Appliance garages conceal countertop appliances such as blenders, coffee makers and toasters while keeping them easily accessible and organized. While they’ve been around for decades, they’re enjoying a resurgence in popularity as homeowners incorporate more gadgets into their kitchens — and as pros design better-looking and harder-working options.
We scoured recent uploads to the Houzz photo feed for examples of smart and attractive appliance garages in a variety of kitchen styles and sizes. Keep scrolling to get some ideas and tips for integrating one into your own kitchen design.
Deane
Where to Locate an Appliance Garage
1. In the corner. Appliance garages have come a long way since the 1980s, when they typically sat in the corner underneath a matching diagonal upper cabinet, with proportionally narrow doors and little to no counter space in front of them.
These days, corners are still popular spots for appliance garages, but it’s less common for them to be on the diagonal. The corner design seen here eliminates the wasted space in the back that gave garages of yore a bad rap. The stand mixer also has plenty of counter space in front of it, so it can easily slide out for use.
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Devon Grace Interiors
Devon Grace Interiors
2. Doubled up. In kitchens with a lot of small appliances, a pair of garages either next to each other or symmetrically placed in either corner keeps counters from looking cluttered. Since double appliance garages can eat up a lot of surface area, this design tends to work best in kitchens with large islands or peninsulas.
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Kate Roos Design LLC
Kate Roos Design
3. Next to the fridge. You don’t need to put your appliance garage in the corner, but plopping one in the middle of a run of upper and lower cabinets can look haphazard. Instead, pros often place appliance garages next to a full-height cabinet or refrigerator. If you opt for the latter, be sure you have a nearby surface on which to set down items you’ve pulled out of the fridge.
Tip: Keep your garage close to your food prep and cooking zones for easy access to your appliances while cooking.
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Susan Yeley Homes
Susan Yeley Homes
4. In a full-height cabinet. An appliance garage can also be built into a full-height cabinet. When set apart from the main work area, it’s often used as a coffee or breakfast station — which is essentially a glorified appliance garage.
Tip: In tall appliance garages, install adjustable shelves that allow you to customize the space depending on appliance heights and clearance needs.
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5. In lower cabinets or an island. Typically we think of appliance garages as little cubbies that sit on countertops. But they’re broadly defined as designated storage spots for small appliances, so lower cabinets fitted with lifts or pop-ups certainly qualify.
Perfect for heavy blenders and stand mixers, these specialized lifts are often paired with in-cabinet outlets for extra convenience.
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Alair Homes Plano
Alair Homes Plano
Options for Door Types
6. Tambour or roll-up doors. The best door style for your appliance garage depends on a variety of factors, including your aesthetic preference and kitchen layout.
The tambour door — the classic appliance garage style — slides up and down a track like a garage door. Lest you have bad memories of perpetually stuck wooden tambour doors in your 1980s-era kitchen, know that there are more stylish, better-functioning models (both wooden and metal) out there today.
Tambour doors remain popular because, like bypass doors, they don’t require any clearance in front of them, so they’re great for tight spaces. And they roll out of the way to offer full access to the cabinet.
Waterview Kitchens
Waterview Kitchens
7. Swing doors. Cabinet doors that swing out can blend in imperceptibly with surrounding cabinetry and are simple in construction. While they can be custom-made, off-the-shelf appliance garages of this style are readily available too. Just be sure that the doors can open fully, without obstructions.
the Design Studio, LLC
the Design Studio
8. Bifold doors. Hinged bifold doors are another simple option. Good for small spaces, these doors fold back on themselves and then out of the way, like shutters.
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Jenny Martin Design
Jenny Martin Design
9. Pocket doors. Retractable pocket doors are very popular among the kitchen designers currently uploading their projects to Houzz. They’re usually a custom option and take up a little more space inside the cabinet in order for the doors to slide back into the frame, but they offer a clean look and prevent any door-appliance conflicts. They can also be left neatly tucked away for access to frequently used items like coffee makers.
Helios Design Group
Helios Design Group
10. Flipper doors. Much like pocket doors, so-called flipper doors flip up and then retract completely back into the cabinet frame. They complement transitional and contemporary-style kitchens thanks to their clean horizontal lines.
Horizontal cabinets that open up without retracting (sometimes called flip-lift doors) will work too, as long as the door has a hinge that allows it to stay raised and out of the way.
Tip: Measure the height, width and depth of your appliances — including the handles — to make sure they’ll fit inside the garage with room for air to flow around them when the doors are both open and closed. Remember that door hardware may eat up some room. And don’t forget to allow a couple of inches for the cord and plug in the back.
Jane Kim Architect
Jane Kim Architect
11. Vertical-swing lift doors. These doors offer the same clean and modern look as a flipper door but have manual, pneumatic or even motorized lift systems that open the door parallel to the cabinet. This style doesn’t require as much clearance in front of it as a flip-lift of the same size would.
Tip: You won’t be able to access the upper cabinet when a lift door is open, so plan accordingly when storing related accessories.
Marquis Fine Cabinetry
Marquis Fine Cabinetry
12. Double doors. Yet another (albeit less common) option is a double-door style with a flip-lift door paired with a flip-down door.
