Real estate agents, buyers, and sellers are all invested in a common goal, yet rarely do they agree.
Except for the importance and value of the kitchen.
“The kitchen is the equivalent of the centerpiece of a table,” shares exporters RSG Stones. “It is the room where every family member rushes before leaving for work, school and more.”
On tour for a listing or with potential buyers, appreciative Ooo’s and Ahh’s for amenities such as granite or quartz, double ovens and gas cooktops bring me joy; even stain or cabinet paint color can cause gleeful gasps.
Yet, the height of the cabinets can be met with fearful heart palpitations for those smaller statured cooks. I get it!
At only 5’ 2”, my first calculation when seeing 42” storage is not how many dishes will fit, rather, am I agile enough to climb on the counter to reach the top shelf. Frankly when I was 25 that wasn’t a deal breaker and at 45, both my boys towered over me so they could help. Now, however, I’ve celebrated another decade, so with my hip saying no more and an emptying nest, what’s a gal to do?
The two most obvious choices are grab a ladder from the garage or slide a chair over from the table, but a bit of internet perusal reveals ideas meant to stay in the kitchen:
Elevated shoes: depending upon how much help you need, one tik-toker took the toe straps out of multiple pairs of flip-flops and then hot glued them together. Once she had a thick brick of rubber or foam, she attached it to a fully-intact pair of flip flops. Hilarious!
Step-stool: these come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ones that fold and tuck out of sight and others that are more like mini-stair cases you can move from one area of the kitchen to another. Flexibility!
Cabinet platform: at initial creation and install, instead of a base kick to keep things from rolling under cabinets, what’s typically a 4” high and 2 to 3 ft wide sturdy ledge is hidden under the bottom row of cabinets on rollers. Surprise!
Integrated folding-stair: for a truly custom feature, which also needs to be fitted at construction, there are vertical inserts that are the width of a spice rack that are placed between the cabinets. When exposed, they unfold to reveal a safe route to the upper shelf. Genius!
Pull-down shelving: Typically made of metal and using gas assisted lifting or lowering mechanisms for stability, installation of a pull-down shelf can get what you want to you if you can’t get to it! Impressive!
One thing I’ve learned definitely is that there’s more than one way to solve a problem, and with a bit of creativity, even the tallest cabinet will be no match for the shortest chef.