Drawers in the base of the kitchen unit: pros and cons

In search of additional storage space in the kitchen, owners go to all sorts of tricks. Among them is the arrangement of boxes in the base of the headset. Let’s see together when this is a justified move, what are the pros and cons of such storage locations. We will tell you how to make a basement drawer yourself.

Immediately, we note that lower kitchen cabinets without a plinth are extremely rare. These are always designer, piece options, when the bottom row of cabinets simply reaches the floor, violating the principles of ergonomics. Why? Because working on the countertop is much more convenient if your toes go under the lower cabinets. You can stand directly in front of the countertop without twisting your toes. It’s simple. Therefore, the plinth always extends slightly under the lower cabinets for the convenience of the owners..

In addition, the plinth strip is designed to hide the ugly technical legs of the cabinets. There are, of course, kitchens with decorative legs that you don’t need to hide. But they are not so common either..

Due to the ergonomics of the organization of the kitchen space, it is important that the drawers that are arranged in the basement row also step under the lower cabinets, while maintaining the main principle of creating comfortable conditions for the owners.

The base drawer is traditionally placed under the oven. It is customary to store trays and pans there. This box can be significantly expanded if it is extended to the floor, combined with a plinth. Or, as in the presented photo, make additional storage there.

The height of the base of the lower cabinets in the kitchen can vary from 5 to 20 cm. Of course, it is much more expedient to make the drawers if the base is high enough. This is the first rule that owners should follow..

Important! Experts are categorically against the arrangement of basement boxes if the height of the plank is less than 8 centimeters. This is simply impractical, not worth the work and costs, because nothing significant can be put into such a narrow space..

In all other cases, the owners decide for themselves whether they need drawers in the kitchen basement. There are disadvantages:

• Additional costs for fittings and the boxes themselves, the kitchen set will cost more;
• You will have to bend over to the basement drawers, it is not very convenient to use them;
• You can’t put a lot of things in a low box, it usually stores all sorts of little things and objects that are not used too often.

In the basement drawers you can store: stock of napkins, baking dishes, flat pans, rolling pins, trays, plates that are not used daily, cutting boards, wine bottles, foil and baking sleeves, vegetables and other supplies … In general, a lot Total.

And some decide to turn the pull-out plinth drawer into a handy pet feeder so their bowls can be easily hidden away..

The easiest way to make a basement box yourself is a box on wheels. The existing basement strip is cut along the width of the module installed on top, it will become the front of the drawer. Do not forget to glue the edge of the chipboard or MDF plank so that there are no chips. The box itself is assembled from inexpensive chipboard, the bottom can be made of fiberboard, neatly attached to the box with a construction stapler or small nails. Castors are attached to the bottom, which will make it easy to pull out the drawer.

Instead of wheels, you can use a system of roller or ball guides, which can, for example, be snapped onto the kitchen legs with clips. The price of such a system will be about 2,000 rubles. A finished basement box can cost about 10-15 thousand rubles, depending on the quality of the fittings.