25 Ideas for Kitchen Appliance Garage

The appliance garage hides countertop appliances like blenders, coffee makers, and toasters while keeping them easy to use and organized. While they’ve been around for decades, they’re making a comeback in popularity as homeowners incorporate more gadgets into their kitchens and professionals design more aesthetically pleasing, durable options.

Keep scrolling for some ideas and tips to incorporate it into your own kitchen design.

Location of the Garage for Electrical Appliances

1. In the corner. Electric garages have come a long way since the 80s of the 20th century, when they were often located in the corners below the matching diagonal upper cabinets, with narrow door proportions and little counter space in front.

Nowadays, corners are still a popular spot for electric garages, but they are less common to be located on the diagonal. The corner design seen here eliminates wasted space at the back, which gives the former garage a bad name. The stand mixer also has plenty of counter space in front of it, so it’s easy to slide out for use.

2. Double. In kitchens with a lot of small appliances, a pair of garages are either placed next to each other or symmetrically in two corners so that the counters don’t look cluttered. Since a double-appliance garage will take up a lot of surface area, this design is best suited for kitchens with large islands or peninsulas.

3. Next to the refrigerator. You don’t need to put your appliance garage in the corner, but putting one in the middle of the upper and lower cupboards may seem casual. Instead, professionals often place appliance garages next to full-height cabinets or refrigerators. If you choose the latter, make sure there is a surface nearby where you can place items taken out of the freezer.

Tip: Place the garage near the food preparation and cooking area for easy access to the appliance while cooking.

4. In a full-height cabinet. An appliance garage can also be built into a full-height cabinet. When separated from the main work area, it is often used as a coffee or breakfast station – which is essentially a groomed appliance garage.

Tip: In the taller appliance garage, install adjustable shelves so you can customize the space based on appliance height and clearance needs.

5. In lower cabinets or islands. Usually, we think of an electrical garage as a small cubicle on a countertop. But they’re broadly defined as designated storage points for small appliances, so lower cabinets with lifts or pop-ups certainly qualify.

Ideal for heavy-duty mixers and stand mixers, these specialized lifts are often paired with an in-cabinet outlet for extra convenience.

Door Type Options

6. Roller shutter or roller shutter door. The best door style for an appliance garage depends on a variety of factors, including your aesthetic preferences and kitchen layout. Roller shutters are a classic electric garage style that slides up and down the track like a garage door. To avoid bad memories of the wooden roll-up doors that stuck forever in the kitchen of the 80s of the 20th century, know that there are now sleeker and more functional models (wooden and metal). Roller shutters are still popular because, like bypass doors, they don’t require any clearance in front, making them ideal for tight spaces. They will provide complete access to the cabinet.

7. Swing doors. Swing-out cabinet doors can be unconsciously integrated with the surrounding cabinets and are simple in structure. While they can be customized, ready-made appliance garages in this style are also readily available. Just make sure the door is fully open and free of obstructions.

8. Bi-fold doors. Hinged bi-fold doors are another easy option. These doors fit into tight spaces, they fold themselves up and then stay out of the way like blinds.

9. Pocket doors. Retractable pocket doors are very popular among kitchen designers who are currently uploading their projects to Houzz. They are often custom options that take up more space inside the cabinet so that the door slides back into the frame, but they provide a clean look and prevent any doors from colliding with the equipment. They can also be neatly tucked away for easy access to the coffee

10. Flip the door. Much like pocket doors, so-called flap doors flip upwards and then retract completely into the cabinet frame. Thanks to their clean horizontal lines, they complement transitional and modern kitchens.

Horizontal cabinets that can be opened without retracting (sometimes called flip doors) can also be used, as long as the door has a hinge that keeps it raised and doesn’t get in the way of the door.

Tip: Measure the height, width, and depth of appliances, including handles, to make sure they fit inside the garage and that there is room for air circulation around them when doors are opened and closed. Keep in mind that door hardware may take up some space. And don’t forget to leave a few inches of space for the cord and plug.

11. Vertical revolving elevator doors. These doors have the same clean and modern look as flip doors, but have manual, pneumatic and even electric lifting systems that allow the door to be opened parallel to the cabinet. This style doesn’t need to leave as much clearance in the front like a clamshell lift of the same size.

Tip: You won’t be able to access the upper cabinets when the doors are open, so plan accordingly when storing accessories.

