Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
brightm

Shallow cabinets on island

brightm
9 years ago

Would shallow cabinets that back up to standard base cabinets on an island be a good way to get an island that's a bit wider than 24, but not a lot? I'm thinking maybe 6" deep? One side could be pantry items (cans etc). The other side, I'm not sure. I'm thinking it could store some specialty glasses that are currently in another room. Low isn't ideal, but it's better than going as far for them as we are now.

Comments (15)

  • Mags438
    9 years ago

    Are you looking to increase size of island or create more storage space? If looking to increase island size, could you just put on a larger countertop?

  • lisadlu
    9 years ago

    I'm going to do this when we remodel. Our current island is 24" x 156" with a 10" overhang for barstools. I am going to add 12" deep cabinets to about half the island and keep the bar overhand for the other half. I am going to store specialty glasses and small appliances like waffle maker and juicer that aren't used regularly. If you can I would make them 12" but if you don't have the space then 6" will still give you some good storage for shallow items.

  • nightowlrn
    9 years ago

    Our last house island had what you describe. It was great. Just wide enough for the vitamix, food processor, oval dutch oven, etc. I loved it.

  • sudaki
    9 years ago

    I love my shallow island cabinets! I have a 3 1/2" deep one (candles and small stuff) and a 6 1/2" deep one for misc glassware. I wasn't sure how useful they would be but that was all that would fit and give us adequate aisles. They're full and fabulous!!

  • brightm
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the great ideas ! I had been thinking of most small appliances in a super Susan, but while living in the existing kitchen with all these reno thoughts swirling around in my mind there are other things I'm thinking I'll want in there location wise (lunch prep stuff, etc) so turning around to get some items like the blender and juicer would be good if it's deep enough. And if not, it'll still be good for something. Good to hear others who've done it. Thanks for the pics 2LittleFishies and nightowlrn. Do you recall the dimensions if the island nightowlrn ?

  • romy718
    9 years ago

    I have 6-8" deep shelves on the back of my island (out if town or I'd measure). I had no trouble filling them up - canned goods, larger containers of spices & baking products, pet treats & pet dishes etc. No problem finding items to put on those shelves.

  • nhbaskets
    9 years ago

    Based off of inspiration from Fishies, we have 12" cabinets on the back side of our island. I went with the larger depth to accommodate serving pieces I wanted to keep in the kitchen rather than storing elsewhere. Can't wait to fill these puppies!

  • 2LittleFishies
    9 years ago

    nhbaskets- 12" will be great! I had to get 10" based on the size of island, overhang, etc.. Enjoy!

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    I have 12" deep cabinets for about half the length of the back of my 10' island - the other half is occupied by a couple of stools. I use the cabinets to store nice serving bowls that I'd rather not stack, extra wine glasses and the like. I actually wish they were just a little deeper so my placemats would lay flat.

  • blubird
    9 years ago

    The total depth of my custom cabinets on my island is 27.5". The shallower side measures 4" deep. My kitchen is not huge and I needed all the cab space I could get. While I wish the shallow size was a drop deeper, but my spices are easily reached. The picture shows 1 of the 3 cabs open. The next picture shows the back of the island closed.

  • blubird
    9 years ago

    Here's the picture of the island doors closed.

  • juddgirl2
    9 years ago

    I have 4 shallow cabinets just like 2littlefishie's on the back of my peninsula. It's great storage for things we don't use everyday, like my extra candles, cell phone and camera cases, seasonal kitchen décor, etc. The counter on my peninsula is deep so there's plenty of room for the standard depth cabinets on one side and shallow on the other.

  • Laura
    9 years ago

    We have 12" base cabinets adjacent to 24" ones on our island. I love them for a variety of items - pantry storage, small appliances, etc. Everything is super accessible. We also did a 12" deep bookshelf on a portion of the island, which we love. I would imagine there would be all sorts of uses for a slightly shallower cabinet, too.

    Island:

  • lascatx
    9 years ago

    I didn't read all the replies (not patient today), but we did 21" deep cabinets on one side of the island and 13" on the other side. The 21" depth holds a trash pullout, prep sink base, drawers an a warming drawer (Dacor) just fine and the 13" depth houses the outdoor dishes, grill stuff and small appliances. They are so easy to get to and put away -- would definitely recommend. Even shallower shelves will come in handy for many kitchen items -- just look at the location and make sure the locations and intended use work together. If not, it won't make sense and may frustrate you in the long run.