How To Conquer Blind Kitchen Corners

For years, kitchen design has bemoaned blind corners in kitchens. I am sure we are all familiar with getting down on our hands and knees and reaching into the dark recesses of a far corner in a completely impractical lower kitchen cabinet. What does one store back there? Certainly nothing used daily. Such areas often turn into junk yards, full of things you forgot you even owned.

But there are now some wonderful, practical products to increase precious, usable space in a kitchen.

The easiest way to open up those corners is to make sure there is total access. Normally, the space you see below would be two separate units but here they are open to each other and the door configuration helps to be able reach in and get what one wants. The challenge remains though to drag out items from the back, so it is still a reach.

Another solution for corners is to use the corner on an angle. This is an improvement but there is still a bit of wasted space on the sides as the storage space is on a diagonal.

The corner lazy susan was popular for a while but as you can see by the round shape of the storage racks, there is unused space all around the circle.

Omega National Products married the full-extension drawer/diagonal storage idea with the lazy susan and came up with this compromise:

A very popular product for these hard-to-reach corners is something called a Le Mans. While the storage decks themselves might vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, the basic idea is the same: a pull out is cleverly shaped to allow the deck to be pulled out and then angled to the side.

If you're tired of reaching back into a blind corner of your kitchen cabinets and are looking for storage solutions, give me a call. I'd love to help.

Happy designing!

Happy Thanksgiving 2018!

I wish all of my readers and followers in the United States a very happy Thanksgiving Day!

"I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual."
--Henry David Thoreau

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Sleek "Marble" Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

Originally built in the 1980s with terra cotta tile and cheap, polished brass, this bathroom (previously seen in this sneak peek) is now a sleek, modern marvel. The juxtaposition of simplicity and luxury is evidenced by the walls clad in a large-format porcelain tile that looks like marble but requires no sealing or maintenance and is easy to clean. Gleaming modern plumbing fixtures also present restraint but with a touch of glamour. The eleven-foot wide vanity with integrated toe kick light is capped by a single-piece framed mirror that coordinates with the furniture below it. A dynamic, graphic light fixture presides over this improved space and mirrors the diagonal herringbone floor.
All photos: Bernardo Grijalva

And for contrast, here are some BEFORE images...

If you have been thinking about a bathroom remodel but haven't yet, give me a call.
Happy designing!

Know Your Sofas: Pierre Paulin's Élysée Sofa

French furniture and industrial designer Pierre Paulin did not get off to an auspicious start: after failing his Baccalauréat (the end of high school exams that determine whether or not a student goes on to university studies), he trained as a ceramist in Vallaurius and then as a stone-carver in Burgundy. But when he got into a fight that injured his right arm, his dreams of being a sculptor came to an end. Yet he found himself later working at Gascoin, then Thonet (previously here) and then Artifort where he gained international fame for the creation of his Mushroom chair in 1960 and his Ribbon chair in 1966 (this will be featured later in an installation of Know Your Chairs).

Then in 1969, he was commissioned by Jean Coural, head of the Mobilier National, an agency of the French Ministry of Culture, to redesign four rooms in President Georges Pompidou’s private apartment in the Élysée Palace. Paulin proceeded to cover the Napoléon III giltwood-paneled walls entirely in beige fabric and bring in newly designed pouf-style sofas and chairs, which became known as the Élysée collection. The sofas and chairs were molded from strips of wood wrapped in foam and upholstered in leather.

The sofa, alternatively called the Pumpkin (look at the shape) or the Alpha (after the Alpha manufacturing company that made the originals), was in brief production until 1973 but did not really gain a cult following until the early 2000s. The rarity of the originals makes them highly sought after for high price tags, but fear not, Ralph Pucci has brought the Alpha sofa back into production!

Happy designing!