Lori's Weekly Bella Bling- Rollout Tray Storage

Base cabinet rollout trays offer convenience, maximal storage capacity

Standard base cabinets produced by most manufacturers have one adjustable shelf at about the midway point. Combined with the cabinet floor, that provides two levels of storage.

To add some “bling” to your kitchen, any adjustable shelf can be replaced with a rollout tray. As you open the base cabinet door and pull out the sliding tray, everything at that level suddenly is within easy reach.

The photo on the left that is rated 1 carat features a standard mid-level rollout from Kabinart. Its sides, front and back are 2½ inches high.

You can install a single rollout tray at the bottom of a base cabinet, allowing the mid-level fixed shelf to remain, or you can install two adjustable rollout trays: one at the cabinet bottom, and one at the midway point. Either option provides better accessibility to stored items than does simply a shelf, whether fixed or adjustable.

Rollouts available in two heights
Now let’s compare a standard rollout with a deep rollout. Dura Supreme’s version of a standard rollout, shown at the photo on the right and rated 2 carats, has one top rollout that is 4 inches high above a deep rollout that is 8 inches high. The higher sides, front and back keep stackables such as bowls, pots and pans or plastic ware from tipping over or falling out.

Whether you choose the standard rollout or deep rollout, any existing base cabinet can be retrofit with rollouts.

If you’re tired of getting on your hands and knees to search for items in your base cabinets, call us today at 608.271.8241 to order rollout kits. 

Next week, we’ll take functionality one step further with specialty rollouts.

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling- 3 Carat Knife Accessory

  Here is my selection for the last knife holder accessory we will be looking at, rated at 3 carats, the pullout knife holder.  I give it the highest rating because it fits in a 3”, 4” or 6” wide space.  Instead of designing a 3” filler, make the space accessible and usable.  The unit is also available as a pull out cabinet – 6” or 9” wide, further stretching the possibilities.  Place a 3” pullout on either side of the cooktop and you have easy access to the knives where they are needed most.

  

Dura Supreme's version of this pullout also offers four front decorative options.  An overlay (plain) panel, a ¾” thick column, an overlay that is styled like the cabinet door, or a pilaster/post.  Their unit is constructed of natural maple and pulls out on a full extension ball bearing system.  There are 18 slots for knives, varying in size, including a square hole for the sharpening file.  An added bonus, there is a small “tray” at top for excess knives, long meat forks, or short spice containers.  Again, all organized in as little room as 3”.

 I’m going to give you 2 disadvantages.  The first is that the slots are predetermined, so if some of your large chef knives don’t work, you are out of luck, unless you cut larger slots.  Second, if you have small children, I do not recommend placing knives in base cabinets that are easily opened.

Next week we will continue focusing on accessories for bases – specifically rollout trays.  

What Time Is It? It’s Remodel Time!

With a sluggish real estate market, are you staying in your existing home longer than you anticipated a couple of years ago? If so, take heart, you’re not alone. Many homeowners across the country are realizing that their current home may be called home for a while and thoughts of moving to a dream house placed on indefinite hold.

Take comfort knowing that now is a great time to invest in your existing home. It’s remodel time, a time to renovate your space to make it tailor-made for you, your family and all the activities that take place in your home.

And, the kitchen is a great place to start.

I can think of no other investment that offers a good ROI (return on investment) and offers instant gratification; the joy of using a well designed and functional space immediately. Smiles are free when you are truly enjoying your new kitchen.

A common quote from homeowners who have gone through a kitchen remodel process is this:

“ Why did I wait so long? I should have done this earlier, so I could be enjoying the space sooner!”

Why wait any longer? The SEN Design Group, a national consortium of independent kitchen and bath professionals offers several real advantages to remodel now.

1.   Weak Resale Market: Houses for sale are sitting on the market longer and prices are depressed. As a result it may be a while to find a buyer for your home at a price you want or need. So, instead of sulking, survey your current space and call a kitchen design professional to partner with you on a new project.

2.   Lower Labor Costs: Labor sources are readily available from all trades involved in the remodeling process. In most instances homeowners are seeing labor cost reductions in the 10-25% range compared to several years ago.

3.   Wider Selection: The kitchen industry has become fashion oriented and today there is a bevy of products to chose from designed to suit any style or taste.

4.   Lower Product Prices: As a member of a national buying group, we have access to preferred vendors and their products at very competitive prices. In addition, many cabinet manufacturers desire to keep their skilled labor force in tact and are offering substantial discounts to accomplish that.

5.   More Responsive Service: It wasn’t that long ago people complained about not being able to schedule a project in a timely fashion. Homeowners were placed on a waiting list, at the mercy of the contractor, not fully knowing when their project would begin. Today you can schedule a project on your terms, handled by professionals delivering first class service.

6.   Lower Borrowing Costs: There are more dollars available for remodeling at attractive rates than ever before. Financing a kitchen project may never be cheaper.

7.   Updated Kitchens (or Baths) Sell Homes: It’s the kitchen that makes the rest of the house shine. When the real estate markets rebounds, your chances of selling your home quickly and at top dollar are excellent when the kitchen has been remodeled. 

Start dancing in the kitchen! Your dream home may be closer than you think, in fact with a little remodeling you may already be living in it.

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling- Knife Organization

I have missed a few weeks of Lori's Bella Bling, but am back and ready to give you my second choice on knife storage.

My 2 carat rated knife accessory "bling" is a drawer knife holder. Dura Supreme makes their holder of 1" thick solid maple with groove cuts for each knife blade and a cork pad underneath for the knife handle to rest on. In a standard base cabinet, the unit will hold 7 knives (paring, boning, bread, chef, etc). In a larger width drawer, it can hold a maximum of 10 knives, enabling you to also store the (4) four steak knives in your set.
The reason I gave this a 2 carat rating is because it is great for organization, but not as flexible I would like it to be. The big disadvantage of this knife holder is that it requires permanent installation. Once the unit is installed, it must be uninstalled to move it from drawer to drawer.

