This is a great topic!

Have you thought about some sort of under-cabinet hanging shelf for one? Has anyone out there done that? I use my toaster oven all the time and I would like to have my off the counter.

Any clever ideas out there for toaster ovens?

LWAD, I don't think an undercabinet thing would work. Most toaster ovens I've seen require quite a bit of clearance above them due to heating issues.

I do have a sort of corner to the left of the range. There is a half wall there by the living room. However, that would put the TO very far away from the coffee area, although technically out of the main prep/cooking area, so maybe it would be less annoying there than elsewhere.

I'm super excited about the upcoming remodel and I am spending a ton of time planning what will go in every nook and cranny!!

Hmmm, good point about ambient heat. Phooey.

I am planning now and TKO. This forum is so helpful

One thing to consider is the location of your outlets. I intended my toaster oven to be lined up under my MW next to my coffee maker and thought I placed the outlet correctly to have the TO directly in front of it. The plug protrudes 3" pushing the TO too far out. So I had to settle with a location I dislike because of the lack of symmetry it creates.

Next kitchen I'll do something like Lisa_a is doing in her plan, building a niche for it.

bbtrix, not to hijack this thread, but what is that stainless sheet that you have under your coffeemaker? Is it heat resistant? Should that be under the toaster ovena s well above your marble counters?
thanks

Range Kleen countermats. They are heat resistant, but I don't need it for the toaster oven. I have it under the coffee maker because that is basically our beverage center where DH makes drinks, cuts lemon and limes, etc. so it helps prevent acid etching. Thanks to Romy718 for sharing info on these mats!

How is this kitchen interiors?

In my ideal kitchen, there will be

1) A toaster oven, like my existing Breville SMALL smart oven that makes great toast, in a cubby hole located exactly where the OP's plans shows the microwave.

There will be 5" of space above and 3" to either side.
The inside of the cubby hole will be tiled in the backsplash tile because:
- I'm fire paranoid.
- For beauty. I love backsplash tile.

2) A utensil and plate drawer or upper cabinet next over

3) A Sharp microwave drawer on same side as fridge and toaster oven and adjacent to the utensil and plate drawer.

Et voila - a self-contained small meal prep / reheat area that will be the most used space in the kitchen.

We reheat leftovers from bigger cooks and make small meals lots more than we cook a complete meal from scratch.

What kills me is I used to have a pic where someone put a toaster oven in exactly in that spot AND added backsplash tile around it in a beveled white - cream subway tile. But I can't find that pic!

Something I learned about the placement of a toaster oven under cabinets.

They get pretty hot. Not hot enough to damage cabinets, but hot enough that food stored above them, especially bakery goods (like flours) could be damaged. If you use the oven to bake for any length of time, as I like to do for pies and pizzas in the summertime when the toaster oven heats the kitchen so much less than the main oven, it definitely warms the items in the cabinet above.

I always pull the oven all the way forward when I use it--which is nearly every day. This helps the heat to dissipate outward instead of upward.

Are you sure you want the coffee area so far from the sink? The area to the left of the fridge is OK for the toaster oven, but I would want the coffee area closer to a sink--and the trash, for that matter.

An idea: You could design the pantry with three vertical sections: the top for storage just as you have it, the center with an appliance garage with doors that open out and slide back and away for coffee and other small appliances, and the bottom for more storage. I kinda like this idea. (Of course it wouldn't make the coffee area any more convenient to the sink.) Probably the doors would usually be open, but could be closed when you wanted things to look tidy.

By the way, I like what you decided to do with the refrigerator, the two flanking cabinets, and the need to limit obstruction of the doorway.

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Sat, Aug 23, 14 at 15:33