Making Kitchen Cabinet Accessories: Custom Designs for Space Savers and Organizers [Paperback]

Sam Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990

A collection of space-saving, attractive and efficiency-enhancing kitchen projects to suit most cabinet designs. Starting with problem solvers as simple as cutting boards and chopping blocks built into a kitchen counter, it includes a whole host of projects such as door racks, tilt-out trays, galley rails, spice racks, can rotators, drawer organizers, storage bins - literally dozens of answers to kitchen needs. And you don't need to be an expert craftsperson to try your hand, as there are over 200 drawings and close-up photographs designed to make each project easy to follow.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When homeowners want to upgrade their property, they often begin with the kitchen. Frequently the center of the household, the layout of the kitchen can be vital to the orderly preparation of meals, whether for a single person, a family, or for entertaining. Lee's book is directed at women who are building a new kitchen or remodeling one. She gives information on appliances, sinks, flooring, lighting, countertops, and other items. A few brand names are given, but prices are not mentioned. Beginning with a section profiling women who have different needs in a kitchen, Lee then suggests which chapters would be most useful. This is a sort of expanded update of Terence Conran's The Kitchen Book ( LJ 1/15/78) but with more text and fewer photographs. Allen has written a how-to book that aims to help the homeowner make a kitchen more efficient by using wasted or unused spaces. He gives directions for making and installing chopping blocks, breadboards, drawers, a hideaway table, and a moveable island. Most of the projects can be done with hand tools or simple power equipment. Some of the directions seem a little sketchy, although the illustrations and photographs may make up for that. Both of these books would be useful in public libraries, but neither is a necessary purchase.
- Rebecca Wondriska, Trinity Coll. Lib., Hartford, Ct.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Sterling Pub Co Inc; First Edition edition (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806957867
• ISBN-13: 978-0806957869
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,857,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good ideas, but quality and presentation are lacking, March 29, 2007

By 

No Prob Rob (Northern Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Kitchen Cabinet Accessories: Custom Designs for Space Savers and Organizers (Paperback)

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This book offers ideas and instructions for building kitchen cabinet accessories and organizers. None of the projects are particularly new or ingenious, but some could be helpful if your kitchen is disorganized or short on space. Most are reasonably easy for anyone with average experience with basic hand tools and simple power tools to accomplish.

Projects include:
1) work space -- stand-alone cutting boards and chopping blocks, countertop inserts, permanent or movable islands, hideaway tables, drawer-mounted
2) storage space -- door-in-door storage, pull-down racks, dummy-drawers, toe-kick drawers, stud-space cabinets, pantries
3) appliance space -- appliance garages (with or without tambour door), microwave oven shelf, etc
4) display space -- open shelves, glass shelves, plate racks, gallery railes, etc.
5) organizers -- pullout shelves, corner cabinets, storage bins, garbage containers, can rotators, drawer organizers and partitions

PROS:
1) The construction projects include a materials list and exploded diagrams.
2) Construction procedures are reasonably well documented.

CONS:
1) Some of the projects (such as the dummy drawer storage) simply tell you to go out and buy the organizer and install per the manufacturer's instructions. Not much help there, unless you hadn't thought of this idea before.
2) All the projects are shown first, then the instructions are presented. If you want to refer back to the project description/photo, it may be several pages back. Descriptions and photos should have been presented with the instructions for that project immediately following.
3) Photos are of actual installations. All are black & white only, and most look like they are simple snapshots, with such low contrast as to be difficult to see detail.
4) The projects as shown look like they would be very out of place in a "nicer" home. Many would look out of place anywhere except a post-WW2 "cookie-cutter" home. (The designs are too simple and bland, and some of the ideas just do NOT scream "class." Fine woodworking skills might help, but if you're that good, you don't need this book.)
5) Many of these space savers and organizers could be purchased easier -- and possibly cheaper -- than building them. And unless your construction skills are above average, AND you go beyond the basic design, the cheap plastic things from the local department or home improvement store might actually look and function better.

While I WILL use a couple of the ideas from this book for my upcoming kitchen remodeling, it's is definitely NOT the ultimate book on this subject.

BOTTOM LINE: Get some ideas from this book, but extend the construction plans or you'll end up with some really cheap-looking (though functional) space savers and organizers.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loaded, April 10, 2001

By 

B. Christian "creator of jewelry" (WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Kitchen Cabinet Accessories: Custom Designs for Space Savers and Organizers (Paperback)

This book is loaded with ideas. Lots of pictures and drawings. It shows and explains how to make everything from cutting boards to movable islands. It is also loaded with instructions for many ways to organize the kitchen and pantry, like lazy susans, spice racks, appliance garage and stowaway island. A very useful book for someone looking for ways to improve their kitchen.