I am just moving back in after total reno. I have to say the roll out shelves are fantastic! They hold heavy Le Creuset pans with ease. The soft close is a plus also. I have to have a cutlery insert & will use the one I have. Other than that I opted not to use a spice insert and use the pantry instead. Decora has been a good quality cab and we are pleased with them. Also one thing we used that has added storage space are 2 right angle cabs that flank the vent hood. Hope this helps.

The best thing I did was to get doors on both sides of my island. That way I have easy access to everything, rather than stuff at the back that I can't reach.

I wish I had gotten more pullout shelves. I got one pantry with and one without and I really regret not getting them in both. They make a deep cabinet so much more functional.

I also got a lot of drawers. They work so much better than shelves for organizing small items like foil and lunch bags and those little plastic storage containers that used to fall off the top shelf onto my head.

I wish I had been able to get the larger drawers for pots and pans, but in my small kitchen, I couldn't make them work. My neighbor got them when she did a kitchen addition and she loves them.

Totally Confused

I got an upper spice pullout next to the hood and I love it. It doesn't hold all of my spices but my pantry is around the corner, so even having the most used ones near the range is more conveinent. (Actually I squeeze quite a few in there!)

The baking spices are okay in the pantry with all the other baking items. But if my kitchen was bigger I'd defintely like two so they were all in one spot.

As far as drawers go, I only got two large ones (very small kitchen) and I love them much more than the old cabinets with pullout shelves they replaced. They are deep and one holds my food processor. Pull them all the way out and you see everything. After a certain age, getting down on the floor to root through a cabinet for something loses it's appeal. Besides, I never did pull out the old pullout shelves (mine had no sides) for fear of things falling off the back into the abyss!

If I had more room, I would have a pullout trash as well. People on here really like them.

We had all drawers in our last kitchen and in this one and we love them. We store spices, pots, pans, small appliances, tupperware...almost everything in drawers. But my two favorite cabinets are the 6" wide open one that holds my cutting boards and the vertical storage above the ovens that holds all trays, roasting pans, baking stone, cookie sheets, oven racks etc. They are the best!!!!

biochem
Do you have a photo of the spice pullouts near hood? How wide are they?

Cheri - thanks, I never thought about vertical storage above ovens.

totally confused- do mean doors on the seating side of island as well?

I also think that the spices one grabs while stirring are great to have by the stove, but that there's no point spending prime real estate on the whole collection. If you have a powerful, hot stove a niche behind it isn't safe or good for the spices, but how many is that? For me it's seven. If I'm making something particular I'll pull out the spices for it before I start.

My biggie is horizontal storage. I have a tray cabinet with thin shelves set in grooves, which can be pulled out if necessary, for things like the hot tray, place mats, large serving trays, and other big, flat things. Also pegboard cupboards for hanging long skinny things, and single deep glassware cupboards. Love 'em!

I am also planning a new set of kitchen cupboards right now.

Have decided to put a slab of butcherblock on each side of the stove. (The rest of the kitchen will have Formica countertops.) On the left of the stove at the back of the butcherblock, we are going to put slits to hold knives--no one specific knife for one specific hole but instead sufficient space so that there is little thinking involved in putting knives away. The rule will be something like "big knives to the back, serrated ones to the left, .... etc."

At the right of the stove at the back of the butcherblock we are going to sink 3 food service-quality stainless steel round solid-bottom containers with lips, to hold cooking utensils. The rule will be something like "spatulas and wooden spoons and other stove stuff on the left, baking stuff like rubber spatulas on the right, and the rest in the middle." I saw each of these ideas in different photos in books and thought they were great.

Am also going to make one narrow drawer slightly left of and below a pull-out cutting board that we will use for sit-down chopping tasks, like preparing tomatoes for the dehydrator. The drawer will have a long food-service stainless trough with a collar on it, which will sit in some kind of fixed way inside the drawer but be removable. The goal here is to scrape the juice and cuttings off the board and allow them to accumulate as I work. Then I hope to just take the trough to the compost bin in one motion when I'm finished. This would replace the stool-with-a-dishpan-on-it method I use right now for catching the waste.

The top drawers in the units left and right of the sink will have shorter than normal drawers.

By doing this, we move the stuff out of the drawer and right next to the point of use. Putting the stuff away requires less thought and coordination than using the drawer--one hand instead of two, one motion instead of three, you get the idea. Having the items countersunk (pun intended) lowers them out of the line of vision, reducing the feeling of clutter compared with counter-sitting knife blocks (we have two) and utensil holders (we have one that is stuffed chock full, plus drawers).

