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door hidden behind bookcase

Why All Homes Can Use A Hidden Door

If you’ve ever watched a movie in which the main character escapes through a hidden door concealed as a bookcase and wished you had one of your own, we have great news. You can! Hidden doors are becoming more popular features, serving a variety of purposes. Here’s why all homes (including yours!) can use a hidden door.

Panic Rooms

Panic rooms are the most obvious reason to have a hidden door. In case of emergency, you and your family can quickly get out of sight to a secure room no one else knows exists. Your panic room can be fully equipped with food, water, clothing, and anything else you may need in an emergency. Storing your emergency supplies out of sight also makes it easier to keep them separate from the items your family uses on a daily basis. That way, you’re always prepared.

At Edgewood Cabinetry, we have the experience you need to fully furnish your panic room, whether you want a basic space for your family to retreat in an emergency or you want to include comforts like a media center, storage furniture, and drink organizers. We’re experts at seamlessly concealing your door, too. We’ll help you hide your door behind a bookcase with a book that functions as a latch, conceal the door to your panic room at the back of your wardrobe, or add a hidden panel that blends in with the rest of your wall.

Safe Storage

Including a safe in your home is a wise decision. Would-be thieves will have a more challenging time accessing your valuables, and important items are less likely to be lost in a fire. Concealing your safe behind a hidden door adds to your security. Not only will your valuables be protected, but they’ll be hidden from sight, so no one else knows they’re there at all!

Safes of all sizes are easily concealed behind a hidden panel, bookshelf, or under your stairs. Careful attention is paid so your hidden door remains undetectable to outsiders. As a result, you are able to stash jewelry, cash, and important documents without worrying they’ll be discovered during a home invasion.

Wine Cellars

Whether you have an expensive collection of vintage wines, want to store a selection of wine in case of emergency, or simply don’t want your teenagers to know where you keep your alcohol, having a hidden wine cellar makes sense. Basements and crawl spaces make wonderful locations for hidden wine cellars because they’re naturally cool. Plus, since they aren’t typically used as frequently as other areas of your home, they’re perfect for installing a hidden door.

In the case of concealing a wine cellar, doors are often hidden in the floor itself. Underneath, a short staircase leads to wine storage located around the walls. That way, your collection remains hidden from prying eyes, and no one will ever be the wiser!

Hidden Storage

Do you have items you’d like to keep tucked away, but you don’t have space for a bulky safe? Don’t worry, you can still have your own hidden storage compartment. Fortunately, slide-out bookcases and under-stair storage provide options for even the smallest of spaces. They’re perfect for storing small items like jewelry, collectibles, and cash.

No one will guess that your bookcase slides forward like a spice rack to provide storage for you valuables. And a hidden door to the area under your stairs blends in perfectly with the surrounding area, particularly if you use patterned paneling to hide the lines around the door.

Children’s Play Area

Hidden doors aren’t only about safety and security. They’re also wonderful for children. Just imagine the fun you would have had as a child having your own top-secret fort! Creating a fun play area for your children, complete with its own hidden door, provides years of enjoyment.

For example, the space under your stairs is a cozy area for a hidden room while your children are small. Alternatively, hidden play space can be located at the back of a closet. Or make a hidden doorway the entrance to an entire play room. The possibilities are endless!

Ready to add your own hidden door? Contact us today!

 

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Space In Your Cabinets

8 Tricks For Doubling The Space In Your Cabinets

Who doesn’t have space issues when it comes to their cabinets? What if you could double the space in your cabinets with a few simple tricks?

It’s actually possible. From gadgets to custom shelving, you could go from a cluttered mess to neatly organized cabinets that you’re not afraid to open.

The best part is you’ll be able to store even more in them. If you struggle with space, try implementing a few of these and stop just wishing things would fit right.

1. Look Under Your Cabinets

Most cabinets just have a baseboard running along the bottom. While it’s not much space, imagine how much you could store if you had slide-out drawers instead. Under-cabinet storage means customizing your cabinets, but you gain extra space for pans, baking sheets, small boxes (such as foil and freezer bags) and even small cleaning supplies. Try having this built-in during your next remodel.

