apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

absolutely GREAT idea, especially for the cooking sheets. Right now I keep them inside the oven, but I hate it, that come time to use it, they have to sit under a sofa or smth... LOVE it, I will implement this on my next kitchen.

Awesome idea - hard to believe someone didn't think of it sooner (like before my kitchen cabinets were put in!).

We've talked about them before on AT.

The advice I gave then was this:
Aligning and screwing in the draw glides is almost impossible unless you build a case for the drawers first.

Imagine a U shaped tray made out of ply with a back to it for rigidity. The drawer then fits inside this tray. You can then align the glides, screw then in, etc. without having to reach into the narrow space. Then all you have to do is slide the tray in to the space, secure with a couple of screws and then slide the drawer in.

Can this be done on existing cabinets?

I'm not a fan of how it looks. If it is not done perfectly, the gaps could be crooked on the sides, against the floor, it's not as easy as it looks, floors are often not level. Every single tolerance is very small. I'm not a fan of this type of installation. I think there is much better storage to be found, even in a small place.

...but then where do the spiders live?

My biggest concern would be pest control. It's bad enough in the rest of the cupboards, but how do you avoid it in an area like this unless it's hermetically sealed?

We are renovating our kitchen and will rip off an idea from Chef Michael Lomonaco's personal kitchen (via This Old House): a behind the toe-kick stored step ladder. I am 6'2" and my fiancee is 5'1" so this will help her access the top cabinets, and allow me access to the tippy top.

I can't link to the exact image in the slide show, but go to kitchens and click on "A Chef's Small Kitchen":
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/kitchens/channel/pk/0,27496,1539313,00.html

We plan on using a Hafele or a Leifheit 2-step ladder.

That doesn't look too sanitary. I'll keep my cookie sheet in the oven.

Tony G.

This is a great idea but I think it's better in theory than in practice. I don't know a very level kitchen floor, seems like all the sweepings would make their way in there, I'd hate to get all crouched down to even open it, and I think it's a hell of a lot of work for an extra 2" of space. This might be the only way to gain space if you live in a super tiny apartment. I personally file my manuals in a filing cabinet. As for the cookie sheets, if you take tension curtain rods and put them doing vertically in a bottom cabinet, that will keep your cookie sheets lined up on their sides without getting into a big mess that falls over.

beautiful, although I suspect you'd have to use robust drawer slides for that... toe kicks get alot of damage

The only advice I have for those who want toe kick drawers is this:

1. Do not do toe kick drawers on floors that may have a lot of movement...such as the second floor of a particularly old building. They may swell after contact with water (moping) and next thing you know, you can't get them open.

2. Make sure all sides of the drawer and drawer front are sealed. Again, you don't want them swelling shut on you.

3. If you don't like the little "handle" you can have your cabinetmaker install magnetic push latches which allow you to apply gentle pressure to allow them to open.

Wouldn't these come open all the time as you bump up against them with your feet??

I do like the idea of using this space though - modern fitted kitchens are so inefficient in their use of space - I currently have a bottom drawer that is at least one third higher at the front than it is when you actually open it up - the sides and back are much lower and if I fill it too much then stuff falls over the back into the cabinet cavity when I shut the drawer - I need to get a custom kitchen ordered!