jcanost Thank you, thank you, thank you - for this ideabook! It's incredibly helpful and I learned about options I never knew existed :)

monicageistwhite All of the base cabinets in our new home are drawers or pull-outs. Best kitchen decision I made. I also got the largest drawers possible as well (all my lids fit in one drawer!). It's great to have everything in full view. I have the pull-out trash container as well and had a cutting board installed over it. My cabinet pulls are about 8" wide and are much easier to use than narrower ones.

lc29 I dislike this trend of low sides on drawers, contents spill out easier, particularly tall items. I was lucky enough to find basket that perfectly fit my bathroom drawers, but just have to be very careful with the kitchen ones. If you're planning a kitchen be aware you won't be able to contain as much in a low-sided drawer.

inkwitch I am remodeling a galley kitchen and everything has to be replaced! I have always objected to lower cabinet doors -- "dark hole of Calcutta"!! All my cabinets will have drawers -- except for the one housing the on-demand hot water system. Great ideas on how to implement organization issues! Thanks!

Sheridan Interiors jcanost....you're welcome. Glad to hear you found something useful.

Sheridan Interiors monicageistwhite....sounds like you did your homework on your reno....good job!

Sheridan Interiors ic29....have a look at these drawer sides, fro Blum. They would definitely do the trick in your situation. They come in a variety of materials and finishes, maple dovetail, metal, glass and combinations of both. They really are like jewellry for your drawers. There are over 24 combinations available.

bubblyjock Some great ideas here!

In the "Innermost Cabinets" photo, they show a very heavy Kitchenaid Mixer on a lower shelf...do the sides of the shelf flop down? I couldn't figure out how one would get the mixer out without chipping the pretty finish.

Also, the Blum Automatic Drawer - is it spring-loaded, or is it electrically-operated only?

Sheridan Interiors The sides of the rails are only slightly raised to form a lip edge, and the edge is rounded to minimize nicks and scrapes. You still have to lift the appliance out, but there is enough height to do that without damaging the finish. The Blum Servo Drive system is an electric opening system, and you can combine it with the BLUMOTION soft close system.

BuilderFish We're a fan of Magic Corners, lots of creative engineering to make kitchen life convenient.

And I know this wasn't the focus of your post, but when considering cabinets and storage in general, you might as well look at refrigerated drawers while you're "in the neighborhood" because you'd hate to remodel and then have a V-8 Moment later.

Sheridan Interiors Yes Refrigerator Drawers are the 'bomb'. I LOVE them!. There a bit of a challenge to fit in to small kitchens however. In my previous article, How To Choose KitchenAppliances for Universal Design, i definitely included them as a feature appliance.

sclawson Such terrific ideas for easy make-overs or complete redesign. Thanks! One simple solution we've found for the corner cabinets in the condo we recently moved to is a store-bought, plastic lazy susan (Oxo brand?). They come in two sizes, and we bought the large, one for each shelf in both of our corner cupboards. For less than $20 and no construction dust, it immediately doubled the accessible space, organized the items, and made them so easy to get to.

BY DESIGN Builders Beautifully and skillfully done article!
Love the Blum plate holders (and so do our clients).
The tandem pantry is a wonderful way to maximize usable capacity and access with ease.
The pull-down shelf is a premium accessory but quite helpful.
No one should kick or trip over a trash can again!
Love all the beautiful inserts that make a kitchen sleek and user friendly.

