Pocket/pivot/retractable doors for kitchen cabinets

[profcornelius]

Hi there,

I am new to Mumsnet. I am planning to install a couple of tall kitchen cabinets in my dining room (long story but short version is that my kitchen is too small). In one, I plan to install an integrated, and thus concealed fridge freezer, and in the other, I plan to have lots of drawers plus a combination microwave oven. I would rather not have an integrated microwave as this would mean having to have the microwave on show! I wonder whether anyone has experience of pivot doors, up and over doors or retractable doors. Basically, I want to install a countertop combi microwave on a shelf in the cupboard but in order to ensure proper ventilation etc, a section of the cupboard will need to be open when the oven is on. To avoid having an unsightly open cabinet door, I wanted to think about a door that could slide/tuck away. Pinterest seems to have lots of images of such things (although I think many may be from the US). Magnet seems to do something like it (but don't know how much they cost) and Bulthaup does (although that's way beyond my budget). Does anyone have any ideas?

Many thanks

profcornelius

Find your local architectural Ironmonger. They will be able to help you. Or phone a company called Häfele. They do every kind of cabinet hardware / hinges etc you can imagine and done you can’t!

Before you do anything, have you considered putting things other than your fridge freezer and microwave in a different room? Having lived with a tiny kitchen and fridge freezer elsewhere, it was a total pain. At look at storing other stuff in your dining room.

Thanks wowfudge, this is an additional fridge freezer; I have an under counter fridge and under counter freezer but you know how it is, not enough space! Thanks for your advice though.

Thanks BitOutOfPractice, will look at this!

We had an under counter fridge too - we were thinking about extending and making the kitchen bigger but decided it wasn't worth it in that house. We moved instead and now have the luxury of a big kitchen.

A friend of mine had this. She had a sort of slide and hide door that came down in front of her microwave looking like a normal cupboard front. The microwave had a good bit of space around it. IIRC the mechanism is called pocket door system, you used to get pairs of them on hifi/TV cabinets but no reason you couldn't have an "up and over" one.

wowfudge: that is a good move!

Thanks NotMeNoNo, that's exactly what I am looking for but I just don't know where to get it. I don;t suppose your friend can remember?

I just did this in my kitchen as prefer a freestanding microwave! It’s a job for a carpenter. I bought the larder doors to match kitchen (2x 500mm doors) and my chippy made the cabinet - I have 3 drawers at bottom then shelves at top, with a piece of quartz worktop on top of the drawers - he put on special hinges and the result is the inside of the cabinet is 800mm wide. The doors look normal but when you open them you can push them back into a recess either side of cabinet whilst micro in use etc.

We have a large cupboard with a worksurface, and shelves tins, bread maker etc. You buy the hinge system from Hafele (cost a fortune but we had floor to ceiling big doors and I think the system you need depends on the size) and use regular doors. It's a DIY job if you are confident or a carpenter for a day.

They had a bespoke kitchen its probably 20 years old now! It won't be a standard unit from any range but it could be customised from a tall unit. Decent kitchen ranges have lots of extra doors /trims/panels available for doing things like this. The only thing is making sure there is space for the door to fit in side the unit so it will need to be in-frame or narrower with some trims. A good fitter or carpenter should be able to do it, the sliding hinges are easily available.

Check the space requirements around a combined micro and oven, as the often need much more air space than just a freestanding microwave.