3 Kitchen Cabinets To AVOID in Your Kitchen Layout!

When you're designing a kitchen cabinet layout, it's easy to get carried away. The options in the kitchen for accessories, pullouts, pantries and fixtures to match is never ending. But, I'll save you a little time. These 3 cabinets suck. They waste your money. Worst of all, they just don't work right or last!

Best, Liz

[jesseostone]

I beg to differ regarding the corner cabinet. I had two lower Lazy Susan corner cabinets in my last kitchen, and they worked flawlessly for the two decades I had that house. Never a problem or any negative aspect, had plenty of room for my largest kitchen items. When I designed my current kitchen recently, I put one in the one lower corner and it holds all my larger pots and pans. Love it!

I also designed in a garbage drawer at the end of my island so anyone else could access the garbage while I was busy at the sink. Everything about it can be removed for periodic cleaning, is not so large that kitchen waste accumulates longer than odors expand, and that also works nicely for our household.

The other topics of your video I agree with.

[sagisli]

My pull out garbage cabinet is a double, it also has a recycling pail. I absolutely love it.

[margaretmartine]

I’ve head the pull out trash (the wood version) in 2 houses and they never failed. I absolutely love having trash in front and the recycle bin behind. And if you empty it every 4-5 days it’s fine, it doesn’t get too heavy or stinky. Oh, I never put in meet/fish remainders in my trash. Always take it out after cooking.

[BradThePitts]

I have an IKEA blind corner cabinet with 2 pull out drawers. It works flawlessly and it's perfectly integrated into the rest of the cabinets. There is however about 12 inches of dead space in the back corner, but since the drawers pull out you'll never miss it. The shelf heights are adjustable according to your own needs. By the way, that 12 inches of dead space in the back corner is a perfect place to hide a small safe with valuables. Even if thieves come in and tear apart every single drawer in every room, they will never know it's back there because you can't see it.

[Tobico]

I agree 100% on these cabinets! I have a miniscule kitchen and my husband is the builder and I got to be the designer. Very glad to see I avoided ALL your bad choices. My kitchen works and works hard for me, not against me. I went with all the drawer units I could squeeze in and have been happy for 35 years. We have redone drawer and door fronts once and painted them for the last change up. New hardware is the icing on the decor.

[michellebwilson]

Agree, pull outs make sense in the after-market world if you have to live with a kitchen that has base cabs and shelves, sure, add your pull outs. But if building new, go with drawers everywhere you can on the base level.

[katanyajason]

When I'm cooking I often need the trash can up to 5 or 6 times. I can't imagine having to wipe my hands and pull out the can each time! And if I left it open it would get in my way. I much prefer a free standing pedal bin (or one that has a sensor)

[hollysheen]

I have a trash compactor and love it. Have had one in our various houses for about 30 years. The best solution ever!

[LAS]

I have to disagree on the pullout shelves in cabinets. I specifically ordered all my cabinets with these in them. Full extension. I find them extremely useful. I don't have to sit on the floor or bend like a corkscrew to get things out. I don't forget what is stored in the back. I also store smaller cutting boards in the 'wasted space ' between the slide-out and the cabinet wall. These slide outs are great, especially for people needing/wanting to age in place, people with disabilities or back/hip issues. Yes, one loses a little space on either side but not that much and the convenience is wonderful.

[staceg]

Your advice to avoid "Doors with drawers behind them". I LOVE my cabinets that have pullout drawers and wish all of my lower cabinets had them (my lower cabinets only have the upper shelf as a pullout, there's not a drawer in the base.) It makes space so much more accessible. If the cabinets are built correctly, very little space is lost, and it negates the need to pull everything out of a cabinet to access the things in the back. My old house had that setup and I used it for my pots and pans - it felt like I had double the space because I didn't have to constantly unload an entire shelf to get to stuff in the back, and it's easier for people who have mobility issues (my mom, who in her 80s, can't sit on the flloor or bend and twist to get to the stuff in the backs of her cabinets). As for upper pantry shelves having it - if you organize your pantry with a little common sense and keep a step stool handy, that works well too.

