What can I do with lazy susan cabinets in a galley kitchen?
September 13, 2022 2:46 PM Subscribe
I have a galley kitchen in my new place which I mostly like. However, in the two corners at the far end (which you can see in this photo and this photo) there are two lazy susan cabinets which I can't stand. I am looking for options.
The doors on them are fixed to the tiers, which look loosely like this, not hinged, so the whole thing rotates as one, doors included. The opening for them is small (6" on each side, 8.5" across the entire opening). They only rotate one way because of latches/stops, and it's the opposite way for each. Stuff doesn't stay on them super well and I have other areas where I can store food that are more convenient. The area they are rotating in is open to the other cabinets which is suboptimal.
I am somewhat handy and I have access to people who are handier than me. I do not have much imagination. A few ideas I have seen include replacing them with pull-out drawers which is maybe out of my price range, and getting little pie-shaped inserts that will hold stuff with more stability on the shelves. I've thought about one of those pull out trash cans on tracks, but none of them seem narrow enough. What else can I do with this configuration and make this weird space more useful? Am not looking at a larger kitchen renovation at this time, though not against making some other small changes if it would help. Thanks for your ideas, I hate these things so much!
The doors on them are fixed to the tiers, which look loosely like this, not hinged, so the whole thing rotates as one, doors included. The opening for them is small (6" on each side, 8.5" across the entire opening). They only rotate one way because of latches/stops, and it's the opposite way for each. Stuff doesn't stay on them super well and I have other areas where I can store food that are more convenient. The area they are rotating in is open to the other cabinets which is suboptimal.
I am somewhat handy and I have access to people who are handier than me. I do not have much imagination. A few ideas I have seen include replacing them with pull-out drawers which is maybe out of my price range, and getting little pie-shaped inserts that will hold stuff with more stability on the shelves. I've thought about one of those pull out trash cans on tracks, but none of them seem narrow enough. What else can I do with this configuration and make this weird space more useful? Am not looking at a larger kitchen renovation at this time, though not against making some other small changes if it would help. Thanks for your ideas, I hate these things so much!
I solved my own Susan problem by moving the door to the cupboard out of the kitchen and into the kitchen dining room, on the other side of the wall. Now I have a very nice and spacious place for all the napkins, cookbooks, etc that had no where else to live.
Across from that in the L that faces the house wall, I created an inaccessible void for most of the space and a cutting board / pan storage area. It's very narrow and nothing is ever lost or disorganized back there.
posted by rebent at 2:59 PM on September 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
Across from that in the L that faces the house wall, I created an inaccessible void for most of the space and a cutting board / pan storage area. It's very narrow and nothing is ever lost or disorganized back there.
posted by rebent at 2:59 PM on September 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
The trouble is getting access to them to really do anything with them. I think you'd have to take out the abutting cabinets in order to modify them.
Honestly I would just fill them with stuff you'll almost never use until you're ready to do a bigger kitchen renovation. If that's not in the cards then I might get some thin plywood to close them off to the cabinets on the side. Any drawers would probably need to be custom made and that would be expensive and maybe not worth it.
You could also just rip out whatever is in there, fix the door closed somewhere, and access it from the cabinets on the side. Put the hot chocolate maker and the air fryer in there that you only use once a year.
Honestly, I got nothing. I have a similar cabinet that I store my pots and pans in and I hate it but that's really the only place I have to store them.
posted by bondcliff at 2:59 PM on September 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
Honestly I would just fill them with stuff you'll almost never use until you're ready to do a bigger kitchen renovation. If that's not in the cards then I might get some thin plywood to close them off to the cabinets on the side. Any drawers would probably need to be custom made and that would be expensive and maybe not worth it.
You could also just rip out whatever is in there, fix the door closed somewhere, and access it from the cabinets on the side. Put the hot chocolate maker and the air fryer in there that you only use once a year.
Honestly, I got nothing. I have a similar cabinet that I store my pots and pans in and I hate it but that's really the only place I have to store them.
posted by bondcliff at 2:59 PM on September 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I keep medium sized appliances in mine. Food processor, blender, ice cream maker, food scale, stuff like that. Also a big shallow tupperware that holds the small pieces of the machines (food processor blades etc.)
