3 min readThere’s perhaps nowhere in the home that works harder than your kitchen counter, and therefore no place more likely to pile up with stuff. Papers and food prep items come and go, but appliances are a standard feature that can make counters feel cluttered. And while coffee makers, your toaster, or your blender deserve their spot, sometimes you don’t want to see them (fair). That’s where appliance garages come in.
The concept isn’t new. Appliance garages have been part of kitchens for decades, after launching in the 1950s and becoming more mainstream in the 1970s. But kitchens have changed a lot in the last 50-plus years—and so have the look of appliance garages. Today, they help create a more streamlined space and rely on subtle cabinetry details that disappear into the rest of the kitchen. While you can use them across your entire counter, designers are leaning toward using them in select areas, like the coffee station, to hide morning messes. Here’s how to make them work for your kitchen.
Why Appliance Garages Are Back
As kitchens have become more connected to our living and entertaining spaces, our counters have become way more noticeable. At the same time, coffee makers, blenders, toaster ovens, and other small appliances are still integral, maybe more so than ever before. Appliance garages house those appliances while minimizing visual clutter.
“An appliance garage doesn’t eliminate the working kitchen; it simply gives you the ability to edit what you see,” says designer Jessica Risko Smith. Bob Bakes, co-founder and head of design at cabinetry company Bakes & Kropp, points out that improved hardware is also contributing to their resurgence. “The mechanics of appliance garages have improved significantly, so they are more functional than they used to be,” he says.
How to Add An Appliance Garage to Your Kitchen
If your kitchen didn’t come with an appliance garage, adding one is easier than you might think. First, find a section of your counters that you can afford to give up. Smith suggests removing a portion of your upper cabinetry and replacing it with cabinets that extend from counter to ceiling. Yes, it’s still a custom job, but way less intense than a full reno. “Retrofitting an appliance garage is less about adding a cabinet and more about reclaiming a section of the countertop as a concealed work zone,” she says.
Corners can be especially perfect for this. Bakes points out that the upper corner of an L-shaped kitchen (where cabinets already meet) is a natural place to create one. The downside to working with existing cabinetry is that you have to pay close attention to cabinet depth and outlet placement. “If you already have a cabinet or pantry there, hire an electrician to install an outlet on the back wall,” says designer Jourdan Fairchild. “And if you happen to know the cabinetmaker who made your cabinets, hire them to add retractable or pocket doors for a new garage.”
Whatever you choose, the key is to make the appliance garage look like it was always supposed to be there. “To help it read as a deliberate design detail rather than an add-on, I’d recommend giving the appliance garage a different texture or finish than the rest of the cabinetry," Bakes says.
What to Hide in an Appliance Garage
An appliance garage is prime kitchen real estate, so save it for the things you reach for regularly. “Make a list of the appliances you use daily and even weekly,” Fairchild says. Coffee makers, toasters, blenders, and microwaves are all good candidates, while the stand mixer that only comes out for holiday baking can probably find a home elsewhere.
Once you know what’s going inside, measure for more than whether each appliance technically fits. Smith recommends accounting for how you actually use it, whether that means lifting a blender jar, opening a lid, refilling a coffee maker’s water reservoir, or inserting bread into a toaster.
It also helps to think beyond the appliances themselves. “The most successful appliance garages are designed as complete working zones rather than simply places to hide machines,” Smith says. A coffee station, for example, works better if mugs, beans, filters, and other essentials are stored nearby rather than scattered around the kitchen.
