by Julie Carlson - August 26, 2020

11 Strategies for Hiding the Microwave

Shiela Narusawa's Cape Cod Kitchen Photographed by Matthew Williams for Remodelista

When I embarked on a kitchen remodel years ago, one of my main obsessions was to hide the microwave (Jerome, remember?). My kitchen is tiny, and it proved a challenge to find an unoccupied niche. But we prevailed, and I’m happy to say I haven’t had to come face to face with my microwave for the past decade. Here are 10 spaces where the microwave is tucked away from aesthetically appraising eyes.

Dumbo Loft Robertson Pasanella Kitchen Remodelista-1 — Above: A Dumbo loft designed by Marco Pasanella and Rebecca Robertson features a microwave tucked inside the kitchen island; see the whole project at A Whimsical Family Loft in Brooklyn. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.

Jute Noe Valley Kitchen Remodelista 05 — Above: Alison Davin of design firm Jute (a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory) tucked a microwave in a kitchen cabinet; see the whole project at Rehab Diary: A Small-Kitchen Makeover with Maximum Storage. Photograph by Drew Kelly.

Shiela Narusawa's Cape Cod Kitchen Photographed by Matthew Williams for Remodelista — Above: In Sheila Narusawa’s Cape Cod kitchen, the microwave and other small appliances are tucked away on pullout shelves fitted with hidden outlets. See Kitchen of the Week: A Streamlined Cape Cod Classic.

Microwave Niche Jane Kelly Gepetto — Above: A microwave and a toaster oven tucked under a countertop ingeniously solves two problems, via Gepetto.

Barbara Bestor Kitchen Los Angeles — Above: Barbara Bestor tucked a microwave in a side cabinet in A New England Kitchen by Way of LA.

Brooklyn Kitchen Remodel Henrybuilt Architect Shauna McManus — Above: In the back parlor turned kitchen of a 19th-century Brooklyn townhouse, architect Shauna McManus hid the microwave into the coffee counter. See Kitchen of the Week: A Something Old, Something New Kitchen in Brooklyn.

Microwave Under Counter Ann DeSaussure Davidson and Scott Davidson Galley Kitchen, Photo by Matthew Williams for Remodelista Book — Above: Ann DeSaussure Davidson and Scott Davidson tucked a compact microwave under the counter in their Brooklyn galley kitchen; the monochrome white helps it to blend in with the cabinetry. For more, see the Remodelista book. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.

Clare and Harrison Mill Valley Kitchen Remodel Photo by Andres Gonzalez — Above: A freestanding microwave powered by a built-in outlet in a kitchen pantry designed by Ken Linsteadt in Mill Valley, California. Photograph by Andres Gonzalez from Kitchen of the Week: A New-Build Kitchen in Mill Valley, CA, the Six-Month Check-Up.

Built-In Viking Microwave — Above: A built-in Viking Microwave is a sleek, discreet (and expensive) option.

Falmouth Beach Cottage Hidden Microwave — Above: A microwave concealed in the kitchen island with a retractable door at the Cape Cod beach house designed by Tei Carpenter and Victoria Birch. Photograph by Justine Hand from Kitchen of the Week: A Compact, Nautical Entertaining Kitchen on Cape Cod.

Appliance Garage via Dell Remodelista — Above: Ikea cabinets with swing-up doors for countertop appliances; via Dwell.

Interested in more storage ideas for the kitchen? See our posts:

N.B. This post is an update; the original story ran April 9, 2013.

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When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

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