Kitchen design: ideas for hiding the microwave.
I am BAFFLED that I must have a regular oven AND a microwave oven.
How is it that humanity has invented APPS… but is too stupid to combine two HOUSEHOLD BOXES OF CONVENIENCE?
Who is deciding the priorities of the human race?
Short of the OBVIOUS AND SUPERIOR CONVENIENCE of combining two boxes used for heating squash; I guess we’ll just get a panel-ready microwave… I can live with that.
Oh.
Wait.
No.
They don’t make those.
However! I CAN GET A PANEL READY TRASH COMPACTOR.
Amazing! Is this still 1982?!
(advance apologies to the people who are all— YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW GREAT A TRASH COMPACTOR IS.)
Then I spent a stupid amount of time trying to figure out how we could conceal a drawer-microwave with some kind of faux-panel… if you figured it out, let me know?
Although, I don’t actually WANT a drawer microwave… all the reviews are great and people seem to love them. EXCEPT for reheating liquid. (The opening and closing of the drawer/action, you can imagine is sort of slosh-y?)
And the thing for which we use the microwave MOST is Paul’s coffee routine.
He likes it BOILING hot… but he goes out to the garage or wherever, forgets about it, and when he comes back in, he needs to reheat it to 900 degrees.
He does this at least 12 times every Saturday morning.
I’ve suggested other systems, but this is the only one he will consider.
AND Paul does everything at warp speed, which means that it will take him less than five seconds to pull his cup out before the drawer is open fully and catch the lip of the mug and CRASH SPILL FLYING COFFEE EVERYWHERE.
He does this AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH WITH THE REGULAR MICROWAVE.
Then he gets mad.
Like he had nothing to do with it.
I bought bigger mugs… then I bought BIGGER mugs… then I bought THE LARGEST MUGS ON EARTH… thinking that if I could CONTAIN the liquid in a big enough container, it would not spill when CRASHED INTO THE MICROWAVE.
FYI:
it still spills.
Just THINKING about it makes me mental.
It makes me SO mental, that I EVEN ASKED HIM TO STOP MAKING ME INSANE.
And you know what he said?
Why do you need to control how I make coffee?
GENIUS.
I bow.
The drawer would be like ASKING FOR MORE OF THAT.
No drawer.
Ok! now is when you tell me your secret perfect solution!
We do not need to have the conversation about whether the microwave should go over the stove… I agree that it is convenient and solves all the layout issues.
But visually, I don’t like it.
END microwave post… brief housekeeping.
I’m getting this questions a lot:
Have you considered repurposing antique furniture for the kitchen cabinets?
Short answer: YES… a brief selection includes:
1. Repurposed / Reclaimed / Nontraditional Kitchen Island Inspiration.
2. Actual STUFF I considered for a repurposed kitchen (the bank table still gives me FITZ. I still cannot afford it.)
3. In case you didn’t know that Pilar Guzman’s kitchen is my ULTIMATE DESIRE.
4. More antique wardrobes-into-kitchens
This post sums up: One last hurrah… giving up a repurposed kitchen design.
Long answer: if budget was no issue, this would have been a magical solution… and also my entire life would be magical and I definitely would not be writing this blog about MICROWAVES because I would be out frolicking in the magic fields.
MORE LONG ANSWER: the piano-into-island spoke to me so LOUDLY that I felt– YES. Whatever comes next definitely needs to incorporate THIS.
But that complicates the outer cabinets.. anything that goes on the perimeter needs to be an appealing complement to the piano… AND I have no idea what kind of perimeter-amalgamation-buffet-nightstands-bookcases-library-cabinets… would be incredibly appealing to ME… while also not being nine million dollars… while also being a compatible size AND construction.
Paul cannot just hack into anything.
Even I must acknowledge this.
Then I got the lady mirror… which… sorry I am getting into the word-weeds here… You can stop reading… Nothing important is happening.
I had sort of waffled on that Renaissance Revival auction mirror –I had thought that the straight sides would be better for accommodating some kind of open shelving… but writing this out reminds me that the lady head mirror SPEAKS to me in relation to the piano. So I’m calling that decision.
Anyway.
A very long way of saying: the perimeter furniture would need to complement many things, be affordable, and also be plentiful.
And also: I haven’t FOUND IT… despite LOOKING!
April 26, 2018 @ 11:23 am
This is easy peasy… put your everyday normal microwave in the garage with Paul.
April 26, 2018 @ 12:02 pm
I was going to say that. Therefore it is out of the way and he can use it to his heart’s content.
April 26, 2018 @ 1:53 pm
Good idea! Wish I’d thought of that. Hubs wanted one, we were short on counter space, I wanted it in the island, he said NO!!! We kinda compromised and got a very small one to put in the corner. I HATE IT!!! Still in the way, and I may use it once every 6 months, while he uses it almost daily. Waiting for it to die so I can come up with a new idea or convince him we don’t NEED one. I can heat stuff the old fashioned way – via stovetop or oven. I’d rather have a toaster oven than a microwave!
