).

    I'd be interested in tracking those down as well.

    Still, pretty much everyone said you can just place them in the drawers and you'll be fine, so if we decide to do plates in drawers, we'll probably try that first.

  • sautesmom Sacramento
    15 years ago

    Ikea has plate holder/carriers called the Rationell Variera Plate Holder (although I can't seem to find it on their website, to link here, I did find them on who sells it, below) They fit into drawers to hold the plates, are 8 inches high with adjustable width, and you can lift them out for serving or filling at the dishwasher. They are listed in the 2009 Ikea Kitchen catalogue at $9.99 each.

    Carla in Sac

    Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea kitchen catalogue 2009 page 33

  • oldalgebra
    15 years ago

    Elizpiz,
    How deep are your drawers? Are they all the same depth? Do you get a full set of 8 mugs, 8 dinners, 8 salads, and 8 soups, plus salt and pepper, and a few serving pieces in the drawers?
    Thanks,
    Denise

  • melanie1422
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Hi Carla,
    Those are the darn things! Why can't I find them on the Ikea website? Do I have to drive 2 1/2 hrs to a store to buy them?

    Do you use them? Are they as great as I think they'd be?

  • arleneb
    15 years ago

    I had pegboard and pegs in my last kitchen. I had a 36" drawer (I think) and had all my stoneware dinner and luncheon plates, cereal bowls and saucers in the drawer. I kept banging my knuckles on the pegs so eventually I took them out. Without the pegs, they never slid around -- too heavy, I guess!

    I absolutely loved keeping them in drawers and have planned my new kitchen to do the same -- but will just put down some kind of liner, no pegs. Probably the rubber mesh designed for no-slip throw rugs to start with.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    15 years ago

    Dishes stack so very nicely, and a pile of dishes doesn't move or slide real easily, so before you invest in the extra stuff, try putting just the dishes in the drawer on a non-skid liner, and see if you need anything else to contain them. I think you will find that you don't.

    Just be sure that you get full extension glides on your drawers so you can get at everything.

    -Babka

  • erikanh
    15 years ago

    I tried to find Cushy Cupboard liners but they're not sold locally. I found some very inexpensive waffle-type liners at Walmart. They do a great job at keeping everything in my drawers from sliding around. I'm so glad I didn't waste money on fancy drawer inserts. The liners are also machine washable. I spilled some honey and it was nice to be able to just toss it in the washing machine.

  • elizpiz
    15 years ago

    I have used inexpensive liner from HD for some of my drawers but find that the big drawers really haven't needed it. Melanie, I realised this morning that I misspoke on the measurements - the second pic I posted earlier is actually a 18.5" drawer; here are a couple of a 24", so you can see how much room there is...

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

    Denise, my three "big" drawers are 36" long, 7" high and 12" deep (internal dimesions). In there I have a full service for 8 plus some extra dishes - tons of room.

    Eliz

  • momof3kids_pa
    15 years ago

    I bought like 5 of those Ikea drawer things, and now 4 months later I think they are kinda useless (for me anyway). I have the Ikea cushy drawer liner stuff and that is enough to keep my plates (and bowls) firmly in place, but I have soft close, don't know if that does make a difference.

    I currently do have mine in the Ikea plate things because my husband is making me use them since I insisted on buying them in the first place, they don't take up that much more space, but they do visually annoy me because now I know they are unneccessary!! (Oh, I originally thought the handles would be helpful in lifting the whole stack of plates out, but I have never once done that, I just grab the plates I need.)

    I would definately say try it first with some kind of cushy liner alone, then if it doesn't work for you, I'll sell you my Ikea things!!

  • oldalgebra
    15 years ago

    Eliz,
    So you are saying that your big drawers are only 12 inches from front to back?
    Denise

  • elizpiz
    15 years ago

    Hi Denise - yes. I was worried when the cabs were being installed that they would not be big enough to hold all of our dishes, but with three of those dimensions, it all works really well. If you look at the first pic I posted, the bottom drawer is fully extended, so it gives you a sense of the depth.

