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Kitchens Design Dilemma Remodeling

Anyone have a 12inch WIDE cabinet in your kitchen?

Shannon Hashiguchi

4 years ago

My husband and I are having a hard time deciding between a 12inch wide cabinet or 15 inches. This will be part of our pantry. He says 12 inches is not enough to be useful I say it’s plenty since we’ll have a 15inch floor to ceiling row and this 12 inch floor to ceiling row. Anyone have experience with using the 12 inch size? Did you regret it?

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Shannon Hashiguchi
Original Author

4 years ago

Thanks for the comments! We went with a bigger cabinet based on the feedback and I’m already glad we did!

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Comments (14)

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Filipe Custom Woodwork
4 years ago
Post a layout
Mrs Pete
4 years ago
I have a 12" upper next to my range hood. The usable space is something like 6" wide.

I have a moveable cabinet that's 16" wide, and it's small but useful for pantry goods.
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To me, the how many doors on a 24" are dictated by the door style. I don't like busy. Too much eye distraction. So, I plan flat paneled doors. This means if I put two on a 24, it's just some nice vertical lines created by the frame. If I were to go with something raised panel, or a bunch of decorative molding or something, I'd go one door because it would lessen the busy-ness. If you can turn that thing into a larger cabinet, why wouldn't you? You don't like the 12....(wisely, I might add. JMO!) As far as the corner diagonal thing, I don't care for them. I prefer lazy Susans because it's a square corner. Just my OCD. Plus, there's so much hoo-ha involved with all those pull-out things, which inevitably bump and gouge the doors. A LS? you just twirl it around. If you don't like the diagonal cabinets, don't do it. It really doesn't matter what you're seeing here, unless it speaks to YOU. Fool around with the ez corner thing. Perhaps the base cabinets can be modified to look cohesive.
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sushipup1
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
It matters a lot whether you have framed or frameless cabinets. And 12" is really only ok for drawers (in frameless) IMO. You'll lose more space if you have pullouts. 12" drawers in framed cabinets are too tiny.
sandk
4 years ago
I have a 12 inch base that works well for baking sheets and the like. I would not want to deal with it for pantry space. Have you looked at the tall pullout pantries?
cat_ky
4 years ago
I have one 12 inch base, and no, its not wide enough. I would love it to be 18 inches, and there is space there , that it could have been.
girl_wonder
4 years ago
I have a narrow one now. If you can go wider, I would.
aziline
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I have one that is 12" and another just over 13".

The 12" is by the dishwasher and has 4 drawers. In them going down are utensils, plastic wrap/foil, ziplock bags and then the bottom for kids plastic plates and cups.

The 13" is to the right of my stove top. It has one drawer that holds my pot holders and thermometers and then below a door with no pullouts. The shelf is only a few inches down for my 2 burner griddle and then below is a frying pan divider which holds my nonstick and cast iron pans.
functionthenlook
4 years ago
I have one 12 inch cabinet and find it pretty much useless.
vinmarks
4 years ago
One:
skmom
4 years ago
I didn’t want any that skinny in my remodel because my last kitchen had quite a few that size and I was forever accidentally banging my knuckles on the cabinet frames getting items in or out.
Pam A
4 years ago
12" works well for cookie sheets, a drawer stack for lots of different kinds of things (ziplocs, plastic wrap & foil, potholders, each in their own drawer), and for oil/vinegar pullouts.

But in a normal cabinet you are retrieving items from a space that is 24" deep. A 12" cabinet will have an actual opening about 10" wide ... its like having a change purse sized opening to a lunch bag. Its frustrating.

Drawers are different because you pull the stuff to you and you can see it all more easily. Can you make that space into a drawer bank?
calidesign
4 years ago
Put the two together a do a 27" cabinet. You need the width to use any type of depth.
Cheryl Smith
4 years ago
I agree it is too narrow to be functional. Much more useful to have wider doors and drawers. Different depths too

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