"...corner susans...don't quite look like the rest of the kitchen..." Huh???? They looked just fine in our old kitchen w/partial overlay doors. Our lazy susan was the only thing in our kitchen that looked and performed as well at demo as it did at installation 13 years earlier. I wholeheartedly recommend corner susans. As to stuff falling off, if your cabinets are made so the back and side walls closely follow the contour of the round shelves, there are no problems. However, I don't know if all cabinetmakers, especially small custom shops, are able to (or willing to) make them that way. We had that kind (curved walls) in our old kitchen w/builder-grade cabinets...and that susan was great! It held all our pots & pans, colanders, cake & pie tins, and various serving pieces. Everything was in front...you simply rotated the susan, the doors rotated inside, and you stopped where the item you wanted was...and it was right in front of you...no digging around for things. Nothing ever fell off. The hardware worked smoothly the entire 13 years. No taking up aisle space in front of the cabinet when open. No door-banging b/c the door was attached to the susan (like Marcolo's picture). Be aware that if you store smaller items on a blind corner pullout and something falls off, you will have to crawl inside to retrieve the item b/f you will be able to close it. My KD strongly discourages blind corner cabinets b/c of all the complaints she's gotten from customers who insisted on them and then later regreted them. (I thought they looked "cool" the first time I saw them and asked about them. After she showed me how they work, told me about the pitfalls, and told me about all the complaints she's gotten, we decided not to get one.) Other good uses of corners: Drawers (Plllog's kitchen) Corner sink bases (b/c under sink storage is usually poor so you combine them to give you better storage everywhere else.) Installing a 27" or 30" cabinet and turning it 90 degrees to face the back side of the corner...but this only works if the back side is open, like in a peninsula. Yes, some people love their blind corner units, but, to me, they're a "last resort" option...only if absolutely nothing else works. YMMV

Thanks! We are planning to store small(ish) kitchen electrics there (rice cooker, blender, etc.). We don't use them super frequently, but much more than once a year, certainly. I hadn't thought of doing the 36" cabinet with a fixed shelf and skipping the pullout all together, but that's not a bad idea---we actually really like the two blind corners in our vintage kitchen now, but I realized at one point that they work because the adjacent counters are only 15" deep, so effectively they're 48" cabinets with two 15" doors and 15" of blind corner, with fixed half shelves inside. Very easy to get into, but no way are we having 15" deep counters ever again! :)

I am new to this site so I will try to scan my layout and figure out to post the proposed design. I appreciate the comments and suggestions. Is there a way to directly respond to each posting or is posting like this the only way? I had really hoped to avoid having the microwave on the counter because my current counters have basically been "unusable" for decades because they are storage space instead of work space. The model ankh posted is interesting: it might eliminate the need for a 28 inch corner cabinet. My big concern is the size of that cabinet especially after I drew it out on tag-board. There are several models that will fit on a 12 inch deep shelf...my current one will, and I am okay with the lack of options in a small microwave. My husband is the one with "issues" with the blind corners and corner access in a 90 degree corner. I have read all the threads on them here. I was hoping to find a solution that would appease him and eliminate a 28" wide corner cabinet because of my concerns about its size. Does anyone have a corner cabinet this size? Does anyone have a corner cabinet that is 16-18" wide? Does anyone have a microwave in a lower cabinet...mine would have to be in the small island...I only have two places other than the corner with more than 12 inches of space. I need some input on how these option work and effective use of space. Today was my first day of back-to-school; I have a meet-the-teacher open house tonight but will try to post scanned plans when I get back. This post was edited by Ranton on Wed, Aug 28, 13 at 23:24

More storage is always nice, built in custom cabinet, pantry shelves or customized storage for hard to fit items. It would be nice to get more ideas of what your needs are? Charging stations, stationary storage, bill paying message center, drop zone, pantry storage for food, storage for kitchen items, hooks on wall and boot dryer, dog walking station, mirror and drawers for gloves, pretty space for display of collectables....The list of niche needs in a home is long....but what are yours?