    Eliz

  • melanie1422
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Eliz, thanks so much for the photos of the different sizes - I am such a visual person, and its hard for me to figure out what I can fit in if I can't see it! On a 24" set of drawers - is 24" the total cabinet size or the width of the actual drawer? I'm trying to figure out how wide the frame part of the cabinet is on inset cabinets, so I can squeeze in every possible inch of space!

    I'm amazed that you fit so much into a drawer only 12" deep! I will have a set of 15" deep drawers - I'm glad they'll have so much room!

    Mom of 3, good to know about the Ikea things! Thanks for the offer - I'll let you know once I get cabinets. :)

    Thanks for all the help!

  • elizpiz
    15 years ago

    Melanie, let me do a specific measure of the 24" inch drawer when I get home. The 24" is the inside dimension. I'm very visual too so I'm glad the photos have helped you!

    Eliz

  • Fori
    15 years ago

    Hmm. I've done my layout and not REALLY planned on dishes in drawers, but after an earthquake I'd much rather pick up dented cans off the floor than broken dishes.

    I have a single cabinet with soft-close drawers and keep all kinds of things in there. the only items that move are the round things kept on their side. It makes sense to wait and see if things shift before getting dividers (except maybe for wine glasses).

    Thanks for the pictures, everyone.

  • lucypwd
    15 years ago

    I use ony a drawer liner found at storables. My drawers hold plates, salad plates and cups - our entire drinking glass collection (not our wine glasses but only because I ran out of room), - bowls - cookware like pie pans, pyrex etc - tupperware. I would put everything in drawers if I could. My dishes don't shift around - I don't have soft close, just full extension glides. I fully expected it to be noisey and planned to buy some sort of system, but found it completely unnecessary. Try your drawers first. I think dividers etc are a waste of space!!

  • malhgold
    15 years ago

    what about pot and pan drawers. How tall are those?

  • elizpiz
    15 years ago

    Melanie, the 24" drawer pictured above with the pie plates is 24' wide by 20" deep by 7" high. Fits lots!

    Malhgold, my lower pot drawer is 33" wide by 18" deep and 9" high; that's the bigger of the two. The top one is same except for height, which is 6". This is what fits in the bottom one, with room for one or two small ones still (the drawer is being touched up that's why the pots are there sans drawer!)

    HTH,
    Eliz

  • melanie1422
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Eliz,
    Do you know how wide the frame is between two sets of drawers? For example, if I have 24" for the whole cabinet, how wide will I be able to make the actual drawers?

    Thanks again, for the photos and measurements! You're the best!

  • elizpiz
    15 years ago

    Melanie, here you go (and pardon the sloppy *drawing* - I am not a photoshop whiz like many on this forum!) The inside measurements are as stated above - 24" wide by 20" deep by 7" high.

    Sorry about the size of the image - I can't seem to resize it!

    I am very happy to help - so many were generous with their time and ideas while I was in process that it's nice to contribute back :-)

    Eliz

  • melanie1422
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    That is absolutely perfect! Just what I needed!

    Thank you thank you thank you! :)

  • rhome410
    15 years ago

    I guess I'm late to this party, but my dish drawer cabinets are 23" wide. Our dinner plates are about 9 3/4", and we have no 'system', just the drawer liner material I got at Costco.

  • timber.j
    15 years ago

    Wow! What is it about garden web that someone asks the questions that I have before I get a chance to post them?! Those drawers all look so pretty with the nice stacks of dishes in them!

    I can't wait to get some new matching plates and bowls, and drinking glasses when we move to the new kitchen. We are down to two glasses (and a bunch of plastic cups), and not quite enough glass bowls for every one. Way too many large dinner plates, and not enough of the salad size which most of the kids prefer...It will be nice to get some new dishes! I have some drawers across from the sink that will be very convenient to the dishwasher. Perfect, and the kids won't need to drag chairs into the kitchen to put away dishes anymore!

    I need to measure the depth of the drawers (they are on the lowered end of my island, so a bit shallower) and try to find glasses that will fit in them. I almost bought some of those plate holders at IKEA recently, I'm glad I didn't-sounds like you all find them unnecessary.