Hey, Fori! I think my cabinet maker has the same imperfect software and/or skills!

Re the angled cabinet, I think it'll be more useful as a pullout. That'll give you the best use of the back and make it easier to get things in an out. The two door thing is okay, but still seems less convenient.

Rather than making the upper angled cabinet open shelves, why not do it as a fitted message center? It will cost a little more, but in that doorway I think it would be better to have it more organized, rather than trying to juggle the phone and what's on the shelves.

Over the fridge might work better like what I have over my ovens: A flip up door rather than side opening. It could be great space for oven racks and baking sheets.

Thanks Pll.

Hmm. It doesn't REALLY matter what goes over the fridge as long as it looks OK. I'm not planning on room for a ladder in the kitchen. Bwahahahaha. But a flip up certainly makes sense. Less likely to smack oneself when one is up on that ladder trying to open the door, for starters!

So for the angled cabinet, for the pullout, do you mean have the whole bit slide out the front? I can see losing the extra door. It's probably there for looks.

I think I need to do some research on what a message center is. I'm pretty sure I don't have one now...but having a little organization to it does have a certain appeal. It would be cool to be able to find the phone when it rings.

I do hope our cabinetmakers are better with their cabinets than their computers...

If possible, I'd probably draw out on paper the size of what one of the shelves for the angled cabinet would be and see, if you only have the larger door, how easy it would be to access. (I hope that makes sense!) I'm not sure it's worth the trouble and expense of pullouts if you can get pretty open access with the door. You could probably also have one large, 2-piece door that hinges at the angle, but I also have doubts about that being worthwhile.

I think you're right, RHome. It's not a very deep space. I'll play with it more.

Yes, for a pullout I was thinking of the whole thing attached to the door and sliding out of the cabinet. This keeps access out of the dining room doorway. On the other hand, the doors in the doorway are what make it even possible to use the cabinet if it's just shelves. And then the kitchen side door makes it a lot easier to get at whatever's in the pointy part. The pullout thing is especially useful for the lower part, if you're not into hunching down to see stuff. Or if you really want to challenge your cabinet maker, the whole thing could swing open into the doorway... :-)

For a message center, your best bet is to design your own. Take a look at what you have the phone buried under now, and design a place for everything. A wall spot or cubby for the phone (and answering machine if there is one), a charging station for small electronics with an angled, non-slip surface, cubby holes for incoming, outgoing, and pending mail. A cubby for each family member for leaving stuff found in laundry pockets, or just strewn around, with a hook underneath each for keys, etc. A magnetic white board with pens that have magnets in them. Maybe a cork board. A place to hang a calendar. A pencil cup and post-it holder. A writing surface that's too small to stack stuff on. A slot for a phone book or address book.

This sounds like a lot, but it can all fit in a surprisingly compact place.

And if you want to use the space above this, you could put a couple of shelves for cookbooks. :-)

For a Message Center, you have a several configuration options to consider...

• Something like Sweeby's "Organization Closet"
  

  
  
  Her description:
  Instead of a desk, we have an 'organization closet' Â

  It has a stand-up desk-height counter with a wide shallow drawer underneath in which we keep stamps, stapler, tape, paper clips.

  Electrical outlet on the wall for phone chargers.

  Top shelf for phone books.

  Hooks and space beneath for backpacks.

  Hooks up top for umbrellas and dog-leashes.

  Dry-erase board on one wall, bulletin boards on the other two.

  And best of all -- a DOOR that closes!
  You probably don't have enough room for this, but I thought I'd show it.

• A 12" deep base cabinet w/a 12" deep upper cabinet (phone on counter & maybe charging station, directories in base cabinet, calendar or white board in upper cabinet)

• A 12" deep base cabinet w/an open 12" deep upper cabinet (phone on counter & maybe charging station, directories in base cabinet, calendar or white board in open upper cabinet)

My Mom has that exact corner cabinet except it's a 15" you should only need the one door. She put a plug and a phone jack in the cabinet. I agree with rhome410 it really doesn't require a pull out or hinged door (too much expense for a 12" cabinet with limited utility unless you really need the space.

