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lisaa007

My KD high-fived me!

lisa_a
9 years ago

I met with my KD this morning to review the changes I'd made to the plan she and I drew up several weeks ago. When I told her that I had decided to ditch the BCC pull-out in favor of drawers, she high-fived me! She said she has a hard time convincing people to block off the corner because they think they'll lose storage but it's often not the case.

In my case, the storage the Rev-a-Shelf BCC unit would have provided was the wrong kind of storage. Instead, I'm opting for a bank of 4 drawers. It's going to be so much more useful. And I'm going to have room to spare! Yay!

And even better, I'm going to save money!

Comments (23)

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    Lisa, I did the same thing in my in my U-shaped kitchen last year. I thought long and hard about every possible corner solution - lazy susan, corner drawers, magic corner, blind corner - you name it. I abhor wasted space. It wasn't until I sat down and mapped out what was going where in the new kitchen that I realized that drawers on both sides of the corner would work out best.

    A year later, I am still thrilled with my blanked off corner. You hit the nail on the head when you said "wrong kind of storage". I had a place for large, infrequently-used items. What I needed was space for dish towels, utensils, plastic containers, bags and wraps, etc - all drawer items.

    Congratulations!

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    I did it too, and you know how small my kitchen is!

  • CEFreeman
    9 years ago

    How farsighted of you! ;)
    It's so hard to get people to the idea of drawers, vs. reach-in bases. People hold on to one or two reach-ins "just in case." In case of ... what!?

    And here you are with a far more functional kitchen, simply because you've looked at things from another angle.
    Cool!

  • rebecca51
    9 years ago

    I made that decision too!

  • susanlynn2012
    9 years ago

    I think this may be the decision I would want to do! Thank you!

  • lisa_a
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    We're all so smart! ;-)

    Honestly, if I hadn't hung around GW (for far more years than I ever envisioned I'd be planning my kitchen remodel), I'm not sure I would have even considered closing off the corner. But I'd heard enough other people talk about corners and the pros and cons of solutions, that it just seemed like a no-brainer to trade up for drawers.

    DH didn't even bat an eye when I told him my decision. He's seen enough "crazy" ideas come about after I've spent time here to know that "crazy" turns out to be great every time.

    We have a few minor tweaks to make to the plan and a hood to choose but that's about it. I can't believe that after nearly 7 years, we'll be starting our remodel soon. I don't have a start date yet but our contractor said we'd be done before Christmas. Wahoo!

    may_flowers, your kitchen may be small but it's beautiful! And very well-planned.

  • sixkeys
    9 years ago

    Hooray!

    Inquiring minds want to know.....did you figure out countertops? Maybe I missed the announcement.

    :)

  • robynstamps
    9 years ago

    I did the same thing and am certain I will not miss the corner space. If it works for you that's great but I had one years ago and hated it.

  • lisa_a
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oh, yes, rebecca3142, we did decide. Finally! ;-) We're going with leathered Bianco Romano granite. I was really torn because I do like the PQ Carrara but in the end, the warmth and lovely blue-gray veining of the Bianco Romano won us over.

    The slab we've chosen has very quiet movement so it won't overpower or compete with our quartersawn oak cabs. My KD gave our choice the thumbs up.

    btw, my KD suggested liquid Barkeeper's Friend for any dull spots on the PQ. The spots on my samples are still there, just very faint and only noticeable if the light hits them just right. Since I'm considering another PQ color for our master bath, I'm going to do a test and see how well it works.

    may_flowers PQ counters are gorgeous after 2 yrs of use. Your kitchen is going to look amazing, too!

    robynstamps, glad to welcome another member of the "corners? We don't need no stinkin' corners" club!

    This post was edited by lisa_a on Wed, Sep 17, 14 at 19:04

  • Jeannine Fay
    9 years ago

    I did the same thing but with a three stack of drawers instead of your 4 stack. When my cabinet guy figured out the storage I'd have from the corner unit I wanted and compared it to the space I'll get from drawers it was almost the same. That made my decision very easy since I think it will look way better and be less complicated to get what I want in a hurry.
    Hope were both right ;)

  • Clarion
    9 years ago

    Add my voice to another who did the same. After everyone convinced me of the wisdom of having all lower drawers, trying to put something else in the corner was going to look very strange aesthetically. So I said "hell with it" and blocked off the corner. Thought I was the only one...

  • mrspete
    9 years ago

    Jumping on the band wagon: I am making the same decision. I'm not crazy about Lazy-Susan type cabinets, and they're crazy expensive. However, it wasn't until I sat down and did some math that I decided it was a logical decision.

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago

    I am in the begining stages and desperately wanted all drawered lowers, but couldn't fathom that with two corners. I already decided to do a regular counter depth peninsula to gain a bit more counter corner/work space to the right of the range.(peninsula side)

    Thank you to those that have gone before me. Lol..validation. I love it.

  • sixkeys
    9 years ago

    Sounds beautiful!!!

  • lisa_a
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Wow, I really thought ignoring the corner wouldn't be so prevalent. Good to know!

    Thanks, rebecca3142! Remember, when my kitchen is finished, I'm inviting you and may_flowers over to see it as a thank you for letting me see your kitchens.

  • westsider40
    9 years ago

    Me, too. But one of the two corners faced the eating area so I tucked in an under counter refrigerator drawer unit which is accessible from the eating side and unseen from the kitcheny side. No pics, sorry. One of my best decisions.

  • meddam
    9 years ago

    I did the same. Here is a pic of mine - a 4 stack where the bottom drawer is deeper. Shallow drawers have pot holders, trivets, tin foil etc. the cabinet maker also included a horizontal divider w/ movable pegs to hold them in place, but I don't really need them for the stuff I have in there.

    Hopefully this pic posts in the right orientation. I can never tell on my iPad!

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    meddam, we're not talking about corner drawers, but drawers on each side of the corner, like this:

    The corner itself is inaccessible.

  • meddam
    9 years ago

    Oh, I see. A picture is worth a thousand words! Well if anyone is interested in corner drawers rather than drawers on either side of a corner, come talk to me. Lol!

  • sweeby
    9 years ago

    I did that 7 years ago and have been SO happy I did! Now I have really useful storage space on both sides of the corner instead of 'so so' space in the corner.

    One other thing I did that I'd like to suggest was recessing a utensil bin into that 'dead' corner space. If I had a 'do over' I'd have probably recessed a knife block also. My dead corner has raised counters on both sides, so keeping the clutter below the countertop height makes things look cleaner.

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago

    I love meddam's creative corner drawers, for those that are having custom builds it's a neat option.

    Sweeby, picture?

    I am doing all drawer bases and have two corners. I am now trying to figure out a drawered sink base for an apron sink.

  • CEFreeman
    9 years ago

    Know sumptin!? in 1962 my mom built her home. Her inside corner was the DW, with a 3-drawer base next to it. Never gave it a 2nd thought. On the dining room side, she had a drawer (for placemats) and 2 pull-outs.

    The only thing I think she'd do differently today would be drawers instead of those pull-outs.

    When she redid her new kitchen, about 2 years ago, there were no reach-ins. She was always, ALWAYS ahead of her time. Darn her.

  • lisa_a
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh, CEFreeman? ;-)

    Took me a moment to picture what you meant, Sweeby, but I got it. You mean recess a container in the counter, right? At first I pictured recessing it into the cab side, which made no sense. D'oh.

    Compared to choosing a hood, deciding to ignore my corner was an *easy* decision!

    Cool corner drawers, meddam (even though they are upside down for me).