| Option | Common stock sizes | Access | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lazy susan corner | 33" or 36" on each wall | Good: shelves turn to you | Everyday pots, pans and pantry items |
| Blind corner, shelves only | 39" to 48" wide | Poor: reach into the dark | Rarely used items, tight budgets |
| Blind corner with LeMans or Magic Corner | 39" to 48" wide | Good: shelves swing or slide out | Heavy items in a blind corner |
| Corner drawers | 36" or 42" | Best: pull straight out | Aging in place, anyone who hates bending |
| Diagonal (angled) corner | 33" or 36" on each wall | Fair: one door, deep interior | A sink or display in the corner |
| Empty (dead) corner | No cabinet | None | Small kitchens, or a sink or drawer bank next to it |
What are the options for a kitchen corner cabinet?
Almost every kitchen except a galley has at least one inside corner, where two runs of base cabinets meet. It is the hardest space in the kitchen to use, because the back of it is a long reach from either side. Every option below is a different answer to the same problem: how to bring what is stored in that corner out to where you can reach it.
How does a lazy susan corner cabinet work?
A lazy susan corner cabinet fills the corner with an L-shaped box and a pair of doors hinged together, which fold back as one when opened. Inside, round or kidney-shaped shelves turn on a central post, so what was at the back rotates round to the front.
It is the simplest mechanism and the easiest to live with. The trade-off is that round shelves in a square box leave the corners of the box empty, so some space goes unused. Common stock sizes are 33 or 36 inches along each wall.
What is a blind corner cabinet?
A blind corner cabinet is a straight box that runs into the corner, with the far end hidden behind the cabinets on the other wall. Only the front part has a door; the rest is “blind”. Common stock widths run from 39 to 48 inches.
It gives a clean, straight run and a lot of volume. On its own, though, the back is dark and hard to reach, so a blind corner with plain shelves tends to become the place things go to be forgotten.
A blind corner also has to be spaced away from the cabinets on the adjoining wall, so the doors and handles on both sides can open without hitting each other. That spacing is part of planning the corner, not an afterthought.
Is a LeMans or Magic Corner worth it?
These are pull-out mechanisms that make a blind corner usable.
- LeMans units use two kidney-shaped shelves that swing out through the door opening, one above the other.
- Magic Corner units work in two parts: opening the door pulls out a front set of baskets, and those draw a second set from the blind back of the cabinet into the opening.
Both bring the whole corner into reach, and both are good for heavy pots. They add hardware cost, and they need the cabinet sized to suit the mechanism, so decide on one during design rather than after the boxes are built.
Are corner drawers better than a corner cabinet?
For access, yes. Corner drawers are V-shaped drawers that pull straight out of the corner on the diagonal, usually three high. Everything in them is visible from above, and nothing needs a reach or a crouch, which makes them a strong choice for anyone planning to stay in a house as they get older.
They are the most complex corner to build, because each drawer box is an unusual shape. Common stock sizes are 36 and 42 inches.
What about a diagonal corner cabinet?
A diagonal, or angled, corner cabinet has its door set across the corner at 45 degrees. It gives a deep interior with a single door, and it is a natural place for a corner sink. The angled front needs an angled countertop to match, which can add to the countertop cost. Pull-out accessories for it are limited.
In upper cabinets, the diagonal corner is more common, often with glass doors and shelves for display.
Is it ever better to leave the corner empty?
Sometimes. A dead corner closes the space off entirely. In a small kitchen, giving up the corner can let a wider drawer bank or the sink sit right beside it, and that can be worth more than the corner itself.
How do custom cabinets change the corner?
With stock cabinets, the corner is chosen from a short list of sizes, and whatever is left over becomes filler. Crafted Cabinetry cuts to your sizes in 1/16-inch increments, so the corner cabinet can be sized to the wall and to the mechanism going in it, and the runs either side can finish exactly where you want them.
The boxes are the same as everywhere else in a Crafted kitchen: plywood, which holds the screws of a heavy pull-out mechanism far better than particle board, with soft-close hinges and full-extension dovetail drawers. They arrive fully assembled, with the corner planned in design and fixed in the quote before anything is built.
How do I choose the right corner option?
Start with what you want to keep there, and how often you will reach for it. Heavy, everyday things want a lazy susan, a pull-out or drawers. Rarely used things can live in a plain blind corner. Then think about the next twenty years as well as the next two: the corner that is easiest to use now is usually the one that is still easy to use later.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best option for a kitchen corner cabinet?
For access, corner drawers. For simplicity, a lazy susan. For a blind corner, a LeMans or Magic Corner pull-out brings the back of the cabinet within reach.
What is the difference between a blind corner and a lazy susan?
A blind corner is a straight box whose far end is hidden behind the adjoining run. A lazy susan fills the corner with an L-shaped box and rotating shelves.
What sizes do corner cabinets come in?
In stock ranges, lazy susan and diagonal corners are commonly 33 or 36 inches on each wall, blind corners 39 to 48 inches wide, and corner drawers 36 or 42 inches. Custom corners are sized to the room.
Are corner drawers good for aging in place?
Yes. They pull straight out, show everything from above, and need no reaching into the back of a cabinet.