In my current kitchen I have an OTR microwave. In the kitchen reno, I'm going with a range hood so no mw there. I was initially planning on a mw drawer in the coffee/breakfast/visitor zone as I don't really use a mw much anymore, just for reheating coffee/soup and quick veg steaming options. Now I seem to be using a steam oven or air fryer oven for more functions. I was trying to cut down on having countertop appliances although the relatively inexpensive cost and smaller size appeals. That zone has a large window so no wall mounted mw there although it can be a little bit over where I was planning on cabinetry for glasses. I'm also not sure if I like that look of a mw interrupting cabinetry.
I have a lot of visitors (it's a beach house) and sometimes they seem to be somewhat challenged and tend to break things or be intimidated by things they aren't familiar with. (Some nameless visitor put my almost new single cup coffeemaker out of commission by using it without refilling the water reservoir) I can see someone pushing that drawer closed instead of pressing the open closed button in the first week of installation.
I will have a walkthrough pantry but it's quite far from the "visitor zone." I'm also trying to keep visitors out of my main work zone.
I would love to spend one or two hundred dollars on a freestanding mw which is not often used rather than a thousand on a mw drawer which someone will break. I would also be happy with the smallest mw possible. Looking for creative suggestions/options and recommendations for a good small mw.
We bought the smallest microwave that Lowe’s sells that had decent ratings and came in a stainless finish. We are putting it in an open cabinet with plenty of vent room around it near our coffee bar because we only use it to reheat tea and coffee.
@Momofthree Ma, What brand did you buy.? How much clearance do they require? That’s one of the solutions I was thinking about but it would have to be much further down into my “no visitors allowed zone.... “
This is the model, it vents on the left side, so we are giving it a few inches. We only use it once a day for a couple of minutes, so it just doesn’t generate enough heat to be a problem.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-0-9-cu-ft-900-Watt-Countertop-Microwave-Stainless-Steel/1000563373
Do you have a wet bar, or another spot like that further into the guest area that would have easier access?
Yes that’s the kind of I had looked at. The price appeals. Yes, I do have a wet bar / coffee station on the plan which would be the logical place for it but there will be a big triple window there.
This GE MW is a bit more but this is the third time that I have used it in the last 26 years. We are not big MW users so didn't want to invest big $$ in a MW. It is hidden in a 15" deep upper behind a lift-up door. When it bites the dust I will just throw another one in the hole. The cabinet above would be too high for me to reach so was the perfect spot for our kitchen TV. Clearances needed are 3" on the top and sides and 1" in the rear. https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-specs/PEM31SFSS
Thank you Wilson853,, good to see it in cabinetry and to find out about the clearances needed. Very helpful..
Do you have a cabinet where you could install retractable doors and a plug? We don’t use ours very much, and we like cheap, not built-in MWs. Most of the time the doors are closed. The spot we chose is large enough for venting/safety.
That's a great suggestion. I was concerned about enough room for venting and what the required clearances are.
My catch 22 situation is trying to find a balance between having uncluttered spaces and clean sight lines and having tons of visitors asking, "Where is --------". ( Fill in the blank and repeat with 85 different queries. ). People hesitate opening other people's cupboards. Great if they happen to wander into your bedroom and bathroom but in my kitchen.... not so great.
cpartist