If you don't have enough stuff like that to allocate this use, consider other things that can go in casserole-sized containers that stay inside the thing. Kitchen towels? Cleaning stuff? The trick is just to have containers in there, not to throw stuff in loose where it will immediately fall and be lost.
posted by fingersandtoes at 3:15 PM on September 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
If you don't have enough stuff like that to allocate this use, consider other things that can go in casserole-sized containers that stay inside the thing. Kitchen towels? Cleaning stuff? The trick is just to have containers in there, not to throw stuff in loose where it will immediately fall and be lost.
posted by fingersandtoes at 3:15 PM on September 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
I think I'd look at shelf liners or dividers and call it a day.
We have a corner cabinet with a similarly narrow opening that does not have a lazy susan. On the one hand it maybe has a little higher overall capacity because the lazy susan isn't breaking the total space up in weird ways, but because of the narrow opening it still can't be used to store anything particularly large. And because of its overall awkwardness I basically only use it to store stuff I either rarely use (e.g. the mandoline or the mini food processor) or can reach in and grab blind (bread proofing baskets or the sous vide stick). If I actually need the mandoline, the mini food processor, or any of the other random things shoved back in its dark recesses, I have to sit on the floor so I can see what I'm doing.
posted by fedward at 3:16 PM on September 13, 2022
We have a corner cabinet with a similarly narrow opening that does not have a lazy susan. On the one hand it maybe has a little higher overall capacity because the lazy susan isn't breaking the total space up in weird ways, but because of the narrow opening it still can't be used to store anything particularly large. And because of its overall awkwardness I basically only use it to store stuff I either rarely use (e.g. the mandoline or the mini food processor) or can reach in and grab blind (bread proofing baskets or the sous vide stick). If I actually need the mandoline, the mini food processor, or any of the other random things shoved back in its dark recesses, I have to sit on the floor so I can see what I'm doing.
posted by fedward at 3:16 PM on September 13, 2022
(non-related but totally coveting your jade plant)
posted by nkknkk at 3:28 PM on September 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by nkknkk at 3:28 PM on September 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Ohhhhh, I lived with a kitchen like that once (with ridiculously tiny openings on the lazy susan corners that left all this empty space for things to fall into that I couldn't reach) and I detested those things. I would probably rip the doors off wholesale* (um, yeah, I haven't lived with that kitchen in almost two decades and I'm still mad about them, LOL), and install thin plywood dividers vertically to hold sheet pans in one corner and cutting boards in the other. If that's not necessary - I see what looks like it might already be a cabinet for sheet pans and cutting boards to the left of your stove? - I might install some utensil crocks on the lazy susans and store non-sharp kitchen utensils and tools there depending on what kind of work you do closest to each of those corners.
I'd hoped something like these pull-out drawers on runners might've been a solution, because they can get pretty tall to support things not toppling over, but the narrowest I've found so far is 9", just a bit too wide for your space.
* that is, assuming it's easy enough to take out the spinning mechanism. Otherwise I might hang curtains over them to try to ignore their existence, heh.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 4:36 PM on September 13, 2022
I'd hoped something like these pull-out drawers on runners might've been a solution, because they can get pretty tall to support things not toppling over, but the narrowest I've found so far is 9", just a bit too wide for your space.
* that is, assuming it's easy enough to take out the spinning mechanism. Otherwise I might hang curtains over them to try to ignore their existence, heh.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 4:36 PM on September 13, 2022
I’d keep cleaning supplies in one and canned goods in another, since those are both categories of things that are fairly narrow and have good weight to them so they don’t wobble off the platforms upon rotation.
If it seems relatively easy to remove the doors but still have the shelves in there, you could take the doors off and secure the shelves into place (via like a wood stop in the back or something) and use them as display shelves for cute kitchen doohickeys (does everyone’s mom collect cow stuff for their kitchens or is it just mine?) fun teapots, and pretty vases when you dont have flowers for them. Tuck seasonal decorations in the back, maybe.
If you took the whole thing out and had two open corners, you could probably store something like a folded step stool in one, and a fire extinguisher in the other? You could make a new door that has a hinge in the middle so it lays flat against the cabinets to the side, probably, or curtain the openings off for a very country look.
