We've only cupboards above the work surfaces. Below them we have soft close drawers, like these which makes it easier for my wife to manage with her MS.
I am a big fan of soft close drawers. The important thing in our kitchen is that the work surfaces are high enough. We are a tall people and having a low work surface sort of irritates the back. over the years the height has gotten higher.
Ahhh... @Doghouse Riley ....your drawer looks so organized compared to my hodgepodge stash of containers. It is the cupboard of shame right now. I have to get at it soon. @Sjoerd - you tall folk would both would like working in my kitchen...it is a house built for giants that requires regular mountain counter climbing on my part ( being the shortest one) to reach cuboards and shelves. I often work at the table. Funny note though...that even with high counters and cupboards the sink is still quite deep and low. I think the working theory is that everyone except me is too tall to comfortably do dishes. hmmmmmmmmm. My kitchen witch is stainless steel bowls...it seems there are always too many. Until I've used all of them and wish that I could reach for one more.
Our kitchen is eighteen years old, designed by my wife. The room is very small so every bit of space is utilised. Last year she was looking for more storage capacity so I made her another cupboard and we lost my "one man breakfast bar." We don't even have a kitchen door. We do have a back door but don't use it as we keep three bins in front of it. Every bit of space is used. We don't have a hob, we have a halogen one that come out when needed and sits on a glass cutting board next to the inset sink. They managed to get two drawers under that. The oven has a cupboard above and two drawers below. This cupboard next to the back door has two drawers below. There's a matching one the other side, but it's too shallow for drawers, so there's two drawer fronts that form a door. I made the new cupboard the same. This huge carousel in the corner is brilliant, push the front in and it locks and you can spin it. There's a handy narrow drawer next to it for tea and coffee. There's just enough room for the microwave and my coffee machine above it. I've mentioned this before. This bit of the kitchen was designed around an existing combi boiler. But when that failed three years ago we had to have a new one and were left with this. My wife thought she'd get a new kitchen but I said "I have a plan." So I made this. I even gave her a narrow cupboard for those appliance instruction books she can never find. The bit of pelmet below the boiler is detachable, as the front of the boiler has to swing down for servicing. And she got a new Meile fridge/freezer out of it, as the Bosch one failed in the middle of the job.
Rarely necessary, as we rinse stuff before it goes in. Think about it. Any debris that gets trapped in the filter during a wash, is still there during the rinse cycle.
( gross - I never though of that)....and for me it all goes into my septic tank. Not cool. One must take care of their septic system.
Beautiful kitchen Riley! Here's our kitchen. Daughter is working over the stove. Double double toil and trouble, fire burn & caldron bubble...
