Small kitchen Reno

10 years ago

I have a little weekend place in the country and am doing a little do it yourself remodel. I painted my existing kitchen cabinets and with the help of a friend am finishing up the light rail and crown and then will be doing a white subway tile with a taupe/grey grout and want to paint my surrounding walls BM classic grey. Quandary.... either over the stove microwave with a 400 com exhaust or simply putting an exhaust fan similar to the one I am showing and have it vent thru the cabinet above. I feel like microwave will be huge and imposing. I also don't want to bring the cabinet down because I have a high cabinet on another wall and am considering symmetry. I saw a great small microwave that I can put in the cabinet above the refrigerator, since I really only use it for reheating and popcorn. After this and new dishwasher I will be getting new lights and floor refinish. Thanks for your thoughts.

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Bruce Crawford

10 years ago

Years ago we had huge Panasonic convection microwave, & it was great, but when it croaked we replaced it w/ smaller u-wave b/c we just didn't have enough counter space. In K reno, we added wall-mounted u-wave above single oven.

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Comments (6)

Bruce Crawford
10 years ago
I'm not a fan of over-the-range u-waves. I think one in cab over fridge would be awfully high. Fine for a bag of popcorn, but could be problem for reheated food, especially if it's soupy or has gravy. When our daughter was in college, she had small countertop u-wave that would fit in back corner of the L on your countertop. The F-P hood you show will look way better than current hood or over-range u-wave.
Bev
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I'm also not a fan of over-the-range microwaves due to the bad reviews I read about them online. I always wanted one until a couple of years ago when I was researching them and found all of the negative reviews. I had to replace our microwave and I ended up getting a Panasonic full sized black microwave since it not only had excellent reviews, it was also one of the top rated microwaves on Consumer Reports! I can say that I absolutely love this microwave as long as you have enough room for it because it is huge! It's perfect for when I want to reheat a casserole, which happens several times a year. It's Panasonic NN-H965BFA if you are interested. I do have it on one of the counters we do not use for food prep due to it's size.
Jan
10 years ago
I've always had a microwave over the stove, takes up less space. Look around they don't have to be imposing. I have a very similar stove, no knobs. And my knives are also on a magnet strip same place!
stockjo
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for your comments. My question isn't a question of functionality as I don't do any major cooking here it is more of an aesthetic question. As far as size they are almost all the same size, with a difference max about 3/4".
nancyburridge
10 years ago
Form follows function. Doing 'any' cooking in a cabinet over a refrigerator is a safety issue. I suggest find a better location or eliminate it entirely. How about on the counter with sides and doors that slide back on either side. Comepletely hidden when not in use. What is going on the wall over the coffee pot? Could you adapt this space and make it aestheticaally pleasing to your design? Good luck.