What if you cut holes and slots into the doors as they are and put boxes on the shelves below to catch cans, bottles, and paper? Then you’d only need to actually open them to do the recycling.
posted by Mizu at 4:59 PM on September 13, 2022
If it seems relatively easy to remove the doors but still have the shelves in there, you could take the doors off and secure the shelves into place (via like a wood stop in the back or something) and use them as display shelves for cute kitchen doohickeys (does everyone’s mom collect cow stuff for their kitchens or is it just mine?) fun teapots, and pretty vases when you dont have flowers for them. Tuck seasonal decorations in the back, maybe.
If you took the whole thing out and had two open corners, you could probably store something like a folded step stool in one, and a fire extinguisher in the other? You could make a new door that has a hinge in the middle so it lays flat against the cabinets to the side, probably, or curtain the openings off for a very country look.
What if you cut holes and slots into the doors as they are and put boxes on the shelves below to catch cans, bottles, and paper? Then you’d only need to actually open them to do the recycling.
posted by Mizu at 4:59 PM on September 13, 2022
Wigglewood is kind of like plywood, except the grain faces the same way in all the layers, so it's flexible. I would be inclined to get strips 6" or so, and long enough to wrap around the susan, and glue and screw those suckers on. I had a similar monstrosity once upon a time, and share your loathing.
Word of warning if you go this route, as you may have to order the wigglewood... it comes with both horizontal and vertical wiggles, so make sure yours will bend the right way. Use a pan head screw instead of a flat head and that'll help keep it in position while your glue sets up. Check out This to That for glue advice.
posted by kate4914 at 5:03 PM on September 13, 2022
Word of warning if you go this route, as you may have to order the wigglewood... it comes with both horizontal and vertical wiggles, so make sure yours will bend the right way. Use a pan head screw instead of a flat head and that'll help keep it in position while your glue sets up. Check out This to That for glue advice.
posted by kate4914 at 5:03 PM on September 13, 2022
I might resort to fastening containers or baskets or whatever down, perhaps with plastic velcro tape. That'd keep stuff from fallen off and being a hassle to retrieve, but still allow me to make some use of the space.
It might not look appealing, but fastening them around the outside edge in whatever way necessary, and then leaving parts of the middle open, might work, too. Things like towels, spices, gadgets - whatever is small and could go in baskets would work.
I'm trying to think of something that would work well as "fencing", so it could be shaped to the contours of the lazy susan, but still be firm enough to stand as fence, and make use of the entire space. (Think like... that lawn edging plastic stuff.) I know one of my kids would be all "just make it out of legos".
Is the space on each shelf tall enough that you could use bookends and store cookbooks there in clusters?
posted by stormyteal at 5:07 PM on September 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
It might not look appealing, but fastening them around the outside edge in whatever way necessary, and then leaving parts of the middle open, might work, too. Things like towels, spices, gadgets - whatever is small and could go in baskets would work.
I'm trying to think of something that would work well as "fencing", so it could be shaped to the contours of the lazy susan, but still be firm enough to stand as fence, and make use of the entire space. (Think like... that lawn edging plastic stuff.) I know one of my kids would be all "just make it out of legos".
Is the space on each shelf tall enough that you could use bookends and store cookbooks there in clusters?
posted by stormyteal at 5:07 PM on September 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Or, this sort of drawer? Though... $$$
posted by stormyteal at 5:09 PM on September 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by stormyteal at 5:09 PM on September 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
I love lazy Susans! I inherited one from my mom and feel lucky to have acquired a near twin. If you don't use a million spices and shelf stable condiments, you can also stock them with crafting or supplies or 'junk drawer' stuff.
Basically my vote is to consider more what you have and give it a little more time, bc imo it's the best solution to the challenge accessing the space in a usable way.
The ratcheting thing is weird. Maybe you can cut or break out that little locking part of the mechanism if it's a big part of your dislike?
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:34 PM on September 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Basically my vote is to consider more what you have and give it a little more time, bc imo it's the best solution to the challenge accessing the space in a usable way.
The ratcheting thing is weird. Maybe you can cut or break out that little locking part of the mechanism if it's a big part of your dislike?
