Gray painted base cabinets in a kitchen

Design Your Room

Base Cabinets

Cabinetry's "Strong and Sturdy" Types

As you begin to look at different cabinetry solutions, you'll notice they are usually classified into categories such as base cabinets, wall cabinets and tall cabinets. In this overview, you'll learn all about base cabinets and the kinds of cabinet storage you can create with them. So when it's time to choose cabinets for your home, you can talk like a pro.


What are Base Cabinets?

As the "heavy lifters" of cabinetry, kitchen and bath base cabinets provide bulk storage space. They often have shelving inside for items such as pots and pans, cookware or cleaning supplies, may have pull out racks or roll trays for easy access to items, or include features such as recycling bins, wastebaskets and laundry hampers.

When a Toekick drawer is added to the bottom for additional storage, a base cabinet sits on the floor. Wall-hung base cabinets are also available without a Toekick drawer.

Types of Base Cabinets Available

Although there are many, many types of base cabinets available, here are a few varieties commonly used in kitchen and bath designs.

Base Easy-Access Cabinets

Base easy access storage cabinet with door open to show interior storage

Base Easy-Access Cabinets are built with a middle shelf, plus small racks attached to the inside door for greater accessibility to often used items.

Base Pull Out Cabinets

Base pullout cabinet pulled open to show storage capabilities

Base Pull Out Cabinets keep often-used items close at-hand on small, open shelves fitted with racks to keep items from tipping over as the shelf is pulled out.

Two Drawer Base Cabinets

Two drawer base cabinet with bottom drawer open to show pots and pans storage

Two Drawer Base Cabinets make it easy to find what you're looking for without having to dig deep into shelving to find what you need.

Open Base Cabinets

Open base cabinet at the end of a run

Open Base Cabinets have no doors and feature open shelving for storing or displaying various items.

Corner Cabinets

Corner base cabinet with lazy susan installed

Corner cabinet storage can include a built-in Lazy Susan cabinet to help make the most of kitchen space that is otherwise difficult to use.

SuperCabinets

Base Super Cabinet with doors open and shelves pulled out

SuperCabinets are the overachievers of the base cabinet category. Available in numerous varieties, they are equipped with adjustable pull out shelves, pull out wire racks and generous door storage in racks attached to the inside of the cabinet doors.

Uses for Base Cabinets

Base cabinets create new possibilities throughout the home, from the kitchen to the bath to the laundry or home office.

Kitchen Islands

Kitchen island made up of base cabinets, including a wine storage cabinet

Make an island more functional using open base cabinets with shelving to store cookbooks. Include base pull out cabinets to keep cooking ingredients handy and a base SuperCabinet to gain extra storage for pantry items or cookware.

Window Seating

Window seat comprised of drawer base cabinets

Lower-profile drawer base cabinets can be used to create window seating in any room, from the kitchen to the family room.

Recycling and Trash

Recycling center base cabinet with four bins pulled out

Base cabinets are available with removable tubs for keeping recycled materials and trash hidden from sight, yet still easy to empty.

Kitchen Convenience

Two drawer base cabinet with top drawer open to show pots and pans storage

Use drawer base cabinets to hold anything from pots and pans to table linens. Keep bottled waters and juices handy in base easy-access cabinets.

Beautiful Baths

Bathroom vanity base cabinet with doors open to show inside

Base cabinets can help you keep your bathroom beautiful by hiding soaps and cleaning supplies from sight but still easy to access for quick touch-ups.