Hidden accessory: SPACE STEP
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How to grow taller fast
Two-year-old Luisa is sitting on the small "stool" in the hallway, putting on her rubber boots. Mummy Kristina is waiting with baby Samuel in her arms who is bundled up and ready to go. The three of them want to go out for a walk. Luisa gets up, gives the drawer a gentle push and watches how it disappears into the plinth. Off they go. "Luisa likes to sit on the step to put on her shoes. And it makes it easier for me to store away things in the cupboard above or see exactly what we've got up there – for instance, winter scarves and gloves," says the 34-year-old. The plinth drawer with a built-in "step ladder" can be incorporated in plinths that are from 15 to 25 centimetres high.
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SPACE STEP makes putting on shoes easy for Luisa. Once they're on, the practical solution quickly disappears back into the plinth and she has extra space to race around.
Practical plinth drawer
Kristina's family has already installed nine SPACE STEP units in their kitchen and hallway. "I use the plinth drawer storage to keep items that I seldom use and yet need to have quickly to hand," confides the Austrian mum-of-two before they "embark on their expedition".
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SPACE STEP allows Kristina to access wall cabinets with ease and provides additional storage space underneath the surface of the drawer.
More practical ideas for the corridor
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Not a centimetre wasted
Barbara is another big SPACE STEP fan: "As soon as I saw the plinth solution I wanted to have it," says Barbara from Dornbirn, thinking back to when she first experienced Blum's SPACE STEP. That was in 2017 when the product was first presented at a trade show. When the 38-year-old moved into a new flat she originally wanted a kitchen island in the middle of her new kitchen. "Unfortunately, we couldn't have an island because of the layout of our flat. So we opted for a classic row of kitchen units instead," explains the young woman from Vorarlberg. "That's why it was all the more important to me to use every centimetre of storage space available and even create extra space."
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Barbara didn't want to waste any space in her kitchen, so the cabinets go right up to the ceiling. She is able to reach even the highest shelf in the wall cabinet using the SPACE STEP.
Extra storage within the plinth drawer
Barbara has solved two challenges with one solution by installing the plinth step with an integrated drawer. The kitchen has been fitted with cabinets that reach up to the ceiling. As she's 5 ft 5 inches (1.68 metres) tall, she wouldn't have been able to reach the top cupboards without a step stool. But thanks to SPACE STEP, she has easy access to all storage items. What's more, the plinth drawer provides extra space for kitchen items where there would otherwise have been a void behind the plinth front. And the step has yet another advantage: the sports enthusiast does a 7-minute workout every day at home. She even uses the SPACE STEP for one of her exercises and has built in a set of 'dips'. "It makes my workouts more interesting, although the plinth step probably wasn't intended for exercising," adds Barbara with a wink.
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SPACE STEP turns space in the furniture plinth into extra storage space.
Tips for more storage space in the kitchen:
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Ergonomic and age friendly
When Ingeborg and Günther's children moved out, they decided to downsize. "Thankfully, we're still quite fit for our age," says 78-year-old Günther. "But when we moved to our new flat we thought about the future and wanted all the furnishings to be suitable for our needs in old age," he adds, explaining their thinking. The flat is in a central location, it is accessible and has an ergonomic design. "We moved from a house to a flat so it was important to me to lose as little storage space as possible," chips in Ingeborg. The 64 sq. metre flat has been fitted with cabinets that extend up to the ceiling. The couple uses Blum's SPACE STEP plinth solution in the kitchen, bedroom and hallway.
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"I'm not particularly tall and so I've always had problems reaching the top shelves of wall cabinets. Not any more thanks to SPACE STEP," says the 76-year-old.
Electrical opening support system
Kitchen cabinets are used all the time, so it is important that they are easy to open and close − with or without a handle. That's why Ingeborg and Günther also opted to use Blum's electrical opening support system for both the and in their kitchen. "That might sound a bit luxurious, but it could make all the difference in a few years' time. It'll enable us to use our own kitchen when we grow old," says forward-thinking Günther. The electrical and mechanical opening support systems allow you to open pull-outs with your hip, knee or foot. A light touch suffices − no hands needed − no bending down.
Find out more about age-friendly living:
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All advantages at a glance:
SPACE STEP can be implemented with all box and runner systems from Blum
Can be combined with an electrical or mechanical opening support system
Choice of different plinth options, easy planning
Plinth heights from 150 to 250 mm possible
Creates additional storage behind the plinth of cabinets
Plinth step provides easy access to wall cabinets
Activated by a weight of 8 kg, the anti-slip system securely locks SPACE STEP in position
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