[joshualevine]

Great video. Such clear thinking through the initial appeal of featues that will eventually become problems.The one small observation I have is the need to make every inch count. That might be true for some kitchens, but I took my rebuild as an opportunity to get rid of redundent or useless gadgets and equipment. This reduced the imperitive to maximize space as much, which freed up some space for esthics which might be slightly less functional but more pleasing to me.

[Michelleisfine]

The bonus tip about the small hinge sponge space. She is right about people breaking the hinge. Placing a smaller centrally placed pull is going to solve that, but also, why bother putting wet stuff in there? It is a nice spot to keep small not often used things. The straw cleaner. They dry quick and are easily bent. Under there they would be safe. They can hang out with spare clean dish towels. They won't be in there long enough to get gross should the edge of the sink leak.

[liorap]

Our corner 2- layer lazy Susans are wonderful. Low lip, made by Amish….

And we have a wire garbage can pulls out from an opened cabinet door…we like it.

The previous owners upgraded the kitchen and bathroom about 20 years ago and the style choices are timeless.

[brendazolli]

We put in a brand new kitchen 3years ago. We have two lazy Susans, one on each corner of the long counter. I keep food staples in one and small appliances in the other. Absolutely no problems. They are wood with high sides, so nothing falls behind. I also have a trash and recycling bins cabinet. Again no problems. We empty them frequently. We also compost all veggie and fruit waste, so nothing wet goes into the trash.
This was something I wasn’t sure about when it was suggested, but I am glad we took the advice of the kitchen cabinet planner. Also have one cabinet with pullouts and a door, where I store pans next to the stove. We put in deep drawers which we both love. We are both short! They hold tons of stuff and emptying the dishwasher takes 5 minutes! We are happy with our nice workable kitchen.

[supernova]

We installed an after market pullout in a lower cabinet for our garbage, bought at Lowe's. That was 24 years ago, and it still works great. I love that there isn't a garbage can visible in my kitchen, or in the way. My sil has the corner lazy Susan in her kitchen with the bi-fold doors, and it works great.So what, if you have to line up the trays properly. One extra step isn't going to kill you.

[lisamccoy]

So much good info to think about. But that undersink tiltout is sure handy for rings and watches! I also use it for the scraper (nonporous) and a sharp razor blade for the stovetop. Never a sponge, for sure.

[marj]

I have absolutely loved my pull out garbage can, hidden by cabinetry. The best upgrade I’ve done in years! I do disagree with you on that one! You were right, there is a stir. People like these for a reason.

[caritamccoy]

Love this video I had my kitchen enlarged a fee years back. I see the can drawer weighing. I hate the lazy Susie period. I had 20 upper and 20 lower cabinets installed and now I don't want half the cabinets on one side of my kitchen. I paid for the over fridge cabinet but need a ladder to get to it. Your right we see it in the showroom and it's gorgeous just not always functional. Oh and my kitchen so big I got 2 can drawers lol which one is rarely used because no one in my house even attempt to recycle.

[susangrande]

I designed our kitchen remodel myself, including a pull-out garbage and recycling “drawer” that’s the height of a cabinet door. The drawer contains a frame close to the top that the two plastic kitchen-size garbage pails drop into. They work great! I love them! They’re easy to use and easy to live with! We line both bins with bags. ETA: I designed this remodel that was built 15 years ago.

[tamaramartin]

Excellent video. Our next house has three of the things you mentioned, and they drive me nuts. i would love to reinforce the lower lazy susan, but the door opening is only eight inches, so that's a no-go. The lower cabinets all have drawers behind doors, which, as you said, eats up a lot of space. And those tip-out drawers at the sink are just stupid. i'd like to take the hardware off and put some kind of decorative panel across them where i could mount a towel bar or something.