12. Double Door. Another (albeit less common) option is the double-door style, with flip-up lift doors and flip-up doors.

Tip: Many appliances are not designed to be used inside cabinets. To avoid damaging your cabinet or overheating your unit (or worse, starting a fire), remove the unit before use, follow the manufacturer’s clearance guidelines and consider installing a ventilation system.

13. Bypass the door. Bypass doors, also known as sliding doors and roller shutters, are white cabinets like the one pictured that can hide and show small appliances while maintaining the kitchen’s mid-century modernity. Also, since there is no swing on the door, there is no need to leave a gap in the front of the cabinet.

The downside is that the garage can’t be fully opened right away, and the door hardware can interfere with the device sliding in and out.

14. No door. Sometimes you want to keep your device out of sight, but the door may be too much or in the way. In these cases, the open device niche may be the solution.

Tip: If you drop the door or leave the pocket door open, think about the interior décor as you would consider the most obvious part of the kitchen. For example, this alcove, located in the alcove of the stove, is covered with marble tiles inside and out.

Useful Features Include:

15. Pull out the tray. Sometimes there isn’t enough counter space in front of the garage to slide out the equipment. Using equipment inside a garage can be awkward and problematic because, as mentioned earlier, some equipment can overheat without adequate airflow, and steam can damage your cabinets. If you have to lift the appliance and place it on the counter on the other side of the kitchen to use it, you’re negating the convenience of an appliance garage in the first place!

Solution: Convenient pull-out trays. In most appliance garages, appliances are placed on pallets. Alternatively, the tray can be a separate pull-out device under the appliance garage, effectively extending the countertop. In any case, the tray and its hardware must be sturdy enough to control the weight of the device – especially when it extends in thin air.

16. Sockets. No matter which style of garage you choose, having an outlet inside your garage adds a lot of functionality. Placing the socket inside an alcove also hides clutter of wires, leaving the backplate visually undisturbed. At the very least, make sure there is an outlet outside the garage.

Tip: You don’t need a cabinet wall behind your garage. Not only will this make it easier to install the plug, but eliminating the back of the cabinet will give you an extra inch or so of interior space.

17. Stone countertops. Appliance garages are usually located at the top of the counter and have no bottom. This allows the device to slide in and out without lip jerking. When a garage is built in full-height cabinets, professionals often install a countertop inside the alcove to ensure durability, cleanliness, and ease of moving heavy appliances.

18. Lights. LED strip lights make the appliance garage look high-end, and it’s easier to see the knobs and buttons of the appliance. These lights can be hardwired, but inexpensive plug-in and rechargeable designs with motion-sensing technology are also widely available.

19. Pot filler. As mentioned earlier, the coffee station is basically an oversized garage for specialized equipment. The most elaborate coffee stations have built-in water injectors or sinks.

A water injector or other faucet also makes it convenient to prepare smoothies, fill a mixing bowl with water, use a soda maker, and fill an electric kettle, all without having to move appliances far from the garage (or get in the way of someone working in the kitchen sink).

20. Extra-deep counters. One of the disadvantages of appliance garages is that they tend to take up counter space. One trick of the designers was to extend the depth of the counter to offset the depth of the garage.

21. Coordinated Storage. Appliance garages used as coffee stations often come with built-in cup shelves. But why should coffee stations be fun? Most garages can benefit from dedicated shelving in or near the garage for storing related accessories, such as blender attachments or baking ingredients.

Materials and Finishes to Consider

22. Matching. As with the location and style of the appliance garage, you have a lot of options when it comes to decoration. The most common design on the Houzz is a door finish that matches the surrounding cabinetry.

Tip: An appliance garage is more than just a place to store appliances in the kitchen. They can also help you control the clutter in your bathroom.

23. Metallic. Another popular option is the aluminum roll-up doors, whose silver tones and industrial style are particularly suitable for contemporary and modern kitchens.

24. Camouflage. Doors in a similar color to the kitchen backsplash (compared to its cabinets) make the appliance garage almost disappear when closed.

25. Glass panels. Less common, but also attractive, are appliance garage cabinet doors with opaque glass fronts. Perforated tin, rattan, and metal grilles look great, and they also ventilate. If you’re adding a garage to your existing kitchen but it doesn’t match your existing stains or paint, a decorative garage door can help the garage look intentional.

Tip: Hire a cabinet maker to create a custom appliance garage that maximizes your space and adds a little style to your kitchen.