Have not yet decided how to handle the bottles of vinegar, oils, soy sauce that accumulate next to the stove. I want a custom niche built into the space over the stove but hubby the carpenter is not sure he likes the idea. We cannot put in a narrow pull-out here.

As for spices, I have two 1970s Copco spice racks: round jars sit in little pigeonholes with labeled lids facing out. I'm determined to continue using these racks, but am not sure as to whether I'll mount inside the cupboard or on the undercounter wall. I've heard that these things are becoming collector's items--they were pricey at the time I bought them but I've adored having them. All my spices are alphabetized and ready for service. Unfortunately, currently at least ten ten of the jars wear mismatched replacement groc. store spice bottle lids, but I've found that there's a vendor online who sells new lids and new labels--hurrah!)

florantha - Ithink my mom had those Copco spice organizers and like you, I alphabetize. The problem with putting spices, oils, etc too close to hot cooktop, as plllog pointed out, is that heat is not good for them plus they get all grimy. My pantry is going to be quite a but away from the cooking area, so I'm wondering what people like.

I have a "spice" pullout cabinet between my corner sink and my dishwasher that is perfect for storing sponges, dishwasher soap, scrub brushes, etc.

My Kitchen-Aids are in a big empty Wood-Mode or Brookhaven cabinet box. The designer didn't understand my needs and ended up just eliminating shelves from this cabinet when she placed the order. She's promised to get one shelf installed here for me.

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The shelves for the KitchenAid tools are handy in the upper cabinet. The beadboard and painted Wood-Mode countertop were cabinet delivery day surprises. Never even knew Wood-Mode made a painted surface cabinet top. I would never choose Beadboard for a backsplash, especially near a KitchenAid - - won't use the KitchenAid here until the backsplash is cleanable. The countertop will have to go someday, too. Sadly, when I was taking pictures of this countertop, I discovered that the countertop was never completely screwed in place - no wonder it wiggles - and the supporting wood piece is cracked. Something else to work on. . . check the undersides of your installations, GW friends.

My old kitchen had a Wood-Mode Swing Out Spice Cabinet. That was more of a nuisance than an aid as my large collection of spices wasn't alphabetizable in the swing out's small capacity as some of the levels on the racks only accepted the shorty spices and only some accepted the regular spice bottles. I rarely have a shorty spice can, so those racks were unoccupied. Also, the cabinet was finicky. Everything had to be put back just so behind the swing out for the swing out to close again.

My designer surprised me with two of the following cabinets in the new kitchen - - the plans we had previously made for the spices didn't materialize. Here are the cabinets that my clever son suggested we turn into substitutes for my missing spice cabinets. They are low, but I think they will work. At least we are making use of the space.
The gap in the back on one side of both of the soon-to-be spice cabinets are supposed to be "adjustment issues" and will be rectified soon.

The second picture shows an overview of the "found space" for the spice racks. The spice cabinets are the cabinet door on the left of the post.
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plumeriavine,

I noticed your wood floors and they look like the ones in my kitchen to which I am trying to match. I moved in this house about 8 yrs ago and I think this floor was put in when the house was built (1979). In my renovation, I am trying to convert a 10ft by 10ft space that was tiled in the work area of my kitchen to match the rest of the wood in the kitchen. Do you happen to know who makes the floor and the style & color this is? I am located in Massachusetts and have a few floor people coming in to quote this. Thanks.

Although they seem to be a love 'em or hate 'em kind of thing, I can't live without my appliance garage. I have a six foot long one, and I love being able to shut the doors on the clutter.

I also am enjoying my trash pullout (never had one of those before) and the pullout for cookie sheets and cutting boards. Also love my open shelves with baskets for onions and potatoes-- we use them a lot in our cooking, and it's really convenient.

kleekai -

Here is my major digression to answer your question -

My floors are red oak with walnut pegs. Brand unknown, but I think it is somewhat generic. It is not an engineered wood. Narrow to medium red oak planks are readily available. The pegs are made with a pegging tool, very simple, I hear.

I was advised by my designer to wait to refinish my kitchen floors until everything was done EXCEPT toe kicks. I was uncomfortable with that at the time but I went along. She was very insistent. If I were to do it again, I would have insisted that the floors be sanded BEFORE any cabinets are installed. Then, I'd have applied one or two coats of clear heavy duty finish. Then I'd have the kitchen finished with contractors PROTECTING the floors. Finally, I'd have the floors buffed and the last coat of finish applied before the toekicks go on. That would have been much better. Bottom line: the designer/contractor did not want to have to worry about the floors in any way.

