Thanks for the feedback. Our main concern is how to get a microwave in our kitchen without using those upper cabinets. 1) because the upper cabinets will need to be moved a foot higher (do not want to move all of the rest of the cabinets up) & 2) because we want open shelving above the microwave; We just moved in a few months ago and are increasingly aware there are many problems that need fixed in the house, and will be fixing over time. BTW, the faux brick has been there for 30 years and the stove had been placed there as well and do not seem to be in bad condition - so it is not much of an immediate concern until we remodel the whole kitchen. Not sure how it's stayed so clean this long....

You have storage in the cabinet that the MW should be hanging from. No reason to try to reinvent the wheel here when if you just install the MW as it is designed to be installed, you get everything you say you want.

In your situation, and from what you describe what you want, the only solution I can see is to get a counter-top microwave. Please, if possible, move the stove into the position near the cabinet, under the top cupboards. Then you can either move the top cabinets up or take them out completely and put shelves up. Without seeing the rest of your kitchen...do you have room for a counter-top microwave or room for a microwave cart?

I appreciate your input, but as it is now, the microwave cannot be installed as it is too tall and does not give enough space above the stove to cook anything if we mount it under the existing cabinet. This is why we have to "reinvent the wheel". We are already going to have to remove the cabinet or move the whole set up to install the microwave we have. It was part of a set and we cannot return it to get a new, smaller one. Instead of move all of the cabinets up, we would prefer to just remove the one over the stove and put it open shelves so that it will be more along the look we want as well as be functional. Please feel free to comment if you have any help for us instead of telling us just to use what we have. It's not the help we need or want.

The photo is for display purposes to show what I wanted, not how we use it. We are going to eventually remodel the kitchen. If you guys think the kitchen is a disaster, you should see the whole house. We have our work cut out for us and moving the stove is the least of it, believe me. I'm just trying to find an easy solution to get the microwave hanging to satisfy us for now until we can redesign the kitchen. I counter top microwave from Walmart for now. Just wanting to know if anyone has any suggestions about hanging a microwave above a stove without using actual cabinets - with open shelving. Please post if you have suggestions about that.

Like that?

I can't tell if either are using adjoining cabinets to secure the microwave, but ours did not rely on the above cab to support. It has its own brackets. Unless I'm misunderstanding, one option is to create open shelves and to place micro on them and another is to use mounting brackets and simply have shelving over the top. Read your install directions for the