If you've ever braved the crowded aisles of IKEA on a Saturday afternoon, you already know that storage and organizational systems are in hot demand. But you may not know just how easy it is to offer residents kitchen and bathroom cabinetry fitted with these types of systems. Major cabinet manufacturers are beefing up their storage offerings with clever interior fittings for everything from spices and oversized pots and pans in the kitchen to dirty clothes and toilet paper in the bathroom.
“Organizational systems are definitely a wave of the future for cabinetry that is here to stay,” says Cathy Hitz, group brand manager for Aristokraft, a division of MasterBrand Cabinets, which introduces new storage solutions with every product launch. “Consumers are just expecting products to perform more and to get more out of the space that they have.”
Aristokraft recently introduced SuperCabinet, intended for tight spaces in smaller condos and apartments. The 36-inch-base cabinet or more compact 30-inch size acts as a mini-pantry offering optimal storage and ease of use with three large-extension roll trays that each hold up to 45 pounds of food, plus two wire pull-out baskets. “You basically have a pantry [in this cupboard space], where before a pantry required the full height of an 84-inch-high closet,” says Hitz.
And how's this for high-tech: The Le Mans blind corner pullout, part of Kitchen Craft's aXesso line, is a rolling, pivoting shelf installed on the inside of a cabinet. With two turns, the shelf can be shifted upward and out of the cabinet to allow full access to items stored at the farthest reaches of a dark corner cabinet.
Developers tend to offer storage fittings as upgrades to a basic cabinet product. Residents at the 196-unit Burr Ridge Village Center, a mixed-use development being built by Opus North near Chicago, can select upgrades for their Brookhaven by Wood-Mode cabinetry.
“The kitchen and bathroom cabinetry in a condo tend to be really one of the No. 1 places people spend money,” says Jennifar Evans, a design coordination manager for Edward R. James Homes, which is handling the sales and marketing of the development. Popular bathroom upgrades include built-in tilt-top hampers; for the kitchen, requests include rollout dual trashcans (for trash and recycling), built-in spice racks, and drawers designed to fit pots and pans.
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EASY ACCESS: Bathrooms can be tight on square footage, so help residents make the most of the space. Vanity linen closet cabinets from Diamond offer a place to store linens, toiletries, and more. The removable hamper, door racks, and reduced shelf depth ensure that every space falls within the natural eye line. Plus, adjustable shelves let residents customize the product. For more information, call Diamond Cabinets at 812-482-2527 or visit www.diamondcabinets.com.
