For anyone needing a corner cabinet that can’t afford to block it off and can’t afford the expensive cabinet company solutions there are ways to make the open corner shelves more usable. Put your least used seasonal items in a bin that tucks into the farthest back corner, and get a sheet pan or bin that fits the shelf & opening on either side. Putting the items stored in a bin or on a tray allows those containers to function similar to a drawer for much less money than other solutions.
I am now handicapped. As a 5 ft woman, even pull down shelves don't really help me. That means my lower cabinets are vital. If I didn't have my 3 corner cabinets, I wouldn't have 85% of my lower storage space. You might hate corner cabinets, but sometimes they are absolutely needed.
It depends on the shape and size of the kitchen. I have a long narrow galley kitchen, so I have zero corners but still maximum lower storage space. To increase the amount of lower storage space even more and make the kitchen more ergonomic and safe, I got a cooktop with drawers underneath instead of a range, put a wall oven in a tall cabinet with two drawers underneath, and I have a countertop microwave but it sits on a custom cabinet that is one drawer taller than the rest of the lower cabinets. Every time I use my parents kitchen I'm reminded of why I will avoid having corner cabinets ever again, even though they just have one corner and it's one of the better ones (Le Mans). The thought of having to deal with 3 corners in a kitchen sounds like pure horror to me, I'd probably sledgehammer down walls until I could fit a big enough galley kitchen or a line kitchen with a parallel island/peninsula.
This is an interesting idea. The corner in our kitchen is very tight, as the sink is right next to it and the stove is very close. We have a small bedroom on the other side and adding storage in that room would be useful. 😁
@@heathersmeather Just make sure to find a way to get access. Since it will only be counter high best option is probably drawers or some form of pullout that does not need a top. Had a friend who made it a tiny hide away for the family dog instead of storage. made it sorta soundproof cause the dog was afraid of loud sounds including thunder.
That’s why I planned all along to have at least one blocked off corner! The other side of the wall there is my back (actually side) entrance to the house. It’s a small 3’x3’ landing down 4 steps from the main level. It would be great to have a cubby here for things that I need take with me on my way out if the house and because of the steps the cubby floor would be just a bit below waist height.
I am a 70 year old who lives in a small trailer home. The kitchen corner is attached and open from the sink cabinet. I was able to put vinyl coated wire shelves under there with a batterypuck light and store paint cans. I only need them once in a blue moon, when a grandchild can crawl back there. I don't like using this for "weird" non-kitchen storage, but this is better than wasting space. My spices are stored on the back wall of my laundry area. I store my larger pots and electric gadgets in my master bedroom in an IKEA closet wall cabinet. My pantry is in my guest bedroom in a lovely armoire. When you live in a tiny home, you need to get creative. ❤️ Liked your content today. 🇺🇸🧑🦳
Interesting that freezers work the same way. I can increase the storage space of my freezer handsomely by removing the drawers and using its shelves. Like you say, it all depends on your needs. If you have a large enough kitchen and you're not desperate for more storage a regular corner is perfectly fine as you can use it for large items. A corner sink makes sense too, as under sink cabinets aren't usually too desirable, anyways. I wonder if it's possible to have a double corner sink where one is large and deep and one is smaller and shallower. Thankfully the house I am possibly moving to will have a galley kitchen. 🙂 Funny the realtor wants to open it up. I am telling her, in my head, no way I'd burn money knocking a wall just so grease from my cooking can spread to the living space 🤪 The kitchen is small, anyways, better to keep it as a closed kitchen and have a secondary "gourmet space" on the dining area. I am sorry but I don't like the blocked off corner. Sorry. Better to just have the plain corner cabinet that benefits from it. You don't have to use that storage space, but it will be there. In my opinion, of course. I can always be wrong. 😬 I have some extremely noisy appliances (Ninja Creami is the worst offender) and I am thinking about having soundproof enclosed cabinets for them. Did you ever see such a thing?
You made the right choice not listening to the trend-following realtor. I used to have an open kitchen, I put the wall back in and now have a galley kitchen. I love my closed-off galley kitchen so much (and I have experience with all kinds of kitchen layouts, both open and closed, from tiny to ridiculously large) that having or being easily to remodel in a closed off galley kitchen will be something I'll look for in a home if and when I ever move. I like your idea of the "gourmet space" in the dining area, sounds a lot more useful when hosting than a bar.