Thanks everyone. I think I like this! We won't need a big area--we already have a recharging center and junkdump elsewhere (when the kitchen in the smallest room in the house, you adapt).

The picture helps visualize, Cary. And it's good to know everything is gettable.

Now, if I do this I won't have doors on the upper part because I'm trying to make the doorway more open (in feeling if not actuality). But do I do it as a separate upper and lower like CaryScott's mom's, or a single piece that is shallower at the top or all the same depth as it currently is, just with the upper bits open and finished?

And do I make the closed-open divide at counter height for continuity?

Thanks again y'all!

Yes to the counter height divide--unless you want to start the open part at stand up writing height and have a drawer underneath. Well, a rectangular one to the doorway side, and a triangular swing out for pens.

Not to be difficult, but is standup writing height higher or lower than counter height? I really don't know!

And should I plan for countertop material at the divide or get it all painted? Ack I'm not ready!

Closed base cabinet, I think; it gives you more options. In this case, I think a "standard" base would work best...drawer on top, shelves & doors below....and probably stationary shelves (but adjustable!) rather than roll out trays/shelves (ROTS). I think ROTS would take away too much space from a shallow cabinet to be worthwhile. It's not like 12" is too deep to access easily!

For the wall above, it could either be an open cabinet w/shelves or nothing at all. You could mount a calendar or white board there with either option. If w/cabinet, then maybe a shelf above it for decorative items or something. The floor of the of the cabinet would be a good place for a pencil holder, stickies, etc., leaving the surface below open space for writing, etc.

The sides of the cabinet would be a great place for adhering stickies w/notes to yourself or others. You could even install some hooks for keys on the inside or outside, and maybe install a place to hang a grocery list. It's right across from the garage entrance so it would be ideal location for these things. (Maybe even a staging place for kids' lunches in the morning....easy to grab on the way out the door!) [OK...now you're making me miss the Message Center we were supposed to have b/f we lost it to our KD's measuring errors...this is almost exactly what we had planned!!!! The message center niche we ended up with doesn't work quite as well :-( ]

I would put countertop on the surface...ties it in w/the rest of the kitchen. If it's a stand-up writing surface, at least counter-height, maybe even higher (bar-height)...test out the surface heights to see what works best for you & your family.

Since it's on the DR side, would you use a countertop there? Would it get cluttered? I think the angled looks nice (but I'm partial since I have angled bases, no drawers, on the ends of my island). But don't think you need a door on each side, if you plan on storing long things there, though a finished (fixed) panel would look nice facing the DR. Actually, unless you need the message center there, a tall narrow cabinet might come in handy as a pantry or broom closet?

Ahh I see. Thanks for all the details, Buehl. We don't really need a full blown message center. A small section reserved for the phone and a few accessories would be nice though!

Ajsmama, we'll probably just stick the broom in the garage. (I think I might splurge and get a hook for it, though.) It was originally intended as a pantry, but I think since it's right against a doorway in a squishy corner, having it open at least on top would make it feel less tunnel-like.

We could leave enough space (sort of like Cary's mom's) to serve off of it as it is close to the dining room, but really, who are we kidding? The whole house is close to the dining room. :) Just like I blew off the concept of zones because the kitchen is small enough to be considered "the kitchen zone".

Hmm. Will the fridge look orphaned without a tall cabinet beside it? Or will having the base of it blend in with neighboring cabinetry be enough? (Fridge will be integrated, paneled, and flush, unlike the drawings.)

So long as there's a side panel on the fridge, it shouldn't look "orphaned". You can put an extra thick panel above the side cabinet height to finish it off.

Since you want open, but not orphaned, you could do something like a shallow bookcase against the wall, maybe 8" deep. It would still have the open feeling, you could place or hang the phone, and have your accessories, plus a few decorative bits, books, etc. It'll "finish" it, and give you some useful storage, while being non-tunnelish as well.

How about something like this on side of fridge, countertop below?

Here is a link that might be useful: Message center cabinet