My mom always had cabinets like this, and I never had a problem with them. I'll probably have one in my new kitchen, if I can ever afford the cabinets.

But one cabinet designer showed me a biford door, for upper cabinets, that eliminated this problem. Maybe that would work for you?

We have two in our kitchen - one because of space required for my DH only request - a built-in coffee maker and the other because of a fun architectural detail that gave me a laundry/mud room and unique kitchen shape. Both have bi-fold doors and are surprisingly accessible. Because the shelves are somewhat shallow I can see many ways I might use them - not likely to be food storage as the bi-fold is not something I anticipate wanting to open daily. Probably much of my extensive collection of serving dishes and smaller infrequently used appliances will be stored in them.

I have plenty of storage so they don't have to function as daily use so that may make a difference. I have read here that there can be issues with bifold doors - both function and sagging over time. However I think the space is much easier to use than if we did a flat door over an extra deep corner cabinet.

Maureen -

I have three blind corner cabinets. (Not ideal of course, but my kitchen is an awkward space). In my "Care of the New Kitchen" speech I told DH and the kids to never put anything in these cabs that they wish to see again.

My upper blind corner cabinet is pretty small. Lower shelf - rarely used glasses in the back and smallish serving platters in the front. Middle shelf - water bottles and travel mugs that were always thrown all over the old kitchen. Upper shelf - seems to have no use whatsoever except for hiding Easter candy. (Hmmm, now what can I hide up there?)

Maureen

I put turntables in them and use them for mugs and other similar items. The lower shelf has double ht. and the uppers are single. Same as Maureen, hide chocolate in the back of the top shelf.

Is this sort of the same? I have one upper that's a triple in length, with the final third tucked into the corner. With both doors open you can easily see what's over in that "third" area, although one may have to take out a few items to get to it.

I put large single pieces (large serving bowl, covered casserole) on each shelf. I can see the front end and know exactly what's where. Nothing small is back in there getting 'lost'. Can you do that?

Of course if yours has to store food, that's more difficult. Not sure what food doesn't get used often? Hmmm...Big packages would be hard to pull out around other items, and moving everything out all the time would be a pain....thinking....

I have my collections of flavorings and cake decorations (sprinkles, etc.) grouped in little baskets in my pantry. (Just so they don't fall over.) What if you sit the stuff in the *front* part in a low basket, or pan, so that it can ALL be lifted out of the way in one stroke?

That would at least make it easier to get to those things in the back?

Thanks everyone, some good ideas here. I think putting serving pieces that are only used a few times a year might be the best use for the space. But you know "out of sight, out of mind." I'm sure whatever ends up in there will be forgotten.
Maureen in MA

I will have one that's only accessible by ladder and is truly blind (i.e., no door). It'll have the famous Arlosmom's "Costco cupboard" pullouts, which slide into the adjoining cabinet when that's empty. Great for little used big items like the once a year roaster, right?

I had Wood-Mode make an upper blind corner cabinet with a beadboard backing, no doors, and one fixed shelf with what they call an "English edge." It's charming.

When the kitchen is finished, I plan to use it to store most of my nice copper cookware: saucepans, saute pans, and an enormous copper stock pot. These will stack on top of each other in a nice arrangement that I can easily see to access. I spent quite a bit of time plotting things out to make sure the cookware would actually fit before I placed the cabinet order.

This arrangement will work for me because I love being able to see my copperware. Yes, I'll need a stepstool to reach some of it because I'm 5'2", but it beats using the space to store canned goods only to find a leaky jar of blueberry preserves at some future point (experience talking here :-)).

Blind corner cabinets are a particular interest of mine for several reasons. I have written quite a few blogs about them, and I have a blind corner in the kitchen I desperately want to remodel. Because I'm a cabinetmaker, I can pretty much do whatever I wantÂwithin reason of course. And, in the end, I rather fear that I am not going to do much of anything with that corner. It will be much better than it was, but some parts of it are forever dead because we're not willing to expand the kitchen, and the space limitations we have greatly restrict our choices.

I won't reproduce the arguments here, but I will say that I never did find a solution to the blind corners for base cabinets that I thought was any better than simply letting that blind corner go and simply installing drawer banks on the legs of the blind corners. Basically, it's a matter of simple math. You figure out how much space you'll get with various solutions and compare it to the space you would have with a dead corner and two drawer banks.

However, I did find a number of solutions that worked well for upper cabinets, and I will incorporate something like that in our kitchen when I make it. The link below will take you to one of the ideas I liked best. I will definitely do some variation of this for the upper cabinets in our kitchen in that corner. There were also a number of other ideas I came across that that utilized the entire blind corner and did a wonderful job.

I personally don't have a problem with simply boarding up a blind corner for base cabinets, but there are enough elegantÂand worthwhileÂsolutions for upper cabinets, that it seems a shame to end up with a dead corner where things go to die, which, sadly, is what I currently have in my kitchen!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet & Furniture Trends & Information

Joseph - how hard to make drawers for the lower blind corner?

if you would have them, would it be possible to use the top drawers of drawer banks on either side of it? hopefully no one would attempt to open more than one at a time...

what's the normal depth (usable/not into the V point) into the base corner cab? I saw a slide out rack at rev a shelf. for very little that would at least allow some use of it other than the LS - which i don't want as I'm one to lose stuff off of it into the back.

what's the normal width across the front? or should I say from the corner point out to each hinged part of the door.

I have about 24" from each corner so I'm thinking I could use it for something and still get a drawer bank on each side. tho, w/o it each drawer bank could be wider...

so many things to think about and decisions to make...

wire pull out basket - at link - it's the 6 and 7th down I think (different sizes)

Here is a link that might be useful: wire pull out

Personally, I like susans in corner base cabinets. They hold a lot...certainly more than a 24" drawer bank could hold (which is the equivalent of what you get when dead-ending a corner & using a drawer bank on the legs...12" on each side). In my old kitchen I stored all my pots & pans plus extra items in a 36" lazy susan (center pole). Those same items are occupying 2-36" drawers + 2-24" drawers...

I miss that susan! I had planned to use a super susan in one of our corners to hold all my small appliances...but, my DH so wanted a Pet Center turned 90o...I got most of what I wanted so I thought it fair to give him that! (The other corner has a corner prep sink.)

BTW...we moved my in-laws this past weekend and they had a blind corner upper cabinet (went behind the cabinets perpendicular to it). There were things in that corner that had not seen the light of day in over 5 years (when they moved in to the old apartment). I know, b/c several items had expired 5 years ago!