5 must-have cabinet upgrades
If you are retrofitting your cabinets. Look here first to determine what type of cabinets you have. Then carefully measure the opening of the cabinet for the size of your accessory. Remember you have to get beyond the face frame if you have one and the glides will be different for framed and frameless cabinets.
Waste basket pull outs
They can have one, two or even four containers depending on the cabinet size. I always put at least a two bin pull out- one for general trash and one for bottle/can recycling. I also prefer to have a pull out attached to the door as opposed to having to open the door and pull out the slider. Anything that makes it easier to use makes it more likely to get used. The pull out can be top or bottom mounted. Some are hooked up to electricity to make them touch open and close by pressing the door with your knee- great for when you have chickeny hands!
Roll-outs
Who the heck wants to get down on their hands and knees to get something out of the bottom back of a cabinet! Especially if its heavy. Roll-outs may eat some space in the cabinet, but more then make up for it by increasing accessibility. They come in wood or open grate metal. I prefer wood ’cause if anything spills I can remove the roll-out to clean and the mess doesn’t fall into other levels and I have to clean them, too. Work smarter not harder.
Soft close drawers and doors
Nowadays soft close doors and drawers are expected in any new cabinet. However, if you are using new cabinets make sure to ask your designer if yours come with them. Not only does it make for a quieter kitchen, it saves on wear and tear of the parts and, for those who can’t manage to close a drawer fully -you know who you are- once it gets to almost shut it grabs and pulls the rest of the way. The only truly self closing cabinets are in RVs and boats. Don’t doubt I haven’t yearned for that. Cabinet pull outs that carry a lot of weight may not have soft close, such as trash cabinets.
Full height pull outs
Do you have a narrow full height tray/ cookie sheet cabinet? Imagine if you could pull the handle and the whole thing would slide out so you could get at every thing. Cutting boards easily accessible. Or you could have cooking oils, vinegars, and spices on a pull out shelves right next to the stove. They can be as base cabinets or that 12” wide wall cabinet that is one plate or 4 glasses wide. There is also one that has a shelf on the bottom and bins for cooking utensils and a knife block to keep clutter of the counter, but still be easy to get at.
Message centers/ charging stations
A well placed message center for a busy family can help calm the chaos. With space for keys, schedules, to do lists, chore lists, coupons, messages and even mail, you would have a designated area for all the things that just get dropped when everyone comes in. By adding a charging station you have a designated area for phones and tablets, especially if you have young kids whose online activities you’re monitoring. To be honest in my house the charging station wouldn’t get used. We’re a household of adults, one in her 70’s and I want us to have their phones with us and charging by our beds incase of emergency.
