Do you use a microwave? Microwaves have enjoyed a boost of foodie cred the last couple years, thanks to praises from Harold McGee, Mark Bittman, and others who have debunked some of the myths surrounding microwave cooking. But that hasn't changed the microwave oven's footprint ‐ it is still one bulky appliance. Here are six smart ways to get it off the countertop.
The classic location for a microwave oven is on the countertop, hogging tons of precious counter space. It's also often above the stove, which I loathe, personally. I want more head space, and I find that microwave stove vents and fans are usually pitiful.
So, let's say you want the convenience of a microwave, but you want to stash it out of the way. Here are five smart options, with examples drawn from our kitchen tours and spotlights.
- Under the countertop - Stash the microwave on the lower shelf of an island, or in a specially-built cupboard nook. This has become a popular option in many kitchens lately. We've seen it in Kittie's kitchen and in Cynthia's kitchen too.
- In a drawer - This is a twist on the under-countertop option, and it involves a different model of microwave altogether: a drawer microwave. This is installed under the counter and slides open like a drawer. Ivy says that she loves hers. Sharon likes hers as well. This may be the sleekest, most space-efficent option, especially for very small kitchens.
- In the wall - You can also install a microwave in the wall, like an oven, as seen in Jamie Oliver's TV kitchen. See another example of this here.
- Over the fridge - Katin found unused space over the refrigerator and stuck the microwave up there.
- In a cupboard or appliance garage - In some ways this doesn't really save you much counter space; you're still leaving the microwave on the countertop, but you're closing it away behind a door, as seen here.
- On a shelf - I really don't like microwaves above the stove, but that doesn't mean they can't go elsewhere in the upper cabinets. I like how Joanne Chang fits her microwave into a little corner of space, quite efficiently, and how Steve has his on an open shelf.
Where do you keep your microwave? Have you found any particularly smart ways to hide it away in your kitchen?
Related: How to Re-Heat Leftovers in the Microwave
(Images: See linked posts for full image credits)
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Bacsac Bacsquare 04...
5 Online Services to Save Yourself a Trip to IKEA
Nikki’s Sweet and Cheery Print Studio
We live in an apartment with very little counter space. Our laundry room is right off the kitchen, so we put our microwave on top of the dryer. Saves space!
Nope, haven't had a microwave in over a year. Don't miss it or the eyesore that it is.
My m'wave is over the range. Wouldn't do that again. I use it for reheating leftovers.
Excellent list with photos. Thank you!
I'm also not a fan of having it over the range. BTDT - and it's coming out when the remodel happens.
You've shown some really great alternatives.
We actually have 2. The built in one above the stove that came with the apartment, and one on a lowered end counter that my GF can reach (wheelchair access is useful for us). It's actually oddly useful to have 2, because if I'm nuking myself something quickly after work for dinner (hazard of getting off at 645 at night), she can toss her food in the lower one, and we don't have to wait for one to be done before the other starts.
Those drawer ones look nice, but seem crazy expensive for a microwave! Too bad! (We're designing a condo kitchen for when we move in a few months, so I'm researching!)
I have to say too that I love that Jamie Oliver kitchen in photo #5
My kitchen is so small that the's barely enough counter space for the coffee maker. But it has a passthrough that overlooks the living/ dining room, and there's a bookshelf there where I keep my cookbooks. The micro fits perfectly in the space between the passthrough bar shelf and the bookshelf, with enough room for air to circulate.
Ideally, I would like to integrate it into the kitchen. My husband wants it over the stove, but I like the under-the-counter idea.
Ours is under the counter of our island -- convenient and practically invisible.
I don't understand people saying microwaves are unattractive. What about their oven? To me they look about the same.
I don't recommend putting them up high. My mother got a severe burn on her arm taking something out of the microwave when steam escaped from the plastic wrap.
Anyway, we put ours under the island countertop ten years ago. I used it tonight to toast the pinenuts for pesto pasta.
I also don't understand the derisive attitude toward the appearance of microwaves. How they uglier than a Kitchen Aid mixer, a toaster, blender or coffee maker? Kitchens aren't supposed to be islands of smooth and empty surfaces.
My oven is on a metal shelving unit which has a rollaway shelf under it and a toaster oven above it. It doesn't take up any counter space. I also live in a tiny apartment (that's the way it is in Tokyo) and can't give up surface area for appliances.
Great ideas. I have one concern though. How much space do we need to provide around the microwave? I guess, atleast 4" all around. I am sure, they demand some air circulation. Specially those with convection and grill integrated. It could be a fire hazard or might kill the apliance sooner.
I have a tiny, tiny kitchen, with approximately one foot of counter space on either side of the sink. I'm also short, so on top of the fridge wasn't really an option for me. I am lucky enough to have a pantry, so the microwave is in there--works great, no counter space taken, and no eyesore.
I wouldn't like stooping to access a microwave at waist level or below, but climbing to get to a microwave over the refrigerator would be even worse. I'd have to drag out a step ladder every time. Those drawer microwaves look like they might be easier to clean than the usual model. As for getting the microwave off the counter top, my parents still use the microwave cart they got back in the 1980s.
I'm remodeling my kitchen to have an old fashioned Mediterranean feel to it: wood cabinets, tiles, including some brought home from Tunisia. I've donated my huge Betty Crocker range and use 2 burner induction cooktop and a convection/microwave oven. I'd like to put the con/micro in wooden armoire whose doors would be closed when not in use. Oven invisible. But I can't find out how much space it needs behind, above, and on each side. And is anyone of those more vent space urgent than the others? I'd be so grateful for info, leads, warnings! Thanks.
Our microwave is above the stove and doubles as a vent/hoodfan. I hate it. It gets so greasy, the fan isn't that great and I feel like it blocks a lot of light from the stovetop. That being said, it's better than sitting on the counter (where our old one was located).
I love having mine below the counter (http://community.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/smallcoolkitchens/2011/entries/3011) because I can see into it well. Above the stove just seemed too dangerous due to being above the eye level and with a hot stove below.