Tip: Many appliances are not designed to be used inside a cabinet. To avoid damaging your cabinet or overheating your appliance — or worse, starting a fire — remove the appliance before use, follow manufacturers’ guidelines for clearances and consider installing a ventilation system.
McCulley Design Lab
McCulley Design Lab
13. Bypass doors. Also known as sliding and rolling doors, bypass doors like the white cabinets pictured here can conceal and reveal small appliances while maintaining a kitchen’s midcentury modern feel. Plus, without a swing to the door, there’s no need for clearance in front of the cabinet.
The downsides are that the garage can’t be fully open at once and the door hardware may interfere with sliding the appliance in and out.
14. No doors. Sometimes you want to keep your appliance out of the line of sight but a door would be overkill or in the way. In these cases, an open appliance niche might be just the ticket.
Tip: If you forgo doors or leave your pocket doors open, put as much consideration into the interior finishes as you put into the most visible parts of the kitchen. For example, this niche, which is inside a stove alcove, is covered inside and out in marble tile.
Architecturally Inspired Kitchens
Architecturally Inspired Kitchen / Lori May Interiors
Helpful Features to Include
15. Pullout tray. Sometimes there isn’t enough counter space in front of a garage to slide out an appliance. And using an appliance inside a garage can be both awkward and problematic, since, as mentioned earlier, some appliances may overheat without sufficient airflow and steam can damage your cabinet. And if you have to lift the appliance and set it on a counter on the other side of the kitchen in order to use it, you’ve negated much of the convenience of having an appliance garage in the first place!
The solution: The handy-dandy pullout tray.
Cathie Hong Interiors
Cathie Hong Interiors
In most appliance garages uploaded to Houzz, the appliances roll out on the tray. Alternatively, the tray can be a separate pullout below the appliance garage, effectively extending the countertop.
In any case, the tray and its hardware must be sturdy enough to manage the weight of the appliances — especially if it extends over thin air.
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Joseph Rodrigues Interiors
Joseph Rodrigues Interiors
16. Outlets. Whatever style garage you choose, having outlets inside it will add a lot of functionality. Placing them inside the niche also hides messy cords and keeps your backsplash visually uninterrupted. At the very least, make sure you have outlets just outside the garage.
Tip: You don’t need a cabinet wall in the back of your garage. Not only will this make it easier to install plugs, but eliminating a cabinet back will give you another inch or so of space inside.
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Alexander Butler | Design Services, LLC
Alexander Butler Design Services
17. Stone countertop. Appliance garages typically sit on top of a counter and don’t have a bottom. That way, the appliances can slide in and out without a lip to jump. When a garage is built into a full-height cabinet, pros often install a countertop inside the niche for durability, cleanability and ease of moving heavy appliances.
Tamara Hubinsky Interiors
Tamara Hubinsky Interiors
18. Lights. LED light strips give an appliance garage a high-end look and make it easier to see the appliances’ knobs and buttons. The lights can be hardwired, but inexpensive plug-in and rechargeable designs with motion-sensing technology are widely available too.
Studio Dearborn
Studio Dearborn
19. Pot filler. As mentioned previously, a coffee station is basically an outsize specialized appliance garage. The most tricked-out stations have pot fillers or sinks built right in.
A pot filler or other faucet can also be handy for prepping smoothies, adding water to a mixing bowl, using a soda maker and filling an electric kettle, all without having to move the appliance far from its garage (or getting in the way of the person working at the kitchen sink).
Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects
Prentiss Balance Wickline
20. Extra-deep counters. One of the drawbacks of appliance garages is that they tend to hog counter space. A designer hack is to extend the depths of the counters to offset the depth of the garage.
Pacific Coast Builders, Inc.
Pacific Coast Builders
21. Coordinating storage. Appliance garages used as coffee stations often have built-in shelves for mugs. But why should coffee stations have all the fun? Most garages can benefit from dedicated shelving within or adjacent to them to hold related accessories, such as mixer attachments or baking ingredients.
Eisenmann Architecture
Eisenmann Architecture
Materials and Finishes to Consider
22. Matching. As with the location and style of your appliance garage, you have lots of options when it comes to its finish. The most common design on Houzz is a door finish that matches the surrounding cabinetry.
Tip: Appliance garages can be good for stashing more than just appliances in the kitchen. And they can help you control your bathroom clutter too.
DTLA DESIGN
DTLA Design
23. Metallic. Another popular choice is the aluminum tambour door, whose silver tone and industrial style works particularly well in contemporary and modern kitchens.
24. Camouflaged. Doors similar in color to a kitchen’s backsplash (versus its cabinetry) allow the appliance garage to almost disappear when closed.
One to One Studio
One to One Studio
25. Glass-front. Less common but also attractive is an appliance garage cabinet door with an opaque glass front. Perforated tin, caning and metal grilles can look great and offer ventilation too. And if you’re adding a garage to your existing kitchen and can’t match your existing stain or paint, a decorative garage door can help the garage look intentional.
Tip: Hire a cabinetmaker to create a custom appliance garage that maximizes your space and adds a little flair to your kitchen.
Tell us: What would you suggest your fellow readers consider or include when adding an appliance garage to their kitchens? Please share in the Comments.
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