@@Candisa Yes. When I see those videos showing ultra expensive mansions they seem to always have at least two kitchens. One "social" where the host cooks for fun (or a hired chef) and a hidden one with professional equipment that's actually designed to be used and have grease and steam flying around without making your living space messy. 👍🏻
Very proud of you for how comprehensive the video is. It could've been your shortest one: Block it off. The end. 😊 Seriously, thank you for the thoughtful dive into the corners.
great video. I'm going with a magic corner solution as I need all the storage I can get in my tiny kitchen. will send before and after photos when finished.
For me I built a 90 degree corner with two shelves 12 inch in depth off the walls. I can easily story 9 pots and pans that are very accessible. If you put in even one full depth shelf it blocks off access but 12 inch works so much better
Mark, I’ll have to watch this again as I only has time for a cursory look. I thought the idea of an appliance in the corner was interesting. Do you think a floor to ceiling cute little pantry could be an option ? Have you ever seen one ? What would be the pros and cons ? How about doing a show on this ?
Mark, I feel you would love the kitchen in my new house. The builders sectioned off the corner. No blind corner or 90 degree corner. Although there is an OTR microwave...
I don’t understand the obsession with corners. If my kitchen is small-medium, I need all the space I can get. If my kitchen is large, I can likely afford an expensive and efficient corner cabinet solution.
I never would have considered blocking off the corner before watching Mark’s videos. But after struggling with layout options to remodel my small kitchen and get all legs of the triangle in the main kitchen I discovered that it really might be best to block it off even in my small kitchen. I was able to figure out a way to get the fridge back in the main kitchen along with the stove and still have room for a dishwasher just by blocking off the corner! And the back room where the fridge has been could be turned into a full walk in pantry. I know it sounds crazy, but you actually might gain more space by blocking it off! It’s worth trying on paper to see what eliminating it frees up the wall space to do.
I fought with my kitchen designer to get a pie-cut lazy Susan. Went found and round. I finally asked him flat out, "Why will you not let me have a pie-cut lazy Susan? " He said he'd installed them and people ddn't like them. My reply was, "I designed the kitchen in my last house from scratch. I have one. I like it. I want one in this house." He finally agreed. I like them because, with the pie cut, you know as soon as you open the door which way to turn it to quickly get to what you want.
We have a corner sink, which I love because I can view the yard from both corner windows! Unfortunately, we have a crack (about 14" long) in our granite counter in front of the stainless steel sink. Counter repair guy can do an epoxy touch up, but not repair crack. We considered an apron/farmers sink, but a section of granite (including cracked piece) would need to be removed and cabinet below would need to be lower and reinforced to accommodate. Multiple Kitchen remodelers and stone counter fabricators only interested in replacing entire countertop but won't touch this job. I'm at my wit's end. Any suggestions?
I had an apartment with a strange corner cabinet. There was a tiny door opening to huge space. If the door had been bigger, it would have made a good space for pots. However, the door was so narrow none of my pots would pass through it. The only thing that would pass through it was canned goods which, of course, you could not see through the tiny door.
I once had a simple and smaller custom corner with a single lazy susan platform and its sole purpose was for recyclr bins. The opening was 10 inches per side which was plenty big enough for its use. Im thinking of doing the dame thing again and blinding off the opposite corner because they are truly a pain in the ass or costly to remedy
Thanks for your video, it’s interesting to know a professional opinion on the corner cabinet solutions. Have you heard about Rincomatic-Plus40 Decorative Corner Hinge? I’d definitely recommend you to have a look as this an alternative that offers a much better access to a L shape corner cabinet allowing to open 1 door at a time. Customization color and height are a huge benefit as well.
Corners are second in my hatred only to microwaves and what to do with them. Curious...have many clients put them "inside" a cabinet pantry? Behind a double door?? Might smell up the cabinet?
IT doesn't happen a lot with my clients. Most times the microwave is in an appliance cabinet, either base or pantry. I can imagine it might get smelly behind closed doors, like you mentioned.
