Kitchen cupboards for your peace of mind

Cupboards can be the most functional storage solution in a kitchen, provided you get the design right.

Which cupboard where?

First up, in order for cupboards to be as functional as possible, you'll need to plan well, thinking about what you'll store in them, what size cupboards you need for different jobs and where they'll work best in your kitchen layout. A kitchen design company can help you get this just right.

Shelf obsessed

Cupboards need shelves – no secrets there. But it's important that the size and positioning of that shelving is carefully planned. You'll need to take into account what you plan to store on each shelf, as well as the height of the cupboard – can you reach the highest shelf?

Or would drawers work best?

In a pantry, drawers can definitely be a better option than shelves. Drawers are more costly, but the extra 'useable' space they create is priceless. Even a combination of drawers and shelves in a pantry can work well. Visit showrooms to experience the benefit of drawers.

Turntables for corner cabinets

Unless you have a galley kitchen, most floor plans mean that corner cupboards are inevitable. On the plus side, they're huge. On the downside, they can be hard to access properly. The solution is rotating baskets, which turn a full 360 degrees, making access and organisation easy.

Which way do the doors open?

You'll need to decide whether to hinge your cupboard doors on the left or right. In some cases the answer will be obvious, but in others, it takes planning. Pay particular attention to your natural workflow – you don't want to be reaching around doors to unload the dishwasher.

Basket case

Also consider the use of baskets or bins for certain cupboards, which can take care of everything from keeping your recyclables separate to making light work of the garbage. It pays to plan ahead if you want to do this, as cupboards will need to be a certain size to accommodate baskets or bins.