Cabinet for an odd kitchen corner with existing granite
January 17, 2019 9:05 AM Subscribe
There is an odd corner of my kitchen that has a nice granite countertop cantilevered from the wall but no cabinet underneath. The granite matches the rest of my kitchen—but is essentially a quarter-oval. I’d like to build a cabinet beneath the countertop because I want to put something heavy on top that I’d worry about if unsupported. But I’m now sure what the cabinet should be!
To be clear, this is not about how to build this cabinet—I’ve got that covered.
But for this odd quarter oval, I’m not sure about a cabinet with a curved door, or drawers with curved fronts—or just shelves. It’s very inconvenient.
I could theoretically build a rectangular cabinet under the curved top, but I think that would look odd and potentially be overly constrained by the curve (ie, to keep the corner of the cabinet under the arc of the countertop curve, the cabinet would be oddly shallow).
Right now we have an old oak bureau under the countertop, but there’s two feet of air between them!
I like the countertop—it’s a good workspace, so I don’t want to cut it.
If you have an odd, curved, corner cabinet in your house, how is it set up?
To be clear, this is not about how to build this cabinet—I’ve got that covered.
But for this odd quarter oval, I’m not sure about a cabinet with a curved door, or drawers with curved fronts—or just shelves. It’s very inconvenient.
I could theoretically build a rectangular cabinet under the curved top, but I think that would look odd and potentially be overly constrained by the curve (ie, to keep the corner of the cabinet under the arc of the countertop curve, the cabinet would be oddly shallow).
Right now we have an old oak bureau under the countertop, but there’s two feet of air between them!
I like the countertop—it’s a good workspace, so I don’t want to cut it.
If you have an odd, curved, corner cabinet in your house, how is it set up?
A photo might help if you have one. And, what are you going to want to put there? Will it be for storage or display?
posted by stormyteal at 9:15 AM on January 17, 2019
posted by stormyteal at 9:15 AM on January 17, 2019
Response by poster: This is a pretty good approximation of the countertop. It’s probably 4 feet off the ground.
Definitely for some sort of storage, but this corner is a fair way off from both the stove and the food prep area. The cabinet we’ve stock there holds placemats and tablecloths. I suppose I could move the linens to the living room, where we have a liquor cabinet and move the liquor here, in which case a door with a shelf would work.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:33 AM on January 17, 2019
Definitely for some sort of storage, but this corner is a fair way off from both the stove and the food prep area. The cabinet we’ve stock there holds placemats and tablecloths. I suppose I could move the linens to the living room, where we have a liquor cabinet and move the liquor here, in which case a door with a shelf would work.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:33 AM on January 17, 2019
A photo would help, I think, but could you finagle something that's / /--\ \ shaped? Or is the size more constrained so that it's basically one space? The problem with open shelves is that you're sacrificing depth, but something that's open with an installed multi-tier lazy Susan might work to match the curve.
posted by holgate at 9:36 AM on January 17, 2019
posted by holgate at 9:36 AM on January 17, 2019
A lot of this will, of course, depend on your aesthetics. I'd be inclined to build generous shelves like beagle linked to. I wouldn't worry about the depth issue, because I would use it for awkward, less -used (depending on your cooking habits) items, like stock pots, large baking dishes, or even countertop appliances. I'm a fan of open shelves, as long as they are organized, so YMMV.
posted by The Deej at 9:56 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by The Deej at 9:56 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you already have the skills to build a cabinet then I would go for making a curved cabinet that is custom fit to your space. Open shelves would be easier, but a coopered door is pretty cool. In that case, it is often recommended to build the door first and fit the cabinet to that.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 10:38 AM on January 17, 2019
posted by ActingTheGoat at 10:38 AM on January 17, 2019
Shelves would be where I would go with this, because I lack the skill to do it as a cabinet or set of drawers. However I agree that if I saw a curved door or set of drawer fronts in a spot like that (and they were well executed—no points for a bodge job) I'd think it was super cool. If you're up to it, I think a cabinet with a curved door would be pretty rad.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 10:59 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 10:59 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have had this idea for.corner cabinets that look like doric columns. The curve at the top is the column top and a rounded bentwood face top and bottom, with a kick edge bottom that matches the curve at the top. Make wood slats beveled as necessary to wrap around the front, the slats connected by hinges and then a magnetic closer on one side or the other. It would need a couple of legs but they could be closer to the outside edges and form the supports for how ever many shelves you want inside the cabinet.
posted by Oyéah at 11:27 AM on January 17, 2019
posted by Oyéah at 11:27 AM on January 17, 2019
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posted by kellygrape at 9:13 AM on January 17, 2019 [4 favorites]