2. Utilize The Sides

Do you have exposed sides on your cabinets? Odds are, the sides are exposed around your window and sink at least. This is the perfect place to add some open shelving to store frequently used items. You can also hang items, such as your favorite frying pan. When done right, you get more space in your cabinets by storing some items just outside the cabinet.

3. Use Drawer Organizers

Drawer organizers are probably one of the best ways to gain space in your cabinets. For instance, if you have a deeper drawer, use two thinner organizers stacked on top of each other to separate your everyday cutlery from your special occasion cutlery. Of course, you don’t have to stick with just the standard drawer organizer.

Use small mesh baskets for deeper drawers and cabinet shelves. Utilize plastic food containers to prevent items from falling over, leading to far more space.

4. Hang Pots And Pans If Possible

Whenever possible, hang up your pots and pans. While it’s not possible in every kitchen, hanging up your most frequently used pots and pans easily doubles the space in your cabinets. Plus, you don’t have to dig through a stack of pans to find the one you need.

If this isn’t an option, have pot/pan racks built into your cabinets. This keeps them stacked neatly. You get more space and less hassle.

5. Add An Open Plate Rack

Do you use the space above your window? Try turning it into an open plate rack. You can easily store a dozen plates in a small rack. Of course, you could also stack your most used plates and bowls in open shelves on the outside of your cabinets. This approach also works with wine glasses.

6. Use Rolling Or Sliding Shelves

The person who first thought to use sliding shelves inside cabinets was a genius. It’s one of the absolute best ways to get to the things you need and gain more space in your cabinets. For instance, you would need taller shelves to reach the back items in most cases. With rolling or sliding shelves, the shelves are closer together and you just slide out the shelf you need to reach the items you want.

7. Put Doors To Good Use

There’s typically a gap between the inside of the door and your shelves. Why waste this valuable space? It’s ideal for storing small items, like spices. You could also hang large utensils, such as spatulas. While you don’t want to hang anything overly heavy, it’s a dream come true for small items. You’d be surprised at just how much space those items tend to take up.

8. Use Undershelf Baskets

Remember those taller shelves we talked about? If adding rolling shelves isn’t an option, try undershelf baskets. These attach to the underside of your shelves. If you’re storing mainly small items on a shelf, you have ample space to store more. Think of these baskets as added shelves. You can easily double the space in your cabinets by adding baskets to each one.

Are the gears turning about all the ways you could double your cabinet space? Contact us today to find out how to implement these ideas and more.

Image: Chuttersnap

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pull out shelves-edgewood cabinetry

When Should You Choose Pull-Out Shelves?

When planning to remodel your kitchen there is always a certain tension between the desire to maximize the square footage of the room and to produce a space that offers a greater ease of use. Indeed, the “form vs function” debate has long raged in architecture and home design. Ultimately, however, there is no universal answer to this question: each particular project must engage with it pragmatically in order to best use the space available.

In the case of remodellings, this tension is neatly bound up in the decision of whether or not to choose pull-out shelves for your kitchen cabinets.

On one hand, pull-out shelves offer a stylish convenience. Items can be neatly arranged and, when pulled out, almost find themselves on display. On the other hand, such shelves must clear any obstacles in their way, such as cabinet doors or appliances, such that they are able to pull out freely. Also, depending on how the shelves are mounted, the boxes may need to be narrower to provide room for the slides that they sit on.

When it is time for you to make the choice, consider how much room your kitchen has to spend on form: do you need to maximize every square inch available to you or would your cabinets still hold your things despite being slightly smaller? Remember that even if your cabinets already seem to be filled to the brim, your remodel may be increasing your storage space with or without pull-out shelves. Try to imagine clearing one shelf in every three cabinets to get a sense of what kind of space might be lost. If you can manage, pull-out shelves are probably right for you.

For a professional evaluation of what cabinet styles would work well in your kitchen, please contact us.

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pantry pull outs-edgewood cabinetry

Custom Upgrades in the Pantry will Make Your Kitchen More Organized and Spacious

We’ve had a lot of experience speaking with homeowners, and the lack of space or organization, and the abundance of clutter are the top complaints about kitchens.

