KITCHEN REDESIGN ADVENTURE: WORTH THE HYPE OR NOT?
- Gotta say, I’m still team lazy Susan—at least for resale value. Weird, right? Every time I walk buyers through a kitchen with one of those old spinning shelves, they act like it’s a magic trick. “Look, honey! It rotates!” Meanwhile, I’m thinking of all the lost Tupperware you mentioned.
- About the tall corner pantries: I get the aesthetic, but from a practical standpoint, they’re not always a win. Most folks I know end up stuffing them with things they never use. If you’re not careful, it just turns into a vertical junk drawer.
- Compost bins in the corner? Tried it once in a rental property. Tenants loved the idea until fruit flies staged a coup. Unless you’re super diligent about emptying and cleaning, it gets gross fast.
- Recycling storage is probably the best bet for those awkward spots. Just don’t expect anyone to actually sort their plastics when it’s hidden behind three other doors...
Corners are weird. There’s no perfect answer—just slightly less annoying ones.
I get the lazy Susan hype for resale, but honestly, I swapped mine for deep drawers and never looked back. Way easier to see what’s in there, and no more mystery lids hiding in the back. Anyone else find drawers just less annoying overall?
Title: Kitchen Redesign Adventure: Worth the Hype or Not?
I get where you’re coming from with the deep drawers—there’s something satisfying about pulling one open and seeing all your pots and pans lined up, no digging required. But I’ve gotta say, I still see some value in the classic lazy Susan, especially when it comes to maximizing those awkward corner spaces. In a few of my flips, buyers actually got excited about a well-designed lazy Susan, probably because it feels like you’re getting “bonus” storage in a spot that would otherwise be dead space.
Drawers are great for accessibility, but have you ever noticed how quickly they can get overloaded? I’ve seen more than one drawer bottom give out under the weight of cast iron or stacks of Tupperware. Plus, if you’re working with a smaller kitchen footprint, sometimes those big drawers eat up more real estate than you’d expect. There’s also something to be said for the nostalgia factor—some folks just love that spin-and-find experience.
That said, I do wonder if it’s partly generational or just personal preference. Some people want everything hidden away and organized; others like the tactile aspect of spinning shelves. Have you tried any of those newer corner pull-out systems? They’re kind of a hybrid—more expensive, but they look slick and seem to solve some of the old lazy Susan gripes.
Curious if anyone else has run into buyers who specifically ask for one over the other... or is it mostly just us design nerds who care?
“some folks just love that spin-and-find experience.”
Totally get this. There’s just something fun about spinning a lazy Susan and hoping your favorite mug doesn’t fly off. Deep drawers are cool, but I’ve definitely overloaded mine with too many gadgets... learned the hard way. Both options have their charm, honestly.
There’s just something fun about spinning a lazy Susan and hoping your favorite mug doesn’t fly off.
- Seen a lot of folks get excited about those spinning shelves. They’re handy for corners, sure, but I’ve had to fix more than a few after someone overloaded them with heavy pots or canned goods. They just don’t hold up to abuse like deep drawers do.
- Deep drawers are my go-to for most kitchens. Easier to organize, less stuff gets lost in the back, and you can pull out the whole drawer to see what’s inside. But yeah, I’ve seen people cram them so full they won’t close right, or the bottom sags. Gotta know your limits.
- Had one client who insisted on three different lazy Susans—one for spices, one for snacks, one for cleaning supplies. Looked great at first, but after a year, two of them were jammed and the third was just collecting crumbs.
- On the flip side, I did a kitchen last year with all deep drawers and zero spinning shelves. Family loved it, said they could finally find their stuff without digging around. Only complaint? Their toddler figured out how to open every drawer and started “reorganizing” the Tupperware.
Both options can work, but you’ve gotta think about how you actually use your kitchen. If you like the “spin-and-find” thing, just don’t expect those shelves to last forever if you treat them rough. If you’re more of a drawer person, just remember—out of sight can mean out of mind... or out of reach when you need that one weird gadget.
At the end of the day, there’s no perfect solution. It’s all about what fits your habits (and how much stuff you really need to keep).