The best corner solution is no corner, that's what I love about my galley kitchen! My parents have a Le Mans corner in their kitchen, I think it's better than a lazy susan, but things will still fall off if you're in a hurry so maybe not more practical than a set of drawers + blocked corner. The "magic corner" is probably the best solution in terms of optimal use of space and accessibility, but it is pricey and there's quite a bit of moving parts to wear out and go wrong. If you put a range there and need to access pullouts/drawers on either side while cooking you end up standing in a cramped triangle. A corner dishwasher is even worse. A fridge in the corner could work, but it depends on the layout so other housemembers don't have to disturb the cook to access the fridge and there's space to put the stuff nearby before putting it in or while taking it out. So so so glad I don't have to worry about this, just avoid having a corner if you can.
Good morning, love my 45 cabinet because I have drawers below I love but it also gives me plenty (way plenty)❤of counter top…and when I am mixing, chopping, and prepping I am standing there convient to stove, sink, and plugs therefore not dragging things from counter to counter while at same time others in kitchen can utilize island, fridge, and anything needed to fix lunch or snack…without blocking me in anyway of cooking when I’m on a roll😂… Great, great blessings to Tobin crew👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻&🫶🏻 Gammy too💐💐💐💐💐
I have a blind corner cabinet and I hate it because it is a black hole. I want some type of corner easy reach cabinet. The way my kitchen is, there is a filler strip and then the dishwasher and on the other side the range. Well, I needed to get a new dishwasher but because everything is talltub, I needed to get a range because the door would open and hit the bar on the bottom stove drawer. By chance, my stovetop cracked, so I could get a new stove but it was difficult to find one I liked. Finally found one, and I had a dishwasher I liked. Got the stove first then the dishwasher installed. I selected a handle, not a pocket front on my dishwasher. Guess what, I can't open the draw on the blind cabinet without opening the dishwasher. Changing the layout will avoid this being a problem in the future if I need to get another dishwasher or stove down the line, because nothing lasts.
???? @MarkTobin, could you do a video or refer us to websites that show how to measure to determine specifically how out of square and plumb the kitchen is??? I know how to measure in general and always measure total length wall to wall as well as measuring to each element such as doors, windows, etc. And I always check my measurements by adding up the individual measurements to make sure they match the overall wall length. But my kitchen is oddly shaped so I can’t just measure diagonally corner to corner to see how close it matches and I know my old home is out of square and plumb. I just don’t know how much or how much of an allowance that means I need to give for corner spacers in my plan, especially since I have partial overlay face framed cabinets now and want to switch to IKEA. Would I be better off just measuring the cabinet boxes there now since I’m keeping the same U plan, just rearranging where the sink and appliances are, as long as the cabinets there now are installed level and plumb??? I’m especially concerned with how much corner filler I need on each side at the bottom of the U since I’d like my sink under the windows there with room for a drawer bank next to it and IKEA’s smallest drawer unit being 15”.
When I planned my new kitchen the two corners were my biggest concern. Wanting the most usable space, I went through all the possible choices as you pointed out. 28 years later, I am very happy with the lazy Susan that makes easy access with one spin.
I did the "walk in corner closet" solution and absolutely LOVE it. I highly recommend if it fits your budget. To me it's the ultimate best use of every square inch in a corner.
Mark, you've convinced me! I had no corner cabinets in my kitchen design, but thanks to your guidance, I now have 2 and I'm trying for 3! Corner cabinets rule! :)
For anyone needing a corner cabinet that can’t afford to block it off and can’t afford the expensive cabinet company solutions there are ways to make the open corner shelves more usable. Put your least used seasonal items in a bin that tucks into the farthest back corner, and get a sheet pan or bin that fits the shelf & opening on either side. Putting the items stored in a bin or on a tray allows those containers to function similar to a drawer for much less money than other solutions.
I am now handicapped. As a 5 ft woman, even pull down shelves don't really help me. That means my lower cabinets are vital. If I didn't have my 3 corner cabinets, I wouldn't have 85% of my lower storage space. You might hate corner cabinets, but sometimes they are absolutely needed.
