I had a 6" space (4-1/2" useable) and in the end decided it was a waste of money to put in what would likely be a pretty useless pull-out. I put a telescoping towel rack in the space.

That was while I was testing it out. It's a hostage in the kitchen right now as cabinets are going up. I don't want to venture in and grab it. I want to say it is 2+ inches. You can see the things that fit and the things that didn't.

I saw a pic recently of someone who has a custom one (not rev-a-shelf) where they had plexiglass sides and made a bin to store microfiber cloths or something like that. I'll try to round that up. I thought it might be something I might try.

I ordered some restaurant style squeeze bottles that fit into it because I thought it might be handy for hand soap or dish soap or something (DH doesn't want to install a soap dispenser).

Installer left for the day. Here you go:

2 1/4" I'd say.

Let me know if you want me to try to stick anything into it. :)

Any chance of getting a custom size? I had a space between the corner and the fridge, and just had a pullout made to fit (but my whole kitchen was made to fit, so it was no biggie). I didn't know what was going in it, but figured it would be useful. At first, it had the bread, cereals, crackers and stuff. Then I got the bottled water out of my pantry by giving it away (!) and moved those there. Now it has accessories for new appliances: vacuum sealer, Soda Stream and juicer.

An alternative to a pullout rack would be one with vertical dividers for cutting boards, pizza peel, etc. Or it can be an open bin for one big, heavy thing.

If you can get a door the right size, any half decent carpenter can build the tray(s) for you, and the hardware is just drawer glides.

By the way, mine exploded on the installer. He got it up and the shelves wouldn't move. The bearings weren't working. So he took it down and didn't install it. It's in pieces in my kitchen and it's going back to HD.

He assured me he could still install it any time (contrary to what all the rev-a-shelf info says. I may wait and have something made instead.

plllog, good suggestion. I'll ask my cabinet maker if they can do a custom pull-out. I don't think I need more vertical storage: the entire space above the oven/speed oven is vertical storage. Hmm, but I could use that 3" opening to store the big wooden cutting board (we're reusing our pull-out cutting board but cutting the cab front off it). It's heavy so lifting it high over my head isn't idea so that's a possibility. Thanks!

cal_quail, thank you so much for the info and image. I was hoping for more width but that was not realistic. 2.25" width isn't wide enough to hold coffee syrup bottles, boxes of tea, bags of coffee, etc: the intended purpose of that pull-out. (Yours exploded? Oh, no! That's not good.)

sjhockeyfan, I *wish* I had room for a 6" cab because I'd do the towel pull-out in a heart beat. But a 3" opening just isn't wide enough for any of the commercial pull-outs. I suppose I could ask my cabinet makers if they can do a custom pull-out. I wouldn't want to have more than 1 towel in the cab though. Crowding more than 1 towel may lead to mildew since there might not be enough air circulation to dry the towels.

Plllog, I just did some measuring and I've decided that I'm going to make that narrow cab an open space to store my large wooden cutting board. I had considered this earlier but then forgot about it. Thanks for your comments because it jogged my memory. It's a good solution and it's definitely cheaper than a pull-out mechanism.

Lisa, that sounds like a good decision. I've always wondered about those high vertical storage designs. Okay for cookie sheets, but I've always kept those flat, anyway. My vertical storage are all heavy things like baking and cutting boards, or heavy and delicate, like large glass and ceramic platters.

Open space is cheaper than having a pullout made, for sure, but I love my

. :) The cabinetmaker made it strong enough for Boos block and marble plank. :) If your cabinets are custom, you probably have enough scrap lumber, so it should be just labor and the glides. (My cabinetmaker prices by the kitchen--which is heaven. Anything they can build is included, you just pay for extra hardware, like my .)

Little tip. Put a couple of small pulls on the edge of your heavy board and it'll be easy to pull out. If it's thick, like a Boos, and you don't want a pull sticking out, you can also put a pocket door pull hook in it.

Good tip, plllog, thanks!

I hadn't planned on making it a pull-out since the opening will only be 3" wide. If I make it a pull-out, I would lose usable width. So far, I only have the one large board to store in it but that could change. I could have them put a door on it but I think it would look fine open, too. Like this:

[Transitional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2112) by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators Fiddlehead Design Group, LLC

Cool! Check out this cutting board storage!

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by South East Kitchen & Bath Designers Beau-Port Kitchens

That's kind of what you suggested but more finished looking than I had envisioned.

I'm okay with putting the vertical storage over the speed oven since most of that stuff is on the light side. No heavy boards up there.

Your kitchen is so cleverly planned.

