Upside down cupboards that didn't catch on!

By Fionnuala Bourke on Oct 9, 08 09:20 AM

IT was the year that Prince Andrew, Duke of York, married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey, British journalist John McCarthy was kidnapped in Beirut and Argentina defeated Germany 3-2 to win the FIFA World Cup.

But these were not the only events that helped to shape1986.
Meanwhile a Midland inventor was working hard to try to ensure that our daily domestic lives could run that little bit smoother.

Arthur Perks, who was 71-years'-old at the time, and lived in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, produced this special space saving creation - a kitchen turned on its head.

The resourceful pensioner believed that by attaching all his kitchen cupboards to the ceiling he would produce the perfect solution to provide more space to cook below.

And Mr Perks, who described himself as a '21st Century Space Creator' even sold a copy of his inspiring invention to a Solihull pensioner for £3,000.

The idea was simple.

If you fix just about everything but the kitchen sink to the ceiling even the smallest kitchen can have masses of free space at ground level.

The secret lies in the specially designed trays, which fit inside the cupboards and hold plates, cups, coffee, washing powder and breakfast cereals.

To get an item down all you have to do is lower the aerial trays with an 'adhesive padded retriever' - specially designed by Arthur himself.

Sadly the upside-down-style did not have lasting mass appeal and is not in common use today.