The pantry is a great solution to this problem, but it usually requires some tweaking. Custom touches will make your pantry more user-friendly, solving many of your kitchen woes.

Many kitchens come outfitted with one tall cabinet that is perfect for a pantry. Sometimes, because of its height, it becomes a broom closet or a largely unused space due to its lack of purpose. These tall cabinets provide ample square footage that can transform your kitchen into your new favorite space.

First, adjustable shelves are a priority. These are the single best investment in using all your space wisely. You can have a larger space for big items like cereal boxes and move shelves closer together to make space for smaller canned goods. A special organizer will help you keep spices from tipping over and rolling away, and a custom holder will provide a home for foil, plastic wrap, and wax paper.

Have you ever taken everything off your counter to clean it and wish it could look that way all the time? A pantry with pull-out shelves is the perfect home for all those countertop appliances that you don’t actually want on your countertop. Toasters, coffee makers, blenders, slow-cookers, and can openers can be quickly brought out when needed, and easily put back in the pantry with custom shelves that provide space and function when placed on roller brackets.

Pull-out shelves can also help you find many of your food items faster too, saving you time when preparing meals. And because you’re not reaching behind other things to find what you’re looking for, other items won’t be knocked over or shoved aside, keeping your pantry more organized.

Many homes don’t have one of these tall cabinets, but a closet, instead. Whether the closet was intended to be a pantry or you want to transform a broom closet or coat closet into kitchen storage space, custom shelving and organizational aids can make that space into a useful pantry. To make it blend in with the current kitchen cabinetry, some people go so far as to remove the door and casing, and add a frame and doors that match the rest of the kitchen cabinetry. It’s a relatively simple change that gives your kitchen an upscale look with a custom touch.

If your current kitchen pantry just isn’t working for you, some simple changes can make it more efficient and usable. Custom shelves and organizers can turn your storage area into a space you can be proud of. For more information, contact us.

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Edgewood Cabinetry-Kitchen Organization

Must-Have Kitchen Storage Solutions for Your Home

The kitchen is one of the hardest rooms in the house to keep organized, perhaps because many of its contents are constantly changing.

As soon as you think you have everything organized, it’s grocery day again, and somehow, there’s just not enough space for everything! However, a few must-have kitchen storage solutions can help improve the organization of your kitchen and allow you to spend more time doing the things you really love to do.

Lazy Susan pantry organization can make it much easier to store your canned and dry goods–and to access the ones that you need when you need them. By providing yourself with a rotating cabinet, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re keeping your most-used good items at the front. Instead, you simply spin the rack to gain access to what you need. No more digging through a cabinet, sure that you had one more can of pasta sauce tucked in the back, either; instead, you can see everything in your cabinet in just a couple of moments.

While you’re organizing your pantry, think about a rack on the back of the pantry door to hold plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and storage bags to give them a place that doesn’t take up any more space in your kitchen. Or, turn the back of that door into a chalkboard or white board to help you keep track of your grocery list, meal plan, or other important kitchen information.

Pull-out racks for pots and pans streamlines the process of finding just what pot you need and makes cleanup a snap. Instead of trying to stack your pots and pans just right (only to discover that you haven’t really stacked them right at all when you try to pull one out and the entire stack comes tumbling down), you’ll have an easily-accessible rack with a designated spot for each of your pots and pans.

Your cookbooks need a home of their own where they will be safe from humidity from the fridge or potential grease splatters from the stove. Have an easily-accessible shelf for them so that you can grab one whenever you need to double-check a recipe…and to make them easier to put away when you’re done.

Consider a magnetic strip for storing your knifes. This will help them keep the best edge possible while still keeping them out of the way–and out of the reach of little grasping fingers.

Shallow pull-out drawers in your spice cabinet can help make it easier to organize and easily access the spices that you need. Instead of needing to pull everything out to find that one spice that you only use a couple of times a month, you can pull out the drawer, take a quick look, and slide it right back in again.

Once you have everything organized, you can enjoy your kitchen again. It goes from being an unmanageable chore to something fun–and you can start to enjoy this space in ways you never thought possible. It’s often said that the kitchen is the heart of a home. Is yours as functional as you need it to be? Contact us to discover how we can help you turn your kitchen storage around.