Thanks, Lisa--it took long enough! The designing, that is. Like a year or more.

I like the second picture a lot. The cabinet hardware is casual and the same color as the boards, so it all does look finished and intentional. The first picture is more formal of the cabinets, but the books and oatmeal make it more casual. The boards would look fine as they are, all a-tilt, if the cabinet were finished. As it is, it looks like the door is missing. If that opening were trimmed out flush with the doors/drawer fronts, it would look vastly better. The second one doesn't have that issue because the cabinets are inset. I think it will function for you just fine.

But...don't you have a 4.5" gap? Or is that without considering the box? I thought you meant a 4.5" space within the box like SJHF, which is why I was encouraging you to do a pullout. If it's 4.5" including the box, and therefore a 3" gap, you're right that the open space makes the most sense, with or without a door. (I had one with door in a previous kitchen and it was right handy. )

I remember the planning and your threads here on GW!

Unfortunately, all I have is room for a 4.5" cab. I *wish* that were the opening because I'd love to have another 1.5" more space but ... if wishes were fishes. ;-).

I didn't spot what you spotted in that 1st pic at first but now I see what you mean. I am doing an open cab for cookbooks on the back of my island and it would look just like the bookshelf in the 1st pic so I guess the open space for my cutting board would be treated the same. Never thought that it might look unfinished. I guess I could always ask to have a door on it but hinges take up space and I don't have much as it is. I'll have to give that more thought.

I really like how they did it in the 2nd pic. It looks like the middle section holds a shallow tray (the finger cut-out makes me think that). Would it look weird to do this with frameless, full overlay? Hmm.

Be sure you think through how you will clean the space. Your hand and arm won't fit through a 3'' opening. You'll have to vacuum it, and do the damp cloth on the vacuum wand bit to wipe it. Open cabinets will need that treatment far more than ones with a door. Often, if you have pets. Shedding fur gets everywhere. And that is why the pullouts are more popular than open spaces. They have a ''door'' on them.

Lisa, are you absolutely sure about the size of the gap? Have you picked out a sink, so you know exactly what size sink base you need? I'm assuming the DW is next to the sink.

At the risk of being a pest... I would sure love to see an overhead view!

I've already thought about that Holly. We have a very skinny wand attachment for our vacuum so I know I can clean it. But it's still extra cleaning. That's one reason why I like the 2nd inspiration pic better. It fills the space so extra cleaning is minimized. I'll talk to my KD and our cabinet maker and see what they suggest.

Thanks!

Hey, pest away, annkh, you're keeping me on task! I've been spending oodles of time measuring and allotting storage space all weekend. Hopefully I'll be ready to post my plans with organizational notes for review tomorrow.

I've chosen a Silgranite sink, the single bowl. It needs a 36" wide cab. The cab maker has already shrunk the fridge cab as narrow as possible, 38.5" versus the current 41", so I gain a few inches there but still not enough to give me more than the 4.5" gap between DW and fridge. If I manage to find any extra space, it's going to be fractions not inches. Unless I decide to blow out the back of the house and add on the 2' that I've been wishing I had! But that's really not going to happen. Dang it. ;-)

Lisa, you can do any of it with frameless/full overlay! It's just a matter of having them trim out the opening so that there is a frame around it that's flush with the doors. That first picture could have that. You can even make the frame removable if it would make cleaning easier, though I wouldn't. If you're having an edge detail on your doors, it can be mimicked on the frame. Or the frame can be just plain as if it were around an inset cabinet. As long as you have a cabinetmaker, you can have anything. Just ask. I'm sure he'll have a solution for you. That's true of the fitted slots like in #2 as well. Don't forget to have a little extra space in each, though, so that seasonal swelling won't hinder the works.

That's the first thing I thought of, when I saw the 'open space' pictures. Dog hair/pet fur. I have an open shallow cabinet which was converted to a tiled cutting board cabinet. I can assure you that I vaccuum conscientiously before taking pictures!! (Not enough fur to interfere with day to day prep, but it does accumulate). That said, I would hope to never be without a dog, so I'm very much willing to live with it!

This is prior to adding upper and lower edge/detail pieces.

Will the 3" pull out fit into a 3" space or do I need a larger opening?

"Don't forget to have a little extra space in each, though, so that seasonal swelling won't hinder the works." Oh, good point, plllog! Thanks!

That is lovely, oldbat2be. We'll never be without our furry friends either.

cpaolin, a 3" pull-out needs a 3" opening. That does not include the cab width itself. Some of these are made as fillers. In other words, you don't need a cab for it, just 3" of space between 2 other cabs. Hope that helps.