6 Kitchen Corner Cupboard Solutions From a Bespoke Maker

Kitchen corner cupboard solutions all start from the same problem. Where two runs of base cupboards meet in an L-shaped or U-shaped kitchen, the corner leaves a deep pocket of space behind a door, and the back of it is hard to see and harder to reach.

We deal with it by building the corner as a cupboard in its own right, shaped to the angle it sits in. Below are six corner kitchen cupboard ideas we use, how each one works, and where they have gone in kitchens we have designed.

Hague Blue tall corner larder open to show shelves stocked with jars and dry goods behind a curved-end island at Hague and Copper — Hague and Copper. A tall corner larder turns the corner into shelving that can be reached standing up.

L-shaped Shaker kitchen at The Old House where a run of James White drawers turns the corner to the sink, with a Yeabridge Green island — The Old House. Two runs of cabinetry meet in the corner.

Why the corner cupboard is the hardest one to use

Where a corner is filled with ordinary cupboards, one of them runs on past the corner, and its far end sits hidden behind the cupboards on the next wall. This is known as a blind corner, because the back half cannot be seen from the door. Reaching it means kneeling on the floor and stretching in at arm’s length, so it tends to fill up with things nobody can find.

The corner also decides how much room is left for everything else. A corner unit takes up a set length along both walls, so it is the first thing we fix on a plan, before the sink, the ovens and the rest of the run are placed around it.

The corner larder

Where a corner can go full height, we build a larder. The tall corner larder takes 1,100mm along each wall and stands 2,100 or 2,200mm high. Two doors sit on the angle facing into the room, and behind them five fixed shelves run back into the corner in an L, with a spice rack on the back of each door. Some people call it a corner pantry. It is the same cupboard.

Because the shelves sit at every height, the deepest part of the corner is at eye level rather than at floor level. At Grantchester Revival, a Victorian terrace in Cambridge, the corner larder is painted in Little Greene Boringdon Green and sits between the ovens and the sink run, a step from both.

Kitchen corner cupboard solution at Grantchester Revival, a tall corner larder in Little Greene Boringdon Green with angled doors between the ovens and the sink run — Grantchester Revival. A tall corner larder fills the corner between the ovens and the sink run.

At Hague and Copper the corner larder is painted in Farrow and Ball Hague Blue, with copper handles and oak inside. It was this cupboard that sealed the deal for the owners when they first came to the showroom.

Our guides to larder cupboards and pantry cupboards cover how to plan what goes inside.

Tall corner larder with angled double doors in Farrow and Ball Hague Blue and copper handles at Hague and Copper — Hague and Copper. The larder doors sit on the angle across the corner.

Kitchen corner cupboard solutions at worktop height

Where the corner needs to stay at worktop height, we make three shapes of base cupboard that fill the corner square on, so nothing is hidden behind the next run. Each comes in our Period English, Shaker and Fusion styles.

The two-door corner cupboard has a door on each run, meeting at the inside of the corner. Open both and the whole corner is in view at once. It comes 860, 930 or 1,030mm along each wall.

The diagonal corner cupboard has a single door set on the angle, so the opening faces straight into the room. It comes 860 or 930mm along each wall.

The concave corner cupboard has a pair of curved doors that sweep round the corner, and needs 1,100mm along each wall. Curved skirting, kickboards and a matching concave wall cupboard carry the curve above and below the worktop.

White Kitchen Company two-door corner base cupboard with in-frame doors meeting at the inside corner — Two-door corner cupboard.

White Kitchen Company diagonal corner base cupboard with a single in-frame door set on the angle — Diagonal corner cupboard.

White Kitchen Company concave corner base cupboard with a pair of curved in-frame doors — Concave corner cupboard.

A curve suits a larger room, where the corner does not need to be a right angle at all. At Hesketh Home Farm, a house built in 1820, the Period English base run curves round between the bank of ovens and the sink, painted in Statue from our Colours from History collection.

Curved Period English base cabinetry turning the corner between three ovens and a Belfast sink at Hesketh Home Farm, painted in Statue — Hesketh Home Farm. The base cabinetry curves round the corner from the ovens to the sink.

The blind corner cupboard, and what to keep in it

Sometimes the run has no room to spare for a square corner unit. Our corner cupboard takes 500mm of the run and reaches another 500mm into the corner behind the next cabinet, with an adjustable shelf inside.

It is the simplest of the kitchen corner cupboard solutions, and it works best for things used a few times a year, such as roasting tins, a slow cooker, serving platters, the Christmas cake tin and spare dry goods. Everyday pans, plates and food belong in drawers and in the cupboards either side, where they can be reached without kneeling.

Above the worktop the same choices apply on a smaller scale. We make a two-door corner wall cupboard and a concave corner wall cupboard, both 660mm along each wall with two adjustable shelves, and a blind corner wall cupboard 630mm wide.

Corner banquette seating with drawers underneath and a round table beside a Hardwick White Shaker kitchen run at Cavendish Holt — Cavendish Holt. Banquette seating with drawers wraps the corner.

Seating in the corner

Where a corner falls beyond the working part of the kitchen, it can become somewhere to sit. At Cavendish Holt, a barn conversion in West Suffolk, bespoke banquette seating wraps the corner around a table at the end of the Hardwick White kitchen run.

Drawers built into the base of the seat mean the corner still stores things, and the owners count the banquette among their favourite parts of the room.

Frequently asked questions

What are some solutions for corner kitchen cupboards?

The most useful is a tall corner larder, which turns the corner into full-height shelving reached standing up. At worktop height, a two-door, diagonal or concave corner cupboard fills the corner square on so nothing is hidden behind the next run. Where space along the run is tight, a blind corner cupboard reaches back into the corner and suits things used a few times a year. A corner beyond the working part of the kitchen can also become banquette seating with drawers underneath.

What to do instead of a corner cupboard?

Take the corner to full height with a tall corner larder, sometimes called a corner pantry, as at Grantchester Revival and Hague and Copper. Ours takes 1,100mm along each wall and has five fixed shelves running back into the corner and a spice rack on each door. In a larger room the base run can curve round the corner instead, as it does at Hesketh Home Farm, or the corner can be given over to built-in seating.

What are the best things to store in corner kitchen cabinets?

Keep a blind corner for things used a few times a year, such as roasting tins, a slow cooker, serving platters and spare dry goods. Anything used every day is better in drawers or the cupboards either side, where it can be reached without kneeling down. A corner larder is different, because its shelves are at every height and can hold everyday food and jars.

Planning your corner with us

Every White Kitchen Company kitchen is made to order in solid hardwood, in-frame, with dovetailed oak drawers, and hand-painted in the colour you choose. Your designer will size and place the corner units to suit your room, alongside the layout, storage and appliances.

Explore our kitchen design service or book a showroom visit to see our cabinetry and talk through your plans for a new kitchen.