For Victoria, I would hide it in a cabinet somewhere, maybe on the wall with the fridge, so she doesn’t have to have it in her sight line the majority of the time.
April 26, 2018 @ 10:46 pm
pssst… they make combination toaster oven / microwaves! I have one. It’s very large, just barely fits under the cabinets on the counter, but it’s also 15 years old.
April 26, 2018 @ 8:51 pm
He can have a coffee pot there too. You might never see him again is the only down side!
April 26, 2018 @ 9:02 pm
Ditto.
April 26, 2018 @ 11:24 am
Put it in your pantry? (The one by the basement stairs)
April 26, 2018 @ 3:15 pm
Mine is in my pantry. I hate the look of microwaves.
April 26, 2018 @ 11:27 am
Morning. I think Paul needs a little ole microwave for the garage
April 26, 2018 @ 11:28 am
The fact that there aren’t panel ready microwaves is absurd. Personally I like the tall cabinet pull out microwave option. Could Paul install the outlet in the cabinet? Good luck!
xAllie
http://www.theallthatglittersblog.com
April 26, 2018 @ 11:31 am
We don’t have a microwave and never miss it…I say toss the microwave and buy Paul an insulated mug. I also like Becky Up a Hill’s idea of sticking Paul and his microwave in the garage 🙂
April 26, 2018 @ 11:32 am
They do make an oven and microwave combined! I have one and absolutely LOVE it. I do love to bake though, so I do have a regular convection oven for those days when I want to bake 3 pans of cookies at once. I have the GE Monogram Advatium Speedcooking Oven 240V. The 120V seemed to have a lot of negative reviews at the time when I got mine. It was the most expensive thing I put in my new kitchen and it was really scary because I didn’t know a single person that had one! But I don’t know what I would do without it now!
April 26, 2018 @ 11:47 am
me:
via GIPHY
April 26, 2018 @ 1:55 pm
HAAAAAAA_HAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I snorted!!
April 26, 2018 @ 6:44 pm
this gif is pure awesome! also I am dying from laughter!
April 27, 2018 @ 3:42 am
😂
April 26, 2018 @ 1:03 pm
I’m looking at the Gaggenau speed oven . does the monogram Advantium speed oven really cook like a microwave?
April 26, 2018 @ 2:49 pm
I have the Advantium and use the microwave 90% of the time and the convection only 10% (probably because I haven’t bothered to read the “how to” manual yet). It works great and is so convenient for heating on the quick many other things besides cups of coffee. However, I, like Paul, microwave my single cup of coffee about 23 times during the day. My husband says by the time I drink it, it is no longer coffee…
(I also hit my mug in my zeal to reheat, sloshing followed by cussing thereby inventing my “heat, spill, cuss” chant for unwilling bystanders.)
April 26, 2018 @ 4:09 pm
I have the 2-in-1 KitchenAid microwave/convection oven above standard oven. You can use the top one as a regular microwave for coffee etc, OR you can take out the microwave carousel and use both as ovens (for squash and kale chips). I love mine, a “double oven” makes me feel fancy.
https://www.kitchenaid.com/shop/major-appliances-1/wall-ovens-2/wall-ovens-3/-%5bKOCE500ESS%5d-407577/KOCE500ESS/
April 26, 2018 @ 11:33 am
We turned a TV armoire into a food pantry and microwave cabinet. From the outside it looks like a pretty mahogany cabinet, the inside, the food and microwave hub.
April 26, 2018 @ 11:37 am
We built a shelf in our pantry to hold all of the appliances that I forbid be on our actual kitchen. Best. Decision. Ever. Toaster, toaster oven (he claims we need both,) stand mixer, blender, spice rack…. all of that is on a beautiful shelf in the pantry, hidden behind a door. It’s amazing! I know this because friends come over and they’re jealous. We don’t drink coffee or that machine would be in the pantry as well!
April 26, 2018 @ 2:01 pm
My pantry is like a closet – actually, it IS a closet, in my laundry room, and not deep enough, or I would have done that too! I have a tiny kitchen and tiny laundry. Laundry room is 5-1/2′ x 7′, washer & dryer at one end, closet at the opposite, with door to garage across the door to the kitchen bisecting the room.
April 26, 2018 @ 11:37 am
This thermos will change your husband’s life. We bought it more than five years ago and it is still going strong. My husband brews a 4 oz pot of coffee, pops it in this in the morning, and it will still be piping hot when we comes home after work at dinner time.
https://smile.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SM-SA48-BA-Stainless-Steel-16-Ounce/dp/B00HYOGTTG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524756912&sr=8-1&keywords=Zojirushi+Black+16-oz.+Travel+Mug
April 27, 2018 @ 2:09 pm
I was going to post the same thing. Best thermos ever. You can burn your tongue on your coffee eight hours later.
