With how nicely designed kitchen electrics are these days (often retro looking, lol), there is no real need to hide them. I might consider it if you have a bunch of rarely used ones you want out and the counter would look crowded. I would not want to have to open and close it for the things used daily. In our house, that would be one more thing left open that I'd need to close if I know my family ;)

I don't know what an "easy-reach" corner cab is, but I have a corner cabinet and I LOATHE it. Never, ever, ever again will I have a corner cabinet! Stuff gets lost in the back depths and I have to climb up on the counter every time I need something that isn't in the narrow front-most space. Hope yours is different!

I have three. I find them convenient and I like the look. I plug and unplug my appliances anyway, so I don't see that as an issue. Yes, you slide it out and slide it back in. Big deal. Or is some cases, use it in place. In my town it's okay to have an outlet in garage.

I opted for a cabinet like this with a garage instead of a corner cabinet (right side of kitchen on refrigerator wall). I had a corner cabinet there in my last kitchen and found they can be a cavern.

If cabinets that extend to the counter become "2010" in future years, I'll bet they say, "ah that was a really good year".

I have one above the magic corner below and under the blind corner above. The top cabinet only holds those large items I rarely use.

My code permits the garage plug also. My garage is large as I intended to place the food processor and other non-daily appliances in it. I don't like anything on my counters except the coffee pot, fruit and orchids. Of course, IRL mail and other debris lands there momentarily.

As it turns out, I got hooked on using a Breville TO so now it lives in the garage with nothing else. I pull it out to use it. Garages have been around in some kitchens for a couple of decades at least, so I'd not worry about including one if you'd find it useful.

i have never been a fan of appliance garages. however, i do agree that if it is made to look like a buffet front i think it's better. the one in judydel's picture (below the books) also looks good. it doesn't scream "garage" and blends in with the doors next to it, as they come to the same level at the bottom. if the door swings up (as with old-fashion garages) i think it could work well-- without sacrificing the counter space in front.
kawh

I have one and love it but it does not look like one when the doors are closed. I do have a plug in there too so I leave my toaster oven plugged in and just slide the drawer out to use it. I can leave it open all day long and just close it when company comes :) It's the 2 door cabinet below the microwave

My sister has an appliance garage in the kitchen of her new house. The kitchen in that house was reno'd about 10 years ago. Her garage is not an on-the-counter type that I think you're talking about. Her's in on a wall that has floor to ceiling cabinetry. She really likes it, although I think she keeps assorted junk in there.

P.S. I bet the original owner of that house would have loved GW. That kitchen has all the cool bells and whistles that you see in GW kitchens. Even 10 years ago, she went with a paneled 'fridge and a midnight blue sparkly quartz countertop. She really wanted an island, didn't have the space, so went with a mid-kitchen bar. Ten years on, my sister is thrilled with her "modern" kitchen which is a 1000% improvement over her last kitchen.

I didn't get an appliance bay but I don't have enough counters to spare the space.

Off topic: Judydel, that is an awesome light fixture over the table, can you tell me where you got it?

Thanks colorfast. It's from Restoration Hardware. I bought it during their Fall Lighting Sale.

http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1509251&categoryId=search

I absolutely love my appliance garage. I don't think it will say 2010 in 5 years. Heck, if anything, I guess it will say 2004! LOL - that's when I did my remodel. Anyway, they've been around forever and will be for a lot longer, I venture to guess.

When I was planning my kitchen, an appliance garage was one of my prime requirements. Not a tambour door though, which I have to say, I'm not a fan of. They stick (IME) and I don't feel that they blend in well with the look of most cabinets.

Mine is a lift-up pocket door. It's on the back corner of my peninsula, so using up a space that would probably be sitting fallow otherwise.

I do have plugs (plugmold actually) so that all the appliances that live there are always plugged in. I slide stuff out to the counter to use them and slide them back in when done. Then I close the door and my counters are clean and uncluttered.

Before the garage, I had all those appliances sitting out on the counter. I don't care how pretty they might be individually, they are not so nice looking when you have five of them sitting there, wires getting tangled.

Now, if all I had was a KA mixer or coffee maker maybe, then OK, it would look fine sitting there on the counter. But I cook a lot and I use several appliances a lot. And I'm NOT going to get them out of a cabinet and put them away every time. So... this solves that problem without adding clutter.

It's definitely a matter of personal preference of course, according to what you think looks good and how you work in your own kitchen. I wouldn't want to be without mine now that I've got it!

Garage when it is closed:

Opened so you can see the appliances:

View from far away. This shows where the garage sits in reference to the peninsula which is my main work area.

View from the other direction:

I inherited an appliance garage with my circa 1980's kitchen, which is about to be remodeled. I have lived in this kitchen for 3 years, and never had an appliance garage previously. Even though mine is old and less than attractive looking, I love it so much for the functionality, I absolutely will have one in the remodel. I do not like clutter on the countertops, and even the least attractive "garage door" looks better to me than the toaster, the blender etc. Everything is handy at counter level too--no digging on hands and knees in lower cupboards for those portable appliances. I say go for it if you have the space.

Also--while I do not know what your corner cabinet looks like, I know you can have a "garage" angled in the corner, as my mom has one like this, and the sides just follow the shape of the cabinet above. The sides are not as accessable as a straight-sided one, but I think she just keeps lesser-used items along the sides.

I disagree about appliance garages and/or counter cabinets looking "2010." This only might appear to be the case if your garage doesn't have a thought-out purpose and appears out of place (I'm thinking about spec homes with a garage that was thrown in, in a weird position, etc.)

I think "yes or no?" depends on your layout, whether you need the extra storage and how it will look when executed. Additionally, it depends on your tolerance of things being visible.

I, mostly, hate having clutter/appliances out. Even today, I considered removing the few decorative items from my kitchen counter. It's just not for me.

I would have created an appliance garage for my coffeemaker, but opted to not because it would have looked unbalanced and silly in the area I make coffee.

Otherwise, I have one large cabinet that goes to the counter in my kitchen, and it is a hugely functional cabinet. It is to the left of my DW and houses all my dishes and glasses. So convenient. Visually, it ends that cabinet run and mimics (the look of) the double ovens that end the cabinet run on the other side of the kitchen. I feel like it improved the look of the kitchen AND created a very functional space. So, my questions for you are..... will this cabinet garage look pleasant? will it make your kitchen look better? what benefit would it have to you? will it hurt the functionality of the space? Will it break up your needed counter space? Will it make your space look smaller? Have I confused you with too many questions?? :)