Microwaves are one of the more unsightly and bulky things in a kitchen. We have an extra-small one, but it still takes up too much space, and we wish we could hide it away like in the picture above. We found this idea in a slideshow of small-space kitchen ideas at PointClickHome, and we like it a lot.
In fact, when my husband and I moved into our home, we found a long extension cord in a deep cupboard over the oven. We think the previous tenants had kept their microwave up above. We needed the cupboard storage, however, more than we needed to hide our microwave. Plus, I'm too short to reach up there very well!
But it's an idea I'd like to incorporate into a future home. Microwaves are not something everyone chooses to use, but I feel that their energy savings and scope for quick and healthy cooking is worth keeping one around.
Do you have an "appliance garage" or a hideaway spot for your microwave?
• See more tips here: Makign the Most of Miniscule Kitchens at PointClickHome
Related: Survey: Where Do You Keep Your Microwave?
(Image: Mullman Seidman Architects)
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answer? Funcooker.
Thanks to the previous owners who renovated the kitchen the microwave is mounted above the stove and it's the same color scheme as the rest of the kitchen so it blends in. Before I moved here I had one stowed away in a corner with the toaster on top of it.
ours lives in an under-the-counter cabinet. hubby drilled a hole so we can plug it in the same outlet as the fridge. yeah, it takes up a little bit of cabinet space but i threw a basket on top of it for oddly shaped items, bags of foodstuffs, etc. and store extra bottles of juice or oil behind. it works well!
clearly the funcooker could solve all of these problems, but for now I keep mine in the cabinet too.
We really didn't want to put the microwave on our new kitchen worktop and when someone suggested putting in the cupboard we leapt at the chance.
Its such a perfect place for it
My kitchen was built in the mid-30s, and still has the original cabinetry. I don't have a good place for my microwave oven either, but I don't understand the idea that a MW is an eyesore, or distasteful, and must be hidden from sight. It's a tool, just like the rest of the things in my kitchen.
And it's just my opinion, but I find the idea of having a microwave oven mounted over the range top to be dangerous. But maybe I'm the only one who makes spills, when taking a dish out of the microwave.
I agree with SunnyBlue. If the microwave isn't occupying needed counterspace, what's the problem with it being on the counter? My toaster sits there too, along with jars of sugar and other condiments, isn't that the purpose of a kitchen?
I use my microwave regularly, therefore if the microwave was taking up needed space, I would consider replacing it with an over-the-range or other wall mounted model. If you're going to hide it behind cabinet doors, etc., keep in mind that when you're cooking, opening cubbard doors and or appliance garages and then swinging the microwave door open can become a hassle and result in their simply being left open and defeating the concealment.
I think the concealment idea is more for people that use the microwave infrequently.
Since I own a hot air popcorn popper I can count on one hand the number of times I've used my microwave in the last couple months. If ours wasn't already built-in above the stove I'd have probably gotten rid of it.
...I'd rather have a funcooker.
People keep saying how ugly microwaves are. I don't get it. Why is it uglier than the refrigerator, the cooktop, the oven? Mine is in a space under the counter. I find it very convenient.
I want a funcooker for the shower! Loved that episode!
Be careful not to put a microwave in a space that is too small for it to vent. I speak from experience when I found out my little microwave fit snugly into a shelf on my island and then a week later went boom.
We have no space in the kitchen for a microwave; neither on the counters or in a cabinet. We have resorted to putting the microwave in the second bedroom. The space that it could go is occupied by a toaster oven (that fits a whole pizza!). We rarely need to use a microwave when cooking as most is done in the oven, on the stove, or in the toaster oven, but it is there when needed (mainly when cooking popcorn, melting butter, or on the rare occasion heating up leftovers) and out of the way.