Kitchen Corner Solutions

Kitchen corner solutions are one of the biggest challenges in New Zealand kitchens. Our houses are often designed with a small, square kitchen space giving at least 2 corners in a “U” or “G” layout. The traditional corner solution is often inadequate, and results in a hard-to-reach corner where miscellaneous kitchen items become lost!

One of the main frustrations we hear from our clients is reaching into the back of the under-bench corner cupboard. It often requires kneeling and then reaching forward. This can be fine for young couples who wish to save a little money on their first home renovation, but in order to future-proof the kitchen design, we have some recommendations for kitchen corner solutions. You can view all of these examples in our showroom in Botany Downs Town Centre.

All the mechanisms we use are supplied by Hafele and are made by top German manufacturers. For each kitchen we design, we carefully select the right kitchen corner solution for our client – which one we choose depends on what the client intends on storing, how often they want to access the storage and what appliances will be placed in the kitchen too.

Mondo II

The Mondo II is an updated version of the kitchen corner carousel. This is a space-efficient unit that looks small but can fit bigger items like mixers and large electric woks. Because the shelves rotate out to you it’s easy to pick them up and lift to the counter. The doors are also not hinged – instead they attach directly to the unit, and swing around inside as you rotate the shelves. This means they don’t get in your way! The top shelf height is adjustable, and it has a soft-close mechanism. You also don’t need to worry about any items falling off the back – the Mondo has an attached inner wall to prevent that happening.

LeMans II

This kidney-bean shaped unit has shelves that can be extended individually. The movement is easy and allows the shelves to move past appliances like dishwashers that may be protruding. Each shelf can take up to 25kgs of load, and the top shelf can be height adjusted too. It’s also very visually striking and has a range of matching fittings such as oil pullouts and baking tray pullouts, in 2 different finishes. This kind of detail is what elevates a kitchen design from pedestrian to designer.

Pro(arc Powerslide II

Compared with the LeMans, this mechanism has a more direct system of movement. This can make it a more appropriate option in certain cases, or sometimes mean that the LeMans is the best choice for easy access. Like the LeMans, each of the shelves can be moved independently of each other, and can take a massive weight without being any harder to move. The Pro(arc is also a matching product to the Mondo corner unit, and can create a cohesive design throughout the kitchen space.

Corner Drawers (Set of 3)

This is the most costly solution, but can often be the most elegant. Compared to the other under-bench kitchen corner solutions, you can have 3-4 drawers rather than 2 shelves, creating high storage capacity. If you are also short on drawer space to hold utensils or cutlery, this can be a good option. Blum makes a set of Orga-Line drawer organisers specifically for this corner drawer style. These drawers are also a clever way of blending in the corner solution into drawer banks on either side of the corner. There is space lost to either side of the corner drawers, but depending on the kitchen, this may not be an issue.

Bifold Pantry with Benchtop

There can often be issues with tall cabinetry coming around a kitchen corner into benchtop height cabinetry. We have found this an excellent solution – bring the benchtop into the tall cabinet! This take on the bifold pantry creates an excellent flow from tall cabinetry into shorter, with a really practical space created for small appliances to be hidden away. There is a downside as we cannot install any mechanisms in the base of the cabinet, but we find that the extra storage created by this layout means our clients don’t notice the lack.

Another solution to kitchen corner problems can often seem counter-intuitive, but often results in easier to access storage: voiding off the corner. If there is an appropriate mechanism, we’ll use it, but if there is a space where none of them are right, sometimes blocking off the corner space entirely is the best way to approach the issue.

Why? Because you can then make the drawers or tall inner-drawer cabinets to either side of the corner bigger and more accessible. Sometimes it’s best to prioritise other areas of the kitchen design, as each corner solution takes up a certain amount of floor space. In some circumstances we can place a reverse opening cabinet in the void- in the back of a breakfast bar, for example.

There are many more mechanisms and ideas on the market but we have found through experience that these are the best options for corner solutions. Also, where budget or dimension constraints make these options less than preferable, we are still able to produce the traditional kitchen corner or blind-cabinets found in older kitchens. Your Jag Kitchens designer will guide you through the many options available and help you choose the best for you and your project.

Book a free design consultation to discuss kitchen corner solutions and a quote for your kitchen, or pop in to see us in the Jag Kitchens Showroom, located inside the Danske Mobler building at Botany Town Centre.