Never said I hated anything and am pretty clear that you need to make sure you choose the best option for your needs.
It depends on the shape and size of the kitchen. I have a long narrow galley kitchen, so I have zero corners but still maximum lower storage space. To increase the amount of lower storage space even more and make the kitchen more ergonomic and safe, I got a cooktop with drawers underneath instead of a range, put a wall oven in a tall cabinet with two drawers underneath, and I have a countertop microwave but it sits on a custom cabinet that is one drawer taller than the rest of the lower cabinets.
Every time I use my parents kitchen I'm reminded of why I will avoid having corner cabinets ever again, even though they just have one corner and it's one of the better ones (Le Mans). The thought of having to deal with 3 corners in a kitchen sounds like pure horror to me, I'd probably sledgehammer down walls until I could fit a big enough galley kitchen or a line kitchen with a parallel island/peninsula.
Me too. Thank you for this
If you block it off in the kitchen that space could be used in another room for things like deeper storage or maybe a washer dryer
This is an interesting idea. The corner in our kitchen is very tight, as the sink is right next to it and the stove is very close. We have a small bedroom on the other side and adding storage in that room would be useful. 😁
@@heathersmeather Just make sure to find a way to get access. Since it will only be counter high best option is probably drawers or some form of pullout that does not need a top. Had a friend who made it a tiny hide away for the family dog instead of storage. made it sorta soundproof cause the dog was afraid of loud sounds including thunder.
That’s why I planned all along to have at least one blocked off corner! The other side of the wall there is my back (actually side) entrance to the house. It’s a small 3’x3’ landing down 4 steps from the main level. It would be great to have a cubby here for things that I need take with me on my way out if the house and because of the steps the cubby floor would be just a bit below waist height.
I am a 70 year old who lives in a small trailer home. The kitchen corner is attached and open from the sink cabinet. I was able to put vinyl coated wire shelves under there with a batterypuck light and store paint cans. I only need them once in a blue moon, when a grandchild can crawl back there. I don't like using this for "weird" non-kitchen storage, but this is better than wasting space. My spices are stored on the back wall of my laundry area. I store my larger pots and electric gadgets in my master bedroom in an IKEA closet wall cabinet. My pantry is in my guest bedroom in a lovely armoire. When you live in a tiny home, you need to get creative. ❤️ Liked your content today. 🇺🇸🧑🦳
Interesting that freezers work the same way. I can increase the storage space of my freezer handsomely by removing the drawers and using its shelves. Like you say, it all depends on your needs. If you have a large enough kitchen and you're not desperate for more storage a regular corner is perfectly fine as you can use it for large items. A corner sink makes sense too, as under sink cabinets aren't usually too desirable, anyways. I wonder if it's possible to have a double corner sink where one is large and deep and one is smaller and shallower. Thankfully the house I am possibly moving to will have a galley kitchen. 🙂
Funny the realtor wants to open it up. I am telling her, in my head, no way I'd burn money knocking a wall just so grease from my cooking can spread to the living space 🤪
The kitchen is small, anyways, better to keep it as a closed kitchen and have a secondary "gourmet space" on the dining area.
I am sorry but I don't like the blocked off corner. Sorry. Better to just have the plain corner cabinet that benefits from it. You don't have to use that storage space, but it will be there. In my opinion, of course. I can always be wrong. 😬
I have some extremely noisy appliances (Ninja Creami is the worst offender) and I am thinking about having soundproof enclosed cabinets for them. Did you ever see such a thing?
You made the right choice not listening to the trend-following realtor. I used to have an open kitchen, I put the wall back in and now have a galley kitchen. I love my closed-off galley kitchen so much (and I have experience with all kinds of kitchen layouts, both open and closed, from tiny to ridiculously large) that having or being easily to remodel in a closed off galley kitchen will be something I'll look for in a home if and when I ever move.
I like your idea of the "gourmet space" in the dining area, sounds a lot more useful when hosting than a bar.