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:34 PM on September 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
If you want to combine them with the cabinets next to them, there are these type of blind corner pull outs where you just pull everything out.
posted by hydra77 at 5:38 PM on September 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 5:38 PM on September 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
I have no idea if retrofitting is a possibility, but when I remodeled my kitchen and had to deal with a corner cabinet, I went with this easy reach base cabinet. The shelves are adjustable. I use it to store my mixer, blender, mixing bowls and other bulky or heavy items. Soooo much better than a lazy susan!
posted by kittydelsol at 6:40 PM on September 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by kittydelsol at 6:40 PM on September 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
wait I went back and read what you wrote about the opening being 8" across. Sorry I didn't catch that on first read. That's awful! Obviously my suggestion about small appliances is not on point with the opening being that small.
I guess maybe you could still make it work with shoeboxes, like lined up in a spoke arrangement so that one box at a time was pointed into the opening. MAYBE. Don't know what you'd keep in there. Ziplocs? Canning jars and tools?
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:37 PM on September 13, 2022
I guess maybe you could still make it work with shoeboxes, like lined up in a spoke arrangement so that one box at a time was pointed into the opening. MAYBE. Don't know what you'd keep in there. Ziplocs? Canning jars and tools?
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:37 PM on September 13, 2022
I also hate lazy susan cabinets, and you've got some really small ones which makes them even worse. There was one in my old kitchen and the best I could come up with was some organizer bins like these that at least keep the contents from falling off the shelves into oblivion. Sadly, my kitchen remodel ended up with a lazy susan cabinet as well, although the newer one is not nearly as horrible as the original ca. 1987 cabinet.
posted by DrGail at 8:05 PM on September 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by DrGail at 8:05 PM on September 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Like rebent, I have found that punching a door into the other side of a wall to make the corner space not an interior corner is the best. We now have three really deep useful built in drawers in a bathroom instead of another Jonah’s-whale corner cabinet in the kitchen.
8.5"! I couldn’t even use that for extremely-seasonal-storage, the big weird things wouldn’t fit!
posted by clew at 11:46 PM on September 13, 2022
8.5"! I couldn’t even use that for extremely-seasonal-storage, the big weird things wouldn’t fit!
posted by clew at 11:46 PM on September 13, 2022
A budget friendly option is to get lazy suzan organizers - Amazon has heaps of them in both plastic and wire. The wire ones could be screwed down for a more permanent fixture, and allow you to zip tie things for further customization. The plastic tubs can feature handles making them easy to grab out a bin of things.
posted by zenon at 7:00 AM on September 14, 2022
posted by zenon at 7:00 AM on September 14, 2022
Response by poster: I very much appreciate people's thoughtful answers that have helped me see that, no, I have not just missed out on lazy susan products or website or communities. Unfortunately the storage space backs up against the outside of the house, so there's no going in from the other side as much as I love that idea. I may take one of them out and turn the other one into another narrow-stuff storage area (yes I have one, but it's actually smaller than I could use) or possibly get some dividers and relocate my cleaning products and extra storage jars. I love the look of those fancy drawers and that easy reach cabinet but I don't think I can make either one work. Will continue to think on it, thank you so much!
posted by jessamyn at 9:08 AM on September 14, 2022
posted by jessamyn at 9:08 AM on September 14, 2022
the storage space backs up against the outside of the house, so there's no going in from the other side as much as I love that idea
Compost bin!
(Joking. It would be so handy, if there weren’t practical problems from raccoons to hard freezes that make it a big fat nope.)
posted by clew at 12:21 PM on September 14, 2022
Compost bin!
(Joking. It would be so handy, if there weren’t practical problems from raccoons to hard freezes that make it a big fat nope.)
posted by clew at 12:21 PM on September 14, 2022
I suspect that this is out of your price range, but I've seen corner space being used for pop-up appliance garages in some kitchen remodel videos. Mostly just mentioning it as an option that's out there, I doubt I'd be willing to fork out the cash for one as convenient as it looks.
posted by Aleyn at 11:05 PM on September 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Aleyn at 11:05 PM on September 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
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I tried to find a picture of the kind of thing I'm talking about and this is the closest I found. The one we have with a door on it is about that width but has no vertical divider. The open one next to the sink is about half that width (again, no divider).
posted by primethyme at 2:58 PM on September 13, 2022