Next week we will look at my 3 carat rated knife accessory- one that actually pulls out of a space that is often ignored.

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling- The Knife Drawer

We are starting a new series of accessories this week and turning the focus to knife storage. 

My choice for the 1 carat rated knife storage is the carved knife insert from Dura Supreme. You order the wood insert and then the knife set. It is a good quality knife set – J.A. Henkel’s 8 piece Twin Four Star II knife set, but the insert lacks flexibility.

 What if you already have a favorite chopping knife? – will it fit in one of these already carved out shapes?  What if one of these matching knives goes missing? You will have to buy another one that fits into its “shape”.  I am not a gourmet cook by any means and I own 15 knives (a set of steak knives is included in this count), so this accessory would not work in my household. But, for that very neat, orderly person, the knives all match and have a “place”. This set made it on my “bling” list because of its great quality and a great way to organize in one convenient drawer. 

 

Next week we will move on to the 2 carat rated knife insert.  Again, it is one that fits into a drawer.

Diagnosis from the Kitchen Doctor

Ever notice how it’s the small things that bother us the most?  My world is designing spaces (especially kitchens) that work for the people that use them.   

The best place to start?  Letting clients tell me what they don’t like, what isn’t working for them. These answers give great insight into the scope of the project that can make a difference for them. In some cases it may be a brand new addition with a kitchen remodel, other times a new counter top makes the grade, but in many cases their issues can be addressed with some simple fixes. I had a recent client that didn’t like the hollow sound her cabinet doors made when they closed. Her problem was solved with a nominal piece of hardware she had no idea was available--total project under $100.

What’s bugging you? Poor lighting on a work surface, a door that doesn’t close, a drawer that doesn’t open (or is completely falling apart), your favorite pan that doesn’t fit, or the “Tupperware” cabinet…I won’t even go there. Maybe it’s organizing the spices, silverware, utensils or recyclables. We don’t have to throw out the baby with the dishwater.

Low profile LED under cabinet lighting can be installed to illuminate work surfaces. Cabinet doors can be retrofitted with soft close feature hardware, drawers can be replaced with glides that perform and give full access to the contents. Think you’re limited to the existing hardware pull sizes? Even laminate counter tops feature undermount sinks now. Decorative backsplash tile, new stools and maybe a glass accent door can round out your look. 

Don’t suffer in silence, see the kitchen doctor, make your kitchen the space you want to go home to tonight.

written by Dondi Szombatfalvy

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling

This week I am reviewing tray storage with a 3 carat rating. These dividers are very universal and can either be factory installed or job site installed.  When ordering, you can specify to Dura Supreme Cabinetry how many dividers you want, the spacing of the dividers and placement in the cabinet. Since these dividers can be installed at any time (available in kit form), it is very easy to retro-fit them into an existing kitchen. The partitions can go in a wall cabinet (shown in the photo), a base cabinet, or in the upper door area of a tall pantry cabinet.   

Added to this, the dividers can be placed in the entire wall cabinet above the refrigerator – which is usually a useless cabinet for storage. Put the dividers in, and you have an organized, useful area for all your trays, boards and platters.

This accessory has ENDLESS possibilities for flexibility in the amount of dividers based on the cabinet size and type of items you can organize in it.  Large platters, thicker muffin pans, thinner cookie sheets, jelly roll pans, cutting boards, serving trays and broiler pans to name a few.  OK, here is the icing on the cake; the dividers can be installed in a U channel that allows them to be removed for ease of cleaning.

Next week we will be moving on to accessories for knife storage.

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling- 2 Carat Tray Storage

Continuing on the topic of the ever popular tray divider, I offer this week my 2 carat choice.  Dura Supreme offers a base pullout in either a 6” or 9” width.  It is a great option for organized tray storage in a small space and even fits muffin and bar pans.  The dowels shown can be moved up or down, depending on the height of the trays you wish to store. An added bonus is the small shelf above the pan storage for pizza cutters and spatulas, etc. (pizza pan is handy below it).

The pullout feature of this cabinet makes the pans visible, but it doesn’t give the best accessibility. With the door on the front and the shelf above it, the pans may be hard to remove. This is not an accessory that can be added easily to an existing kitchen and once installed it cannot be expanded.  The accessory does have an excellent use of space, convenient pull out, and flexibility with the dowel configuration.  That is why I give it a 2 carat rating. 

Next week, 3 carat tray storage…hint hint…ideal for the cook that has more trays and cookie sheets than shoes.

Lori's Weekly Bella Bling

This week I would like to start discussing an accessory that can prevent a lot of frustration in the kitchen, tray storage units. Have you ever struggled trying to find your cookie sheets under the muffin pans? After several minutes, you finally pull all items out of the cabinet for that one cookie sheet. Fight with the trays no more!

Shown this week is my choice for the 1 carat rating – the fixed tray divider kit. Shown to the left is Dura Supreme’s tray divider kit, which can be installed at the factory or on-site. Shown to the right is Dura Supreme’s tray divider pull-out, which is installed at the factory and rolls out of the cabinet for ease of use. The width for both is fixed, thus giving it the 1 carat rating. This limits you as to how many (and what thickness of platters/trays) you can place in the unit. I included it on my bling list as it is a great way to organize all the cookie sheets, muffin pans, pizza stones and serving platters that may otherwise get lost at the bottom of a cabinet shelf or drawer. As an added bonus, this accessory can be ordered separately to retrofit it in your existing kitchen. 

Next week, I will show you another tray storage element that fits in an otherwise useless 3-6” space.