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pull out shelf bath storage

Maximizing Bathroom Storage: Shelving and Cabinet Ideas That Save Space

Maximizing bath storage with smaller spaces may not sound easy in the abstract, yet it can be done with some creative shelving and cabinet spaces. The bathroom is where we spend most of our time (next to the kitchen), so having items in convenient storage areas makes life so much easier. At the same time, the beauty of custom shelving and cabinetry allows those things to be hidden from view without adorning counter space with razors and toothpaste tubes.

What creative custom shelving and cabinet ideas should you use in your bathroom to maximize storage space? With our ability to custom build any type of cabinetry for you here at Edgewood Cabinetry, you have plenty of choices.

Caddies on the Back of Doors

Better Homes and Gardens recommends this storage idea as a way to hide away certain items that otherwise won’t fit elsewhere. These can be easily customized in various styles and hold smaller items that you might otherwise lose. They can hold everything from toilet paper rolls to lotions. No longer do those items have to sit and be visible on your bathroom vanity counter.

Floating Shelves

Perhaps you’ve seen floating shelves in other bathrooms, usually located under the sink. They’re becoming a popular customized storage idea based on the illusion they’re floating, even though the shelf connects with supports to the back wall. It’s a perfect place to store towels if you don’t want them sitting on the counter or on hangers near your vanity.

Building a Pull-Out Storage Cabinet in a Narrow Wall

Sometimes narrow wall space on either end of a bathroom vanity can be remodeled to include pull-out storage space. It’s a chance for you to get creative rather than having unnecessary wall space go to waste. With these pull-out cabinet ideas, you can make the shelves out of quality wood and store other small items you don’t want sitting around or stuffed into crowded storage spaces.

Freestanding Cabinets

If you have no closet space in your bathroom to store linens or towels, consider a freestanding cabinet you can place on one side of your vanity or on both sides. These can be customized with narrow dimensions just like the pull-out cabinet idea above. By building in a freestanding way, you can move them around and even use them in other rooms later. These are perfect for storing your towels and linens in open shelving styles or with solid doors.

No matter the custom ideas, we can do it for you here at Edgewood Cabinetry LLC with the vision you have in mind.

Contact us and we’ll start brainstorming with you on creative ways our cabinetry can store your ever-growing bathroom inventory.

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cabinet pull outs

Cabinet Pull Outs: A Contemporary, Ingenious Way to Organize a Kitchen

When it comes to modern kitchen designs, an increasing number of people are looking for compact, multi-functional, attractive storage solutions that are easy to maintain. In our experience, installing cabinet pull outs are an ideal way to address all of those desires.

Today’s cabinet pull outs are quite versatile. Take door mounted, pantry pull outs by Hafele as an example. Compatible with both inset and overlay doors, they range in width from 12 to 24 inches. In addition, when in the open position, the shelves are accessible from two sides. Collectively, those design elements truly make them perfect for storing any number of kitchen essentials.

Another fabulous cabinet pull out feature is that they can be customized to accommodate arena plus trays, storage containers, roll-out shelves, spice racks and baskets. As such, you can reduce clutter, maximize space and keep your kitchen well organized.

Some homeowners also opt to invest in cabinet pull outs designed to fit into narrow spaces. Those types of cabinet storage solutions work exceptionally well when it comes to organizing baking sheets, cutting boards, confectionary mats, dish towels and cooking stones. Wide cabinet pull outs are available too. They are fabulous for organizing pots, pans, mixing bowls, roasting pans and Dutch ovens.

Do you want to organize the area under your sink as well? There are cabinet pull outs that will take care of that job with ease. They tend to feature removable, acid resistant, dishwasher safe baskets with handles. So you can feasibly carry the basket from the kitchen to any area of your home that needs to be cleaned. When you’re finished, the basket can be brought back into the kitchen and conveniently returned to the pull out cabinet.

For more information about these types of cabinet pull outs and others, please contact us at (919) 339-7300. We are Better Business Bureau accredited and trusted members of the National Kitchen & Bath Association. In addition, we have 30+ years worth of experience and offer a great warranty.

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