Cheap kitchen corners: economy class kitchens

The kitchen corner has an interesting history. Even thirty to forty years ago, such furniture was considered very comfortable, modern and even scarce. Around the corners they signed up in line, waiting for several years, and the owners of the house in which such a corner was, were considered wealthy people.

By the time imported headsets (mostly Bulgarian, Polish, Czech and very rarely European) became available and popular, such corners could also be purchased in furniture stores without having to wait in line. And already in the nineties, the production of such modules decreased in volume: people bought expensive corner kitchen sofas, exquisite chairs and dining tables to order. Today, in any major furniture store, you can find a large assortment of complete economy class corner kitchens.

Kitchen corner in the kitchen

Today, kitchen corners are experiencing a rebirth, because, by and large, the need for such furniture was dictated by the small size of kitchens in houses built during the Soviet Union. And since not everyone is expanding these premises and are engaged in redevelopment, kitchen corners are still in demand, since space saving and functionality of such furniture are its main advantages.

Cheap kitchen kitchen corners made of quality materials

Structurally, kitchen corners have practically not changed over time: some elements of such furniture have undergone modifications, and various types of materials have appeared that allow you to create any design solutions. In addition, more reliable modern fittings and seat fillers are now used in the corners. But the meaning itself has not changed: this is still the same dimensional corner, when placing it, you need to make sure that there is enough space in your kitchen.

The kitchen corner “ties” to itself the dining table, which is not placed in the middle of the room or in the corner. This can create the illusion that such a dining area takes up a large area and clutters the kitchen. But in practice, it turns out that the kitchen corner serves not only as an element of the dining area, but also allows the storage of large items under their seats, which helps free up space in cabinets and drawers, therefore, from the point of view of ergonomics, a kitchen corner with storage boxes is not the worst solution.

The old models of kitchen corners were practical and had a strict look: there was nothing superfluous in such furniture, so it was not very comfortable to rest for a long time on such a small corner sofa , sitting on it with a newspaper.

Kitchen corners in a strict kitchen

Modern models are much more comfortable and allow you to get comfortable to watch your favorite TV show or have a friendly conversation with guests and family members.

Kitchen corners do not necessarily have the L-shaped configuration familiar to many: there are often U-shaped corners, which are advisable to buy for arranging large rooms.

Advantages and disadvantages

Kitchen corners are not always a good choice, and this furniture has one significant drawback: no more than four or five people can comfortably sit on the sofa that comes with the corner. The rest will have to be content with stools or chairs.

Otherwise, only good things can be said about this type of furniture:

• The kitchen corner allows you to save space as much as possible in a small kitchen;
• Such furniture is at the same time an element of the dining area and recreation area;
• Niches under the seats allow you to store non- essential items for which there was no room in the cabinets.

Budget kitchen corners

The kitchen corners themselves are budget furniture and are cheaper than purchasing an expensive kitchen table and a set of chairs or a sofa if you have not decided to buy plastic furniture. The low cost of such furniture is quite justified, but for some reason many consumers are confident that the kitchen corner is cheaper than it should.

This is due to the psychological characteristics of perception: soft seats and the versatility of such furniture make one think that furniture corners are difficult to produce, and everything beautiful always costs a lot of money.

In fact, the kitchen corner is a typical cabinet furniture, and the variety of colors and textures of materials (including seat fillers and upholstery) does not affect the cost at all.

It makes no sense for manufacturers to increase the cost of such furniture, since the technology of its production is even simpler than the methods of production of modules of a modern kitchen set.

Kitchen corner seats are made from different materials, which also affect the cost of the whole set.

Kitchen corner seats

But if earlier only foam rubber was used for this, today other materials are also used as a filler:

• Durable and versatile spabond (synthetic material based on polymers);
• More expensive, but at the same time durable polyurethane foam ;
• Batting (the cheapest option, which does not last very long – only -5-6 years).From batting

Foam rubber is also used in the cheapest options , and it often makes sense to purchase just such corners. Yes, foam rubber also wears out quickly, but replacing the filler is not so expensive, and many craftsmen are engaged in this.

The upholstery of such seats can also be made of different fabrics, but Russian manufacturers everywhere try to use microfiber – this is a durable material that does not fade or wear out, but has one drawback. If handled carelessly, microfiber quickly greases and loses color, so it has to be cleaned from time to time.

It is often fashionable to find kitchen corners with a sleeping place, they are more expensive than usual, but this is an additional functionality in case of a large number of guests.

You can save money and simplify seat maintenance at the same time by ordering or buying a kitchenette without seats. Instead, you can purchase special pillows with replaceable covers that you can remove and wash yourself. If necessary, such pillows after a while can simply be changed to new ones: their low cost allows you to do this quite often.

There are also very cheap kitchen corners without upholstery, but in this case, the savings lie in the fact that you will have to upholster the backs of the corner and make the seats yourself .

In addition to the corner sofa, stools are supplied with some models. As a rule, these are not very expensive and uncomplicated products, but some expensive modern kitchen corners are equipped with elegant and stylish stools and even chairs that will comfortably accommodate all family members at one table.

Kitchenette maintenance

The kitchen corner is no different from other kitchen furniture and also requires care and proper handling. If you follow the simple rules of operation, such a corner will last a long time and will not need to be repaired and restored:

1. The most vulnerable part of the kitchen corner is the upholstery . It is easy to burn, tear and stain. In most cases, fabric upholstery can be cleaned using modern cleaning products and a soft bristled brush: coarse hairs can damage the surface;
2. Leatherette or leatherette can be used as upholstery on cheap kitchen corners . Unlike fabrics that absorb dirt, leatherette is much easier to clean, but it has another weakness. Dermatin is easily crumpled and deformed. Do not be surprised that if you put a microwave oven on such a seat “for only five minutes while you wipe the table”, you will find four distinct dents from the legs of this microwave oven on the leatherette. Depending on the quality of the upholstery, such deformations may disappear, or may remain forever.
3. If the upholstery is synthetic, it is advisable to treat it with an antistatic agent . The reason is not only that after sitting on such a surface, even a mixer will shock you. The static electricity that builds up in the synthetic upholstery attracts dust that settles on the outside and inside of the seat.

The elements of the kitchen corner, which are made of chipboard, are recommended to be wiped at least once a week with a damp cloth. Combustion products, fats and soot are constantly deposited on kitchen furniture, and such care is necessary not only for the kitchen corner, but also for the rest of the furniture. If you follow this basic rule, your kitchen will always shine with cleanliness and delight you with its cozy and well-groomed interior.

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the Italian solid wood facades for the kitchen in this material.