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Corner suggestions for usable space

16 years ago

Me again. Sorry to post in bulk . . .

Like most everyone, my kitchen has a corner. We will have a 36x36 super susan in the base cab and a lazy in the upper cab. In my last house I went with an appliance garage (first experience with one). I loved it. But my husband said he would prefer not to have one in this house. I have another place I can put a to-the-counter cab and use for appliance storage, and while the garage was fabulous, I did miss having that nice deep corner as a space for decorating or as extra space for ingredients as I mixed, measured, etc.

My question is this, what have you done to make that space more usable? Do you just have decorations there? An appliance or two? Or did you use some ingenious idea that makes the space usable . . . maybe a knife center or some other brilliant idea I haven't thought of. Please share your ideas/suggestions.

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Comments (10)

divamum
16 years ago
I have my toaster oven there set on an angle across the corner. It's a nice new stainless steel one, looks good and is convenient to use.
dd70
16 years ago
Same here, the corner is big enough to fit the toaster oven and you don't lose more "usable" counter space.
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Without seeing the entire layout, no way to know if this idea would work for you. Someone 2 or so years ago posted an ingenious solution to making a dead corner usable -- I will look for the post, but in brief, it is this. The drawer stack to the immediate side of the dead corner was built as an independent rollout unit, with a worktop, that fit under the full counter. When it was pulled out, it provided extra work surface, and then one could access pullout shelves/drawers that were built in the dead corner and pulled into the space vacated by the rollout unit. Great for storing rarely used but desired pots and appliances. When the drawer unit was back in place under the counter, couldn't tell that it wasn't a traditional drawer unit.
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cat_mom
16 years ago
We have a flat screen TV:
plllog
16 years ago
I have two corners, and will have two corners. Sigh. The one with an upper cupboard (only on one wall) has the paper towel holder (came with house), and coffee makers and teas (only used for company). The other corner (no upper) has the boards and racks for which there is presently no cupboard, the waffler when it's not stashed away, the crock pot when it's not stashed away, etc.

In other words the corners are junk accumulators :)
plllog
16 years ago
Sorry. Lost the suggestion part of the above :)

Whether it's a toaster oven, TV or crockpot, corners are great places for appliances that don't need much tending.

You mentioned decor, and if you like decor (vase of flowers, ceramic chicken, etc.) on your counter the corner is an excellent place for it, because, again, decor doesn't take tending.

I'm considering putting a prep sink in one corner because that's the only way one will fit, but I hate corner sinks :)
rgillman
16 years ago
Thank goodness I'm getting rid of that corner -putting my Advantium cabinet on the diag. there. But we had our wine rack pushed back on the diagonal under the upper cab. Perfect place for it!
jessie21
16 years ago
how about a small corner shelf? or cookbooks and bookends? or one of those big utensil holder thingies?
User
16 years ago
I have two small shelves at right angles in the corner. There are dessert dishes and saucers standing up with extra large mugs in front. Under the one shelf are my canisters given to me by my grandmother.
{{!gwi}}
cheri127
16 years ago
We have a Bose wave radio/cd player there. It's a convenient place for it and isn't bulky enough to make the corner feel too crowded.
Buehl
16 years ago
We will have 2 corners...

One will be on the peninsula and we will have our prep sink there...easy access to the sink from DR or kitchen. I think having the sink in a corner on a peninsula is less intrusive to seaters than having it on a leg of the peninsula.

The other corner will also be a mini-peninsula but no seats. This corner will be my baking center so I plan to store my KA mixer in the corner. Using a corner as a baking center gives me more room for all those ingredients and tools used during baking and keeps everything more easily within reach than a straight counter with the same amount of workspace...especially when cookie baking!

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