10 Great Ways to Use Kitchen Corners
What's your angle? Whether you want more storage, display space or room for hanging out in your kitchen, these ideas can help
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
If space around your home is feeling tight, take a second look at your corners. Whether a corner is empty or there's a pile of stuff you've been meaning to clean up occupying it, it could be ripe for a little redo.
There are ways to make the most of a corner in every room of the house. Today I'll start with the kitchen. Whether you're planning a remodel or just looking for a tiny intervention, here are some smart ideas for corners you might not have considered.
There are ways to make the most of a corner in every room of the house. Today I'll start with the kitchen. Whether you're planning a remodel or just looking for a tiny intervention, here are some smart ideas for corners you might not have considered.
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| Add a sink. A window over the kitchen sink is a popular design move and helps dissipate the drudgery of doing the dishes. Get twice as much view by planning a corner sink that lets you enjoy the sights out two sides of your home. Not sure? Check out this ideabook: Is a Kitchen Corner Sink Right for You? |
by Best & Company
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Create an eat-in kitchen with a banquette. A small kitchen table and corner banquette maximize the seating potential in a tight kitchen.
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| Install a range. This is not a move for everyone, as it can take up extra room. What's great about it is the way it can work within the work triangle, that it enlivens a corner and that it opens up the opportunity to showcase a special high backsplash. As this look becomes more popular in the U.S., more corner-ready hood vents and ranges are making their way over from other countries, where it's already an established look. |
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| Talk with your kitchen designer, contractor and cabinet designers about placing a corner range. Unless you are incredibly talented with DIY projects, a corner range can bring on some headaches. Some issues you'll need to consider: • Venting and how the vent hood will fit into the corner • Extra fillers next to the cabinets — doors and drawers will need to clear the oven when open. • Look carefully at handles when you are choosing a range for a corner and realize that the oven's handle may stick out beyond your cabinet fronts. • Make sure you have proper clearance for the oven door when it is open — you cannot have it bonking into an island when it's only partially open. Also, think about trying to hoist a heavy dish out of it and then see if you have enough room to do so in front of the open door, or if you can manage grabbing things from the sides. • The corner range layout works best with counters on either side. |
In this open-space plan, everything is oriented toward the corner — in particular, the view from the bar. Placing the range and vent hood in this corner creates a focal point where the backsplash extends all the way up to the ceiling.
Have a cabinet and a window meet. This is an example of smart kitchen planning; the glass-front cabinets nestle into the narrow space between the window and the adjacent wall. Make sure you are leaving enough clearance for the cabinet door to open at least 90 degrees; factor in protruding knobs, moldings and windowsills.
Use a tall lazy Susan in the pantry. Long a favorite way to address deep corners, this is a fabulous storage solution for those of you with a pantry.
Discover the new corner drawers. Speaking of lazy Susans, a modern substitute is a deep, clever drawer that goes around the bend.
Display special wares. A tower like this one can show off special serving pieces, cookbooks and plants.
by Mary Prince
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Create household central with a mini office. This kitchen workspace makes the most of a small corner, with upper and lower cabinets for storage and a computer for running the household. Note the thoughtful undercabinet lighting.
A setup like this makes for a great place to do homework, look up recipes, pay bills and keep track of the family schedule.
A setup like this makes for a great place to do homework, look up recipes, pay bills and keep track of the family schedule.
Here's an example of a more stripped-down kitchen office, with just enough room to use and store a laptop or an iPad.
Check out more kitchen desk setups with style
Check out more kitchen desk setups with style
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| Create an extra seating nook. Most people tend to shove cabinets in every available space in a kitchen. I've found I will pare down my belongings to fit in a small number of cabinets, and I'll expand them to fill up a large number. If you look at what you really need and edit, you may free up space for a cozy corner bench. |
by Tamar Schechner
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Use floating shelves. This open look does not require any special custom corner pieces and makes a small kitchen look larger than it really is. The only drawback is dust — I recommend using pieces you use and wash all the time, and giving the shelves a dusting once a week. This sounds like a pain until you discover the magic of a duster with an extender, which will help you get the pesky dusting done in a under a minute without a step stool.
Ideabook published on Nov. 29, 2012.
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Particularly like the idea of the floor-to-ceiling lazy susan in the pantry! In my preivous home did have a corner sink which I loved and a two seated bench banquette with a table that I actually got rid of to reconfigure my kitchen layout.
In summary reflecting back in time; kitchen design has certainly come a long way from the days when my Mother used her kitchen corner for a 'time-out' space fitted with an uncomfortable wooden kitchen chair as a disciplinary measure for one of her brood. Bad enough the chair wasn't even padded but it also faced the wall. Oh how I remember it clearly. ºÜº
I would caution against putting a wall oven/double oven in a corner. Although it looks nice, when you open the door, there's no way of "getting around the side" to do/see anything, and the racks pull out just so far. Not the safest design idea.
Btw I've been reading all your corner articles. Just fantastic! Now if only I could get off Houzz I could make my corners look better.