cender Great article on the newest kitchen candy. But be careful, all of these custom features come with a hefty price. Choose carefully and spend your dollars where you and your kitchen will benefit the most. As a kitchen and bath designer, I start with a giant list of all of the "stuff" my client has. You should do this too. How many pots and pans, and their sizes. How many sets of dishes do you have, and how often do you use them. Same with silverware. Don't forget your table linens and dish towels. Your utensils and appliances, and how often you use those. The food, actually comes last. Whenever possible, I put all of the food, except the stove prep spices and oils, in a pantry. When the kids are standing there trying to decide on cereal or chips as a snack, they are not in the middle of the kitchen. The rest of the food is in the frig/freezer. And, how much freezer space do you really need. I don't freeze that much, as we cook with almost all fresh foods. So, maybe a freezer drawer would be enough. Then you can have a full refrigerator unit. Or if the garage is close to the kitchen, maybe that inexpensive freezer out there would be enough. If you are working with a kitchen and bath designer, or on your own, take the drawing of your cabinet layout and your list of "stuff" and put it all away, on paper. Don't leave anything out. If you get to the end, and you still have more stuff....well, either get rid of something or go back to your drawing for a revision. Kitchens are the most expensive room in a home. Plan carefully and your kitchen will sing. This little system of the "list of stuff" also works for bathrooms, especially the master. How many appliances do you have in your master? Hair dryer, curling iron, electric curlers, electric tooth brush? Do you want all of that stuff on the counter of this gorgeous new master bath?? NO. Put electrical outlets inside the cabinets. Cabinets that sit on the counter top are great for this purpose. Your small appliances stay plugged in and ready to go, and you don't have to look at them.
Have fun!

golriz lovely kitchen.beautiful and skillful,of course very useful for me. thanks

duncansue Nice review! I do wish there were more base unit drawer options available - particularly drawer within drawers that can handle canned food storage and the like. Base units with doors on them to do not promote universal access - even with pull out drawers inside the cabinet, it is still a case where form [the door] inhibits function [access, visibility, etc.]

bluewater120 I put spices and vinegars and oils in a pull out between wolf range and dishwasher and heat from both destroys these items.

Catoptrico arquitectura Great article! Take a look of these pics I post of a custom made kitchen. capture some ideas for your own kitchen.

Griffin Interiors ?Question? What drawer insert do you use for glassware, stemware, etc.?

Sheridan Interiors Griffin Interiors, I would suggest Blum's Orgaline inserts, with the addition of a non-slip pad on the bottom of the drawer for more stability. The system uses cross-dividers, and are adaptable to fit your needs. The product pics show their use for other articles, but the system would surely fit the application for storing stemware and glassware.

Francesca I am not going to be able to replace my cabinets in the kitchen that I am moving into (actually, I am moving into the house, but the kitchen, obviously, comes with the house). The cabinets are 'really nice' but have that dated '90s look. I'm going to likely going to paint them white (now, it was going to be blue, navy or cobalt, but upon further inspection, that would be way too dark for the room), but I was thinking about a black island (and replace the counter and kitchen sink on the original counters). I want drawers on that island.... So thank you for this article!

Pardon the longwinded post. That's what happens when you know you are going to get the keys to your new home in just a few days.

BuilderFish Francesca, if space is a concern, consider rolling carts, even as your island (butcher block top. Congrats on new home.

melodysusan Where do I purchase the pegboard and pegs for stacking dishes in a drawer?

patridot Some very good storage ideas. I'm not really crazy about the idea of stacking dishes in a drawer, though. When I wash dishes, I always slide the clean ones in under the bottom of the stack. With them in the drawers, you would have to lift the whole stack out to put the clean plates on the bottom. Otherwise, most of the storage solutions are very desirable.

jennycoop Thanks for some great ideas, I'm so tired of bending and stretching into my dark kitchen cabinets. Will definitely incorporate more drawers and sliders when we upgrade.

Griffin Interiors Thanks for the suggestion but I do not find that there are any good drawer inserts for glassware or stemware that is appropriate for the nature of the material - being glass, so that it does not chip, slide around or tip over. I have had my cabinet company make wooden inserts but there are problems with that as glasses are various heights and widths.............we need more help in this area!

neilsbungalow There is no substitute for a big, walk-in pantry - I see so few kitchens that include them.

patxthomas Loved the idea of putting china plates etc in drawers but really can't see how the drawers could take the weight with constant use overtime!

aniezina Such a great ideas!

ploefff I just retrofitted my lower "where things go to die" cabinet with drawers. My kitchen is around 15 years old but still have lots of life left (with an occasional facelift or two) The company doesn't make drawer fronts in the finish and sizes I need so I kept the door on and opted for the solution you see in pictures 6 and 7.
I bought some drawer brackets from the kitchen store and then I resized the shelf and put some sides on it. It's important to remember to mount a spacer between the bracket that goes on the same side as the door and the cabinet side to allow for the drawer to slide past the open door.