Now, refinishing the floors will be incomplete, more difficult, and messier plus my new cabinets are at risk in the process.

Background on the floor - - the kitchen and service porch and bathroom red oak was probably installed about 1980 during the last kitchen remodel. I would NEVER recommend a wood floor under a washing machine or in a bathroom. Terrible idea. But, we aren't changing at this time because of continuity. I dislike grooves on the kitchen floor - they are crumb magnets - -but, again, we stayed with them for various reasons. Other rooms of the house have an older, wider red oak floor that we believe is original to the house. When we moved in, the red oak was stained a dark color and the previous homeowner told me to use TreWax Indian Sand paste wax to maintain them. Maintaining waxed floors was a hassle for a working mom, even with an Oreck. The dark color also eventually got on my nerves. My kitchen floor was dark, my Wood-Mode cherry kitchen was dark, we had navy blue and white checked wallpaper on the ceiling (also dark), it was depressing. So, I decided to replace the floors with a new, light colored wood floor. I called for bids. One of the bidders discouraged me from changing floors. He insisted that I'd probably be ahead of the game if, instead, I simply sanded the dark waxed red oak floors and put on a clear finish. He explained that 10 inch wide red oak plank floors are hard to come by and should be cherished. I decided to try it. They came, they sanded, and they refinished the floors. The rooms brightened up significantly. There were a few minor blemishes where the dark stain was not completely removed by sanding and the grooves remained dark, but, for a busy household with kids and dogs, it was good enough for now. During the course of this kitchen project, the workers have shown total disregard for our floors. There is paint, grout, and scratches from the job. Hopefully, the majority of this will clean up when the floors are refinished. A gesture of putting down drop cloths would have been nice, and my complaints were not welcomed.

Polyurethane on floors like this should be redone every 2-4 years in a high traffic kitchen. Not full sanding, just polyurethane and professional buffing.

I've been told that I have 2-3 more major sandings left in the floor before replacement would be suggested. That could mean decades left of wear.

I think that the floors will end up being just fine after the floor men are done. They look bad right now.

I plan a kitchen reno in the near future. I wonder if there is something that you thought you needed and then after you bought it, it turned out to be a total waste of money.

darrah - you should start a new thread for that question. it's a good one but no one will see it unless they open this thread. Many only look at the topic line for a thread that interests them.

Plumeriavine,

Just had the second guy come in about my floors today. The one yesterday said they didn't make my floor anymore. Today, this company said it was red oak with walnut pegs and reiterated much of what you said. He warned me about having this type of floor in my work area because of crumbs,dirt, etc. in the cracks and said that rest of my floor (which has been in since 1979 with original house - we bought it 8 years ago)would look better with some resanding and rebuffing. He also said that with that sanding and rebuffing, some of the dark imperfections would show more. He suggested that he put the floor down, do one protective coat before I put cabinets in and then he will sand and do 3 coats when counters are being templated and then come back after everything is done, and do a final 4th coat. He is going to give me a quote on this by Tuesday. I also have 2 other companies coming in to bid this next week, too.

The best thing would be to replace all the floor, but that is cost prohibitive for us at this time. The orginal owners had put this 10 by 10 tiled area in the work area and that is what we are trying to match to existing wood floor. If this becomes to challenging to do, I guess we will have to retile that area and live with it - design person thinks it would look so much better if all wood since we are replacing pennisula with an island and it's more free flowing now.

I very much appreciated your detailed answer. It helped confirm some information that was told to me today.

Toe kick drawers. I'll nevr do a kitchen without them again. In our alaska kitchen we have them under every cabint...it's amazing how much space is hidden in your toe kick. I keep lightbulbs, big trays, CD's, Trash compactor, garbage bags, soap, sheesh just about everything in a toe kick. I love the things ;)

Sliding doors on the hutch are never an obstruction when open in the primary traffic aisle:

Upper cabinet that sits on the counter with an adjustable height shelves. The small oven sits on a fireproof surface:

Shallow drawer under the cooktop for cooking utensils:

Pullout drawer for KA mixers storage:

Pullout trays above the refrigerator and double ovens. Sorry no picture of that. I just got them installed last weekend. Reaching items in the back of the cabinet is easy without a ladder.

Bump! In the process of cabinet planning...any other ideas?