@@Candisa Yes. When I see those videos showing ultra expensive mansions they seem to always have at least two kitchens. One "social" where the host cooks for fun (or a hired chef) and a hidden one with professional equipment that's actually designed to be used and have grease and steam flying around without making your living space messy. 👍🏻
Ohhhh snap 🫰 I know this topic was hard to do a WHOLE video on for our very dear “King 🤴 of dead corners”!
haha. yep! A little painful, but I think it was balanced.
Very proud of you for how comprehensive the video is. It could've been your shortest one: Block it off. The end. 😊 Seriously, thank you for the thoughtful dive into the corners.
Don't think I didn't ponder that. lol
great video. I'm going with a magic corner solution as I need all the storage I can get in my tiny kitchen. will send before and after photos when finished.
Love the magic corner!
For me I built a 90 degree corner with two shelves 12 inch in depth off the walls. I can easily story 9 pots and pans that are very accessible. If you put in even one full depth shelf it blocks off access but 12 inch works so much better
Mark, I’ll have to watch this again as I only has time for a cursory look. I thought the idea of an appliance in the corner was interesting. Do you think a floor to ceiling cute little pantry could be an option ? Have you ever seen one ? What would be the pros and cons ? How about doing a show on this ?
I've seen them before. Overall they can store a lot, if you like the look and are comfortable with the access.
8:17 I think you mean _when_ it arises.
whatever works.
Mark, I feel you would love the kitchen in my new house. The builders sectioned off the corner. No blind corner or 90 degree corner. Although there is an OTR microwave...
Ok, so I'd almost love it. lol
I don’t understand the obsession with corners. If my kitchen is small-medium, I need all the space I can get. If my kitchen is large, I can likely afford an expensive and efficient corner cabinet solution.
Excellent!
one of the best and more succinct you have done. the hour-long ones are too drawn out and I get bored after 20 minutes.
Gotta watch the long ones live for the interactions with others watching!
Thanks! I put out one of these every week along with my longer live streams. Appreciate you watching!
I never would have considered blocking off the corner before watching Mark’s videos. But after struggling with layout options to remodel my small kitchen and get all legs of the triangle in the main kitchen I discovered that it really might be best to block it off even in my small kitchen. I was able to figure out a way to get the fridge back in the main kitchen along with the stove and still have room for a dishwasher just by blocking off the corner! And the back room where the fridge has been could be turned into a full walk in pantry. I know it sounds crazy, but you actually might gain more space by blocking it off! It’s worth trying on paper to see what eliminating it frees up the wall space to do.
I fought with my kitchen designer to get a pie-cut lazy Susan. Went found and round. I finally asked him flat out, "Why will you not let me have a pie-cut lazy Susan? " He said he'd installed them and people ddn't like them. My reply was, "I designed the kitchen in my last house from scratch. I have one. I like it. I want one in this house." He finally agreed. I like them because, with the pie cut, you know as soon as you open the door which way to turn it to quickly get to what you want.
We have a corner sink, which I love because I can view the yard from both corner windows! Unfortunately, we have a crack (about 14" long) in our granite counter in front of the stainless steel sink. Counter repair guy can do an epoxy touch up, but not repair crack.
We considered an apron/farmers sink, but a section of granite (including cracked piece) would need to be removed and cabinet below would need to be lower and reinforced to accommodate. Multiple Kitchen remodelers and stone counter fabricators only interested in replacing entire countertop but won't touch this job. I'm at my wit's end. Any suggestions?
I had an apartment with a strange corner cabinet. There was a tiny door opening to huge space. If the door had been bigger, it would have made a good space for pots. However, the door was so narrow none of my pots would pass through it. The only thing that would pass through it was canned goods which, of course, you could not see through the tiny door.
Best is a diagonal corner door with a full lazy susan behind it. Gives more counter space and the best storage
I once had a simple and smaller custom corner with a single lazy susan platform and its sole purpose was for recyclr bins. The opening was 10 inches per side which was plenty big enough for its use. Im thinking of doing the dame thing again and blinding off the opposite corner because they are truly a pain in the ass or costly to remedy
Thanks for your video, it’s interesting to know a professional opinion on the corner cabinet solutions. Have you heard about Rincomatic-Plus40 Decorative Corner Hinge? I’d definitely recommend you to have a look as this an alternative that offers a much better access to a L shape corner cabinet allowing to open 1 door at a time. Customization color and height are a huge benefit as well.
