Talk to me about your corner cupboards

[PeeAche]

6 months ago, we bought a new house. It has a serviceable but not ideal kitchen which we intend to renovate. It's going to be a very big job and will involve wall knock throughs etc so it's a 2023 thing.

In the mean time, we are making small, cheap adjustments. One of the hob rings didn't work (glass top and smashed) so we've stuck in a new electric hob for £60. Added a plate rack for £50. Spice rack for £30. You get the idea? Cheap resolutions to annoying issues.

The most annoying issue is the corner cupboard. It's so deep I'm convinced it goes to Australia. It's so dark that I have to use a torch. I am of the opinion that corner cupboards should be listed on the full structural survey report.

The kitchen is remarkably low on storage for such a large house and so I can't afford to just sack this cupboard off. We have opted to use it for pan storage.

I know that gadgets exist for these things. Spinny things. Pulley things. Things attached to the cupboard door. I've seen them on Google. And I've seen them in the wild too - in the houses of people that are mad enough to fit a corner cupboard.

They seem to hover around the £150 mark which seems steep and leaves no room for trial and error.

Corner cupboard people, can you give me your recommendations? I covered my boiling potatoes with a plate last night (thanks plate rack) because the pan lid had gone to Brisbane. I can't take it anymore.

This is a support thread for people with corner cupboards so please be kind.

I have one magic corner things. I hate it but I think it's the best option for the space if you have to have that type of corner cupboard.

I have bulky things in the inside part like the slow cooker, and then a basket inside the top outer section for Tupperware.

I don't think we've lost much back there but there's definitely a bbq spatula thing back there that I can't reach.

www.kitchenfittingsdirect.com/gb/shop/products?i=114090&c=6500

I feel so strongly about this I've had to take photos for you.

We have a very small kitchen so we're limited with the layout.

We have one good corner where I can reach everything and one bad corner with the pull out.

The kitchen designer tried to put 3 bad corners plus a wall corner cupboard in!

Thank you, Cornedbeef! The link doesn't take me to an item but I have googled it.

I really appreciate the photos too. Your pans are very tidy!

@PeeAche thankyou!

I have been decluttering for 6 months and finally everything fits relatively easily!

Our house came with the most amazing pull out corner cupboard rack. Before I experienced this wonder of modern engineering I'd assumed they well all rubbish because ones in previous houses had been. But this one is so terrific. When we redid the kitchen I put in a second corner cupboard and fitted another one because I love it so much. It's so smooth to operate and provides great storage.

This is the one we have. It really isn't cheap, but all my cheaper ones have been rubbish.

I hear your pain on the corner cupboard thing. Ours is a a two shelf system that can be pulled out. Crucially, while it is not as much shelf space as I'd like, it is curved (it is sort of shaped like the outside of an 8) so that it can actually use the entire cupboard. I put things I actually use often on the front and things that I use less often at the back. It still irritates me slightly as it's a bit wobbly. But due to the size of the cupboard, choices were extremely limited and it is 5000 x better than the way that corner was used before.

This works amazingly well for us: www.howdens.com/kitchens/kitchen-storage/corner-storage/pull-out-corner-storage/pre-fitted-full-extension-corner-base-unit-obj-sku-family-202510

(Ours isn't Howdens but it's probably the same part, just from Jewsons instead !)

Takes loads of weight, pulls all the way out so you can see everything, and a lip so things don't fall off.

Yes - mine is very similar to @NotVictorianHonestly. To clarify, when I say wobbly, the shelving isn't wobbling, but pulling it out makes things wobble because it doesn't have high sides to support things inside.

Keep an eye on eBay for Kessebohmer Le Mans. They come up regularly. They will probably be on Facebook marketplace too.

Mine is super smooth and can take ridiculous amounts of weight. I love it nearly as much as my child

Le Mans here too , recommended as part of new kitchen install. Costly but worth it. I got rid of all of the pans I didn’t need and what I have now for well and get used regularly. Baking trays and tins go in a drawer.

Hate corner cupboards with a passion.

I’ve got a carousel thing but I find it wastes a lot of space.

I’m tempted to go back to just normal shelves inside with maybe storage boxes to organise stuff.

I thought the same as you when I had a standard carousel. Honestly the Le Mans ones are a total game changer though and make such efficient use of the space.

If you're literally getting a kitchen next year then don't spend anything! Every penny you save now will be better spent on the next kitchen.

My solution was to be ruthless with my pans. Round the hidden corner I kept just rarely used stuff like casserole dishes. In the accessible bit I kept 3 baking trays and a big pan on one shelf, and the frying pan and 3 nesting saucepans on the other. I found this is plenty - I only have 4 hob rings after all.

Or, keep your favourite pan out on the hob or your favourite casserole dish in the oven.

I've lived with various small kitchens over the years and I think that having less stuff, and keeping only what stacks or nests, are the easiest ways to make it work. Really pare down your pans, mugs, utensils etc, at least for the next year.

The lowest budget solution would would to keep things you rarely use in there, with maybe big trays at the base somyou can pull it all out.
And some stick-on led lights.

Clear plastic storage boxes with wheels! Think I got them from Amazon. My cupboards are smaller than standard but so is the kitchen, so every inch of space needs using!

I went to wickes today
They had a tall corner cupboard fitted out with carousels
It all looked lovely and accessible.

And some stick-on led lights

Thankyou spottedzebra a good idea!I have these in my understairs cupboard but always resorted to a torch for the kitchen wheel of doom cupboards.

That clutterfree kitchen website looks like it would be more dangerous than Lakeland for me to read

Ours is an IKEA carousel which spins around . Very handy, stores loads of stuff.

I didn't have shelves put in mine, I stack my big stock pots, serving dishes and casserole dishes etc-without the shelf I can see everything. I also have a pull out one, but the height of the shelves is very limiting, I can't fit half as much in.
Take the shelf out and see how that helps.

Following with interest as I have a very similar corner cupboard! Ours has an ancient freestanding shelf trolley trapped in it instead of proper shelves. I’m afraid that trying to do anything with it will make the worktop fall down.

We have two corner cupboards. I hate them.

One side I have a spin around carousel with two levels. We keep small appliances there, eg sandwich toaster, ice cream maker, hand blender, food prosessor and mixer attatchments (in small boxes), baking beads. I also stack collanders, more frequently used, just by the door opening so I can reach in without turning the shelf.

The other corner cupboard houses pans. It has a shelf that we had fitted, which is not as deep as the cupboard. It means I can see to the back of the bottom shelf as the top one doesn't fully overhang it.

I have 2 corner cupboards, but opted not to have carousels as I am clumsy and impatient and they drive me up the wall. However, I have lots of cupboard space and very long arms so it doesn’t bother me. If I needed something, I’d go with a box type option rather than the mesh things that pan lids can get hooked into etc. My mum has something that drives me insane (and led to my decision)

Get plastic boxes that fit in your cupboard, store whatever you need in those then just pul them out when you need something.
Simple and it will cost you less than a tenner.

We also have the ikea carousel and it's grest. I keep lots of non perishable food in there. It fits a ton but the sides of carousel aren't high enough so I use boxes and our rarely used bigger serving bowls/trays to keep things tidy in there - like all half used bags of pasta in our largest serving bowl iyswim. 2 storage problems solved at once