It gave me so much more space because now I can organize my things instead of just shoving stuff in the cabinet and hope there's space.

ploefff uh and the drawers I already had I gave a facelift with some sticky back vinyl (step by step guide with pictures here: http://ploefff.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/pimp-min-skuffe/)
It's a fun thing to do if you don't feel brave enough to go for those mint green fronts you've been eyeing.

Griffin Interiors For dish drawers I up the glides to support up to 250 lbs. That being said, the construction of the cabinet and drawers must be well made. I sell Grabill Quality Cabinets ONLY. They are exceptional in quality and built to last a life time - not 10-12 years like most cabinets!

Sheridan Interiors melodysusan - try a local cabinetmaker, they would be able to order in and cut-to-size the insert. If that fails you can order online at drawerslides.com. I'm attaching pics of the items with their sku numbers

Sheridan Interiors Griffin Interiors - that's the beauty of the Orga-line system. You can adapt it,, whatever size or configuration to fit your needs. Another suggestion i would add for this to function better is to make the drawer taller so that the system rails cradle the stemware at the right height to stabilize the glass. The non-slip mats really do work in this case.

Maitland Interior Design Thank you so much for putting this article together. It took you lot of thought and preparation. You sure did your homework. The information is so valuable.

mugsy1703 We just renovated our kitchen and installed many of the above upgrades ... including a 5 foot pull-out spice cupboard, which I love and is the envy of many. I also have the modern pulls as shown above, but in satin nickel. They are great ... easy to wipe and they don't get hooked on your clothing. They are also easily operatable by foot ... which is great for my large bottom drawers :-). One word of caution is to not customize ALL your cupboards but leave some for normal stuff that doesn't fit into a customized slot. We had the great advantage of having lived in our house for 12 years, so we knew what we wanted and needed.

mmsalg These custom cabinet features are wonderful! We'd love to help people get the custom cabinet fittings to meet their specific needs. This is a good place to go if you're looking for a quality Maker >>> http://custm.co/hz/114

mrsben Excellent idea book. Totally agree that drawers are the answer for lower base units, however in event one does not have a large area and feel they have sufficient counter space, they might also wish to consider floor to ceiling pantry units with similar innovative slide out features. I currently have both 24" and 15" depth of the latter fitted with slide-out features that provide more than ample organized storage solutions for both staples and kitchen accessories. (No wasted wall space either. ☺)
In closing, for those on a budget IMHO with a little bit of improvisation one can always convert an otherwise standard lower base cupboard (or any cupboard for that fact) into a functional one by using pull-out kits that many Big-Box stores even carry without the exhorbent price tag.

stpaullady Our new kitchen will be all drawers and one cabinet! Any suggestions for storing glassware safely in a drawer?

Sheridan Interiors Hi stpaullady....have a look at the above posts re: Orga-line drawer systems for stemware.

melodysusan Thank you so much for the information and website. Your help is very much appreciated.

mfl123 Great ideas for planning a kitchen for our retirement home ... thanks!

jazzy1decor I can't tell you how much I love Houzz!! We just bought a new home and I'm loving how the idea book is all in one computer file and not in a hundred different magazines! Gone are the days when I used to redecorate by paper image!

Casart Coverings I would also suggest Toe Kick Drawers to utilize the often overlooked space underneath the kitchen cabinets. I have a small galley kitchen and this is the best storage solution I've used. These drawers are hidden, secret compartments that can "houzz" oversized items like placemats and tablecloths (what I use mine for) and trays, even a clever pet tray or a covert place for your silver.

jojosail2 I will never understand the current fad for dishes in drawers. I do not want to bend over for anything in my kitchen. Pots and pans are one thing, but to bend over every time I want a dish is ridiculous.

Catoptrico arquitectura Well, I imagine that you are very tall, but the owner of this house is a petite woman that can’t reach the dishes when they are very height.

pamadona It gets even more difficult with age if you're not tall enough. Climbing up and down stools becomes more dangerous

Sheridan Interiors Absolutely Lois, glad you found the ideabook inspiring.

jacksonbeth These drawers remind me of a product I just saw that Web Don provides. Its a wine rack that fits right into your drawer. Anyone else seen this? www.web-don.com/our-products/adhesives-tools-misc/wine-logic/

Sheridan Interiors Love it...thanks for sharing.