Our friends at Blum compared traditional storage solutions
with their new modern and more functional storage accessories
My recent trip to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in New Orleans was a visual feast. I took all sorts of notes for talking points with my clients. Storage was a consistent theme at the show. As a Kitchen Designer, one of the most common fears I notice amongst my clients in the design phase is “Storage”. Everyone wants to make sure they will have enough room in their new kitchen to store all their gadgets and dishes.
It’s my job as a designer to help them plan how the new kitchen will function. Our friends at Blum recognize we are a visual world, and sometimes seeing is worth a thousand words. Blum was clever enough to show 2 kitchens side by side.
One kitchen displayed traditional “Good” storage options and the other were “Best” options. The Best version maximized every inch of space making the cabinets extremely functional and also allowed much easier access into the cabinets with Bonus storage areas. Seeing is Believing, take a look for yourself and let us know what you think.
Blum starts with the sink cabinet. Everyone has one, and they are never very pretty. As an alternative to doors, Blum offers drawers notched for the plumbing. Note in some instances we might be able to fit a full drawer like they show in their display, but it will be have to determine that based on plumbing locations, garbage disposal, reverse osmosis systems, etc. This may not work in all applications, but when it can be used, what a great use of space. Notice that all the stuff in the bottom sink cabinet fits in the bottom drawer, making the top drawer all BONUS storage!
Traditional wall cabinets with swinging doors can sometimes be inconvenient in small spaces when trying to load or unload the cabinets. As an alternative, there are several options on the market with sliding and lift‐up doors. This gets the doors out of the way of the user and allows free space while loading, or getting food down during meal preparation.
A good solution for corners are lazy susans, which offer a nice use of that typically dead space. Blum has another alternative: corner drawers. Here they show us how all the items in the lazy-susan fit in the bottom 2 corner drawers. Since the corner drawer cabinet has 3 drawers, that means BONUS storage!
This shows the small drawer next to the lazy susan fits in the top drawer in the corner. PLUS if you look closely they were able to fit in a knife block, BONUS!
So Lazy Susan + Drawer = 3 Corner drawers (with bonus items) Sounds like a WIN WIN to me and my clients!
With moving the drawer storage from the base cabinet into the corner drawer, Blum was able to fit a whole bunch of extra goodies: Organizers for trays and oils, 2 spice racks that come out for easy food prep, and a hidden pullout for foils and papers. BONUS!
Drawers are wonderful, all designers and clients love them. But let’s not forget about making them well organized and extra functional. You can fit MORE stuff and find what you are looking for!
Try to find the honey on the pantry in the left, you may have to unload half the shelves to find it. A better solution are rollout trays so you can get to everything with ease!
This look into kitchen by kitchen comparison was such a great take away from the show. It shows how with a great designer and awesome storage accessories, you can get the most bang for your buck in your kitchen project. You might be able to keep a smaller footprint and fit even more than if you expanded the space, saving you money and square footage.