April 26, 2018 @ 11:38 am
duh……..give him a microwave in the garage! easy peezy!
April 26, 2018 @ 11:40 am
I vote no microwave at all… https://www.naturalnews.com/031929_microwaved_water_plants.html
April 26, 2018 @ 12:43 pm
This was an experiment conducted by a high school student using two plants. TWO PLANTS! Come on.
Microwave ovens are just another way to transfer energy. Don’t be afraid!
April 26, 2018 @ 11:40 am
Hide in a cabinet! We did that…just electrify it from the inside.
April 26, 2018 @ 11:43 am
I cannot stop laughing. Same problems, you see. Kitchen in new to us Cottage fixer upper is, in essence, a one wall kitchen. Am now even contemplating a 24” range instead of standard 30”. Cannot abide M/W over stove top. Not enough space to even describe each aggravation. You continue to go at it before me, learning lots.
April 26, 2018 @ 11:49 am
Woman, you need this song skit in your life. Seriously. You’ll relate.
Victoria, meet Rhett and Link. Boys, meet Victoria.
https://youtu.be/tnzz-eFmKaw
April 26, 2018 @ 11:50 am
I’m with Shannon and Tina.
April 26, 2018 @ 11:51 am
You know my sister in law put a pantry/scullery in her home and it contains the sink, stove,fridge and dishwasher leaving her kitchen pristine. Say what!
April 26, 2018 @ 1:50 pm
So…. what’s left to do in the kitchen? 🙂
April 26, 2018 @ 11:59 am
I like that “garage-door” for the microwave and pull-down door that would hold cups, etc. Your piano idea is lovely.
I put an antique “Asian” buffet below my hanging cabinets. Anything goes.
p.s. I do wish you would allow me to “Pin” whichever photo I like, rather than only the one option.
April 26, 2018 @ 12:05 pm
hey, I don’t “restrict” pins… I used to use a paid-service that put a little pin-it button on everything, (the free ones slowed down my site a lot) but Pinterest offers the browser thing-y, (is that what you are using?) and I guess I figured I could give it up because it seemed like probably by now people had other ways of pinning… but maybe not?
April 26, 2018 @ 12:03 pm
So many words. So much to consider. And so much wholehearted agreement with wishing for both boxes to be combined/work together. And I’m also not liking drawer micros.
I “think” I don’t need one. I use my stove/oven for cookery. But then I challenged myself to count micro-encounters during the day.
Used to reheat coffee. Used to cook frozen peas. Used for popcorn & the occasional potato. So. There we are. Except…I have to eliminate 78% of the V.E.B. issues because…I have a tiny galley kitchen with a laundry nook taking up space also. Pretty much a hideous layout with exceedingly few options-None of them beautiful or realistic. So I’m thinking I will have Him rip out the behemoth ghastly box that lives over my stove & replace with shiny tile & hood vent. (Yes. I Have read the vent tirade and loved every rant. But my tight crammed space & bad windows don’t allow any escape for smoke so I need something…)
Then, I’m going to buy a tiny shiny micro that will sit quietly on the counter at the back of my laundry nook. We got gleaming front-loaders and bricked in the nook, added a pretty counter. Unless a visitor…or the Cook…wanders to the dead end of the kitchen to the nook, she won’t even know it’s there.
Red
April 26, 2018 @ 12:07 pm
Of all your microwave pics (which show some very clever solutions to the microwave concealment problem), I chose the solution counting seventh up from the bottom microwave pic. It is located on the side of the island facing the stove, so is invisible to everyone, including me, unless I am looking for it.
Unfortunately, your magnificent piano island makes this solution impossible. Therefore, I cannot help you. I too despise the microwave over the stove solution that 99% of the world has chosen and am very glad you are not considering it, because then I would be unable to enjoy the photos of your finally completed, glorious kitchen. Hiding it in a cabinet near the coffee maker would seem best. This is the advantage of a counter to ceiling cabinet that houses an appliance garage.
April 26, 2018 @ 12:08 pm
Ok kitchen cabinet wild ass idea:
Counter tops …you/already have as in repurposed slate
Cupboards… buy ikea or such like flat packs for the structure and fit and mix and match ability (and Paul would just love the simplicity of an Allen key for a change) But do not buy matching doors!
Cupboard doors… this is where you get creative .. it could take months or years to find gft doors but at least your cupboards are usable in the meantime
Door/drawer front suggestions…
– Ornate ( gft) picture frames with mirror inserts, or fabric inserts, or glass or whatever appeals to you
– lots of very cheap 1930s-1950s dark wood display cabinets, with lead light glass doors, out there that could be repurposed as cupboard doors
– also lots of very reasonably priced Victorian & Edwardian bedside cabinets in dark wood and also quite frequently with carving or scrollwork. Often a drawer and door combo on raised legs. Instead of having kick boards, Paul could build deep drawers at the base of each cabinet. Since you already have the countertops the table tops could be recycled as drawer fronts.
Et cetera et cetera