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We are remodeling our kitchen and eliminating overhead cupboards. This presents a problem with efficient storage of glasses in a drawer or shelf below the counter. I am interested to hear if anyone has done this and does any company make a drawer insert, I picture it similar to a dishwasher shelf, for this purpose.
Also I would like to hear from anyone who has eliminated overheads and what has worked well for them in storage of typical overhead items. We will have a pantry to keep all less frequently used items. Thanks
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The drawer insert you are picturing is made by many different manufacturers. One of our suppliers uses Kraft-Maid and I have seen it done on several jobs. You get a base cabinet that has a door front that hides the drawers. The entire cabinet can be stacked with drawers, or you may choose just one.
*Hi Lincoln, are you eliminating overheads b/c you want to, or have to? otherwise there also are many wall-mounted glass racks available.best, GO
*Our decision to eliminate the overhead cabinets is mostly an aesthetic one. After living with overhead cabinets for a lifetime, we're just sick of their lurking, oppressive presence. We're ready for a less 'kitcheny' looking kitchen. We want more windows, more wall space and less visible 'kitchen stuff'.The work space is U shaped and we want to have windows above the entire counter top on the West side of the kitchen, so there will be no place for overheads on that wall. On the opposite wall, we just don't want the clutter of cabinets over the counter. We won't be completely without cabinets since we'll have about 8 lineal feet of floor-to-ceiling storage in the pantry.Early this winter we cleaned out our cabinets to help out a local survival center's food drive. Much to our amazement, we found cans and boxes that we had stored for ten years or more (no, we didn't donate these relics). We decided that having too much old food and too many dishes, pots and so on that we hadn't seen in 5-10 years is probably a good indication that we have too much storage space. Right after that experience, we spent 2 months traveling and living in a small trailer and realized that we could be completely comfortable with far less storage space that we were used to.We want to create a space that's open and somewhat simple.
*Since it's not too late, here's a design consideration. We also didn't want many uppers. Chose one area that was designated for plates, cups, bowls, and glasses. Used uppers and 18" middle cabinets--right down to top of countertop--and put glass fronts on just these, the theory being that guests will easily be able to find a plate/glass without asking us or searching through every cabinet. It works! Also, the middle cabinets place plates at the perfect "reach" level, not too high and not too low. I'll caution about glasses and/or plates in base cabinets--all of that bending is a problem for some people, and you'll do a lot more of it for glasses/plates than for the occasional mixing bowl.
*Add Another dish washer and rotate storage and cleaning cycles.
*CH, I am assuming that the 18" figure is the depth... where normal upper are about 12", and normal counter depth is 24'? Do you have 6" of counter in front of the middle cabinets?This sounds like a great idea and we may be able to incorporate it into our new kitch. You don't happen to have a picture to post do you?/Jim Pappas
*Hi Lincoln,I'm glad I'm not alone on this one. I've always disliked kitchen cabinets, though I keep this sentiment to myself in my line of work for whatever reason.I think I'm the exact opposite of you, however, b/c I want more visible 'kitchen stuff'. I love hanging pots, utensils...anyway...you might want to think about checking out picture books of professional kitchens...something like that probably exists. also picture books of bars. good storage ideas. not many overhead cabinets in those places.best, GO
*Its just an idea put perhaps you could build, or have built, thin upper cabnets. I would think 4" of internal depth would be sufficient for most drinkware. The entire cabinet could be 5" or so deep OA. You could even have the cabinets sized to fit between the studs so that they protrude from the plane of the wall only 2-3" including the doors. The doors could be faced to match or nearly match the walls making them even less oppressive. If recessed you might want to make up any insulation value lost by installing iso-foam or foam board behind the recessed cabinets. This wouldn't allow for a window in any bay used by the cabinets but just a few of these thin cabinets would be needed for glasses. One or two of these could be a nod to tradition where most people look for the glasses in upper cabinets.
*I kinda like the in-the-wall approach..........but I'd use an interior wall.....open it up and head it off to (maybe 24-36") build a cabinet with glass sliding doors (like the Japanese do). Depending on the layout of the house, you could make it like a pass-through to a dining area etc.......even have a bar on the other side.......and you could make it deeper ............
*>I am assuming that the 18" figure is the depth18 is height from counter to bottom of uppers. Same depth as uppers. Fits all our plates/glasses just fine. Sacrificing a bit of counterspace in this one area, but make up for it elsewhere. Hey, it works for us, and it's easy on backs and shorter people.http://www.monolithicdome.com/gallery/homes/kaslik/pictorialqq.html
*I really like the way those cabinets work out. We have very limited upper's in our kitchen, but we have a lot of counter space. This might be a good way to give us a bit more space. Thanks.BTW... your house looks great./Jim Pappas
*We have a few drawers in the base cabinets that are for glassware, bowls, and dinner plates.We used something like the thin (about 1/8th-inch or so?) rug-pad material...the open-weave waffle style...to line each drawer, it keeps the items from shifting/sliding in the drawers when they are opened or closed. Nice and quiet.Several years in use w two kids, and no breakage.If you are completely remodeling your kitchen...meaning installing new base cabinets as well...consider 30" deep base cabinets. They give much more storage and a very nice, deep countertop to work upon. Your floorplan may not be able to handle the increased depth if aisle widths are an issue.
*I'm with Mongo. I have no upper cabinets, so keep my dishes in a drawer. The rubber pad shelf-liner material is the key to keeping dishes from sliding. For my glasses I do have a wall oven, so my glasses went in the one "upper" cabinet I do have above the oven.