Hey! I seen your email, just didn't get a chance to respond yet. I'll reach out soon.
Corners are second in my hatred only to microwaves and what to do with them. Curious...have many clients put them "inside" a cabinet pantry? Behind a double door?? Might smell up the cabinet?
IT doesn't happen a lot with my clients. Most times the microwave is in an appliance cabinet, either base or pantry. I can imagine it might get smelly behind closed doors, like you mentioned.
The best corner solution is no corner, that's what I love about my galley kitchen!
My parents have a Le Mans corner in their kitchen, I think it's better than a lazy susan, but
things will still fall off if you're in a hurry so maybe not more practical than a set of drawers + blocked corner.
The "magic corner" is probably the best solution in terms of optimal use of space and accessibility, but it is pricey and there's quite a bit of moving parts to wear out and go wrong.
If you put a range there and need to access pullouts/drawers on either side while cooking you end up standing in a cramped triangle. A corner dishwasher is even worse. A fridge in the corner could work, but it depends on the layout so other housemembers don't have to disturb the cook to access the fridge and there's space to put the stuff nearby before putting it in or while taking it out.
So so so glad I don't have to worry about this, just avoid having a corner if you can.
I agree!!
Good morning, love my 45 cabinet because I have drawers below I love but it also gives me plenty (way plenty)❤of counter top…and when I am mixing, chopping, and prepping I am standing there convient to stove, sink, and plugs therefore not dragging things from counter to counter while at same time others in kitchen can utilize island, fridge, and anything needed to fix lunch or snack…without blocking me in anyway of cooking when I’m on a roll😂…
Great, great blessings to Tobin crew👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻&🫶🏻 Gammy too💐💐💐💐💐
I have a blind corner cabinet and I hate it because it is a black hole. I want some type of corner easy reach cabinet. The way my kitchen is, there is a filler strip and then the dishwasher and on the other side the range. Well, I needed to get a new dishwasher but because everything is talltub, I needed to get a range because the door would open and hit the bar on the bottom stove drawer. By chance, my stovetop cracked, so I could get a new stove but it was difficult to find one I liked. Finally found one, and I had a dishwasher I liked. Got the stove first then the dishwasher installed. I selected a handle, not a pocket front on my dishwasher. Guess what, I can't open the draw on the blind cabinet without opening the dishwasher. Changing the layout will avoid this being a problem in the future if I need to get another dishwasher or stove down the line, because nothing lasts.
????
@MarkTobin, could you do a video or refer us to websites that show how to measure to determine specifically how out of square and plumb the kitchen is???
I know how to measure in general and always measure total length wall to wall as well as measuring to each element such as doors, windows, etc. And I always check my measurements by adding up the individual measurements to make sure they match the overall wall length. But my kitchen is oddly shaped so I can’t just measure diagonally corner to corner to see how close it matches and I know my old home is out of square and plumb. I just don’t know how much or how much of an allowance that means I need to give for corner spacers in my plan, especially since I have partial overlay face framed cabinets now and want to switch to IKEA. Would I be better off just measuring the cabinet boxes there now since I’m keeping the same U plan, just rearranging where the sink and appliances are, as long as the cabinets there now are installed level and plumb??? I’m especially concerned with how much corner filler I need on each side at the bottom of the U since I’d like my sink under the windows there with room for a drawer bank next to it and IKEA’s smallest drawer unit being 15”.
When I planned my new kitchen the two corners were my biggest concern. Wanting the most usable space, I went through all the possible choices as you pointed out. 28 years later, I am very happy with the lazy Susan that makes easy access with one spin.
Oh! Just what I needed! I'm in the early stages of a kitchen renovation, nice to see what solutions are available. ^__^
I did the "walk in corner closet" solution and absolutely LOVE it. I highly recommend if it fits your budget. To me it's the ultimate best use of every square inch in a corner.
Thank you
Super 👍
Mark, you've convinced me! I had no corner cabinets in my kitchen design, but thanks to your guidance, I now have 2 and I'm trying for 3! Corner cabinets rule! :)
That cuts deep. lol