Talking Kitchens, Bathrooms & Renovations: What Is The Best Corner Cabinet Solution?
When we look at how to get good access or make good use of a corner as part of our new kitchen renovation, we need to think about the fact there are a number of corner treatments available in the market. Some of them are good, some of them aren’t so good. In fact I think some of them are pretty useless.
Let’s take a look now at the corner treatments I would recommend and why.
Bloom Corner Treatments
One of the best of all corner treatments that are on the market today is produced by an Austrian company called Bloom, who invented self-closing drawers.
A big benefit of a Bloom corner drawer is the fact that it gives very good access to the corner. You don’t have to squat down or get on your hands and knees to try and get access into the corner. That’s why I think this is probably the best ever development of a device to get you into a corner.
When you use this particular cabinet, you have a small void on either side of the parallel runners that run into the back corner of the space. However, you pick up the loss of those two voids the moment you go to a third drawer. This is a major benefit because just about every other corner treatment on the world market today basically only has two levels of storage.
So this means that with this corner treatment, you can have up to six drawers if you wanted to. However, even with just three drawers, the moment you add the additional third drawer, you pick up the loss of the voids on either side of parallel runners with extra drawers.
The ladies just love this product because the drawer comes out very easily, and it’s so easy to get at.
Kessebohmer Corner Treatments
Then we have another good corner treatment – not quite as good as Bloom, but still a pretty good use of the corner anyway.
This option is called the Revo 90 and is a really good modern version of the old lazy Susan. And I think we’ve all seen a Lazy Susan; they’ve been around for 40- 50 years. The Revo 90 is produced by a German company called Kessebohmer and I think it’s one of the best corner treatments on the world market.
The major benefit of this corner treatment is that the two corner doors are actually attached to the rotating tables. By attaching the doors to the rotating tables, it not only reinforces the tables, but also increases the load capacity. This allows the diameter of the table to be enlarged so that the voids in the corner become smaller.
Clearly, when you put a circle into a square, you’re going to lose a bit of space. Therefore, this is an extremely efficient way of going about doing that because when you pull the door open, the doors fold and actually go inside the cabinet and rotate with the tables, just like a turnstile.
For the rotating unit itself, each table carries 20 kilos of weight, and has a non-slip surface so items on the tables don’t slide around. It also has a self-closing mechanism so when it comes back to its home position, the doors close automatically.
What Other Options Are There?
Another option I’d like to talk about is a thing called a Le Mans unit. This is another corner treatment that is available, but I’m not really a fan of it. The main reason for this is that quite often, we’ll see a plan for a kitchen and there’s a dishwasher to consider.
The problem with putting something hard like a dishwasher into a corner like that is if the kitchen drawers are slightly ajar or open, and someone opens the dishwasher, the dishwasher causes a long, curved scratch mark from door opening and closing. So the problem here is that over the years, scratches and damages have occurred on the face of the drawers because of that.
An L shaped corner cabinet protects the cabinets on either side from being damaged and I think that’s a really good thing not just from a design, but also from a functionality standpoint.
That’s why I feel that as a designer, Bloom and Kessebohmer are the two corner treatments that are in the client’s best interest to use, when they can be used. Of course, depending on your kitchen layout, you can’t always use these options but 9 times out of 10, you can.
Final Thoughts
In summary, it’s probably better to use one of each of the Bloom and Kessebohmer treatments rather than two of the same one. Sometimes it’s purely a dimensional thing as the Kessebohmer option has a slightly smaller footprint than the Bloom corner drawer cabinet. So it’s just a matter of what size the area is as to which option is more suitable.
If you are looking for some expert advice and some design inspiration for your kitchen renovation, then speak to our qualified designers at Let’s Talk Kitchens & Interiors.
Let’s Talk Kitchens & Interiors have been designing and building bespoke bathrooms in Melbourne and greater Victoria since 1972. Over those 48 years, we’ve made every mistake known to man, so why not take advantage of our hard-won, learning experiences and call us today!
If you would like further help designing your new kitchen call Let’s Talk Kitchens & Interiors today on (03) 9068 5496 to speak with one of our qualified Interior Designers or book a consultation.
