Our step stool cab is in the "found space" behind the drawer bank on the opposite side of the island--5 1/2" deep exactly. It's about 27-30" wide, and has two doors. I hung my dust pan and brush in that cab as well; on a hook stuck to the back wall.

Williams Sonoma has a terrific slim step ladder (2-step and 3-step versions). It's light weight, very sturdy (unlike some others that had very wobbly plastic steps), and extremely easy to open and close (one-handed!) also, unlike some others I'd seen, and looks very stylish, too! Two downsides: 1) it's not cheap ($92 for the 2-step model), it's a few inches too tall to store in a standard height cab. #2 can be be addressed though as we did, if you are skilled with a plain old hacksaw. We just popped the rubber/plastic feet off the legs, cut off a few inches from each leg (remember that one pair of legs will be longer than the other), and then popped the feet back in/on.

No, it's not as tall as it would have been, but I think the top step is still as high as those on most of the other slim step stools that would have fit in the cabinet.

Here is a link that might be useful: W-S slim step stool

These are very helpful. If possible, I'd still like to find one I can fit into a cabinet (without cutting the legs off--although I'll do that in a heartbeat if I can't find another one). Anybody else have one?

I wonder if evergreendan's is the one you remember seeing:

It's in the gallery section. I'm pretty sure the stepladder is from Williams-Sonoma, like cat_mom's.

I have this Leifheit 2-step stool from Bed Bath and Beyond, purchased with a coupon, of course. We store it on edge under our corner sink, but it could also fit into the cookie sheet/tray cabinet or in a lower drawer. It's very handy and has worked well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Leifheit step stool

rmkitchen: That's not the one I saw, but it is VERY similar. Thanks so much for finding it for me. At least now I will have something to show my cabinet maker.

aliceinmd: That one looks like a great and economical alternative. If the additional small cabinet turns out to be too costly or too much of an ordeal, I could easily see that one sitting in one of my tray cabinets (I knew I had a good reason to get two tray cabinets--I just couldn't figure out what it was!).

Yes, we have the same one as evergreendan. Because our island is "standard" height, and it sits on a toe kick base, the actual interior cabinet height would not allow us to store the step stool if we hadn't cut it (which was really easy to do BTW--I held it steady, and DH cut right through the legs with the saw).

FWIW, we had purchased the Leifheit step-stool, but returned it when got the W-S one. The Leifheit one is quite a bit heavier, and it is much more involved opening/closing it (because of the built-in locking mechanism).

I had my cabinet maker build the pull out trash cabinet about 6" wider and put in a divider between the trash and the cabinet wall. We have about 5" and we store a stool I picked up at the container store with the steps facing the wall, a marble candy making board and a butcher block cutting board made for me by DH. Both the last two items, each of which weighs about 50 pounds and is too heavy for me to pick up or take out of the tray storage area above the ovens, are really big and used quite frequently.

They face away from the stool so hopefully no cross contamination. DH is going to be putting an extra divider in the cupboard as soon as he "gets around to it" which means not till at least after the holidays. LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: Container store stool

Here's mine:

That's a relatively cheap stepstool that was available at Target and BB&B. Around $30 or $40, I think.

I have since had an ordinary pull installed on the front of the drawer and I can get my toes under it and open it without bending down. I do have to bend to get my hands on it tho. Even so, it's a great asset for me because I can only reach the bottom level of my upper cabs. =o

We put teflon glides on the bottom of the drawer front so it wouldn't scratch the floor.

we have a slim stool that is pretty light..it's white in color and was 19.99 at bed bath and beyond. it is the same dimensions as the hafele one, very slim. i intended to put it in a toe kick drawer, but it needs to be handy for the kids. we had a 3 inch space at the end of a cabinet run where i was going to put a filler. still haven't done that, just left the filler out and slide the stool in there...much easier to get to. kren

Don't know how I could have forgotten about this one. I use it all the time! Since it has three steps, it was too big for a toe kick drawer and the cabinet maker made this slot for me to hang it in.

As you can see it's too deep for the slot so it has to hang from a substantial hook. But it does clear the door frame so it's not unattractive from the kitchen proper. And a pocket door can conceal the whole pantry area.

There's still painting to do on the door frames and the side of the banquette.

bump

Bump ... some really good ideas here!

Here's ours. It would be a great place to store cookie sheets as well and we may end up doing that and find another home for the step stool.

This particular step stool is an interim until I find a more substantion design.

Jodi-

I have that step stool (that Jodi posted) and it's amazingly sturdy. I have it in a one step and two step format, both of which fold flat enough for a toe kick drawer :) ANd mine will be in the toe kick drawers in each of our baths and kitchen since I'm a bit on the short side :oP

I purchased the Williams-Sonoma step stool as a family Christmas present... it is fabulous. I'm still doing DIY remodeling and this stool has been one of the biggest assets... it is so convenient and so strong, and light at the same time. Yes, it is pricey, but well worth it!

I still love my W-S step stool (despite sawing off those inches so it would fit in the cab). I use it all the time and I totally agree, Yes, it is pricey, but well worth it!

Ditto to Jodi and igloochic. I have the same step stool and I'm very happy with it. I also keep it in my kitchen toekick drawer. It's perfect for my 4 year old to get out himself, easy to set up without too much finger pinching. Easy to clean. Cheap. And my toe kick drawers are much smaller than Jodi's so it just fits in there. I got mine at Ace Hardware and have seen them elsewhere since then (maybe BB&B but don't quote me on that).

Speaking of toekick drawers (just as a side, sorry to hijack post)...Do yours work smoothly and fit in the space nicely. I live in an old 1920s house and admittedly, the kitchen is very wonky, but I'm irked with my cabinet maker on many fronts - one of which is that my toekick drawers are very tight and hard to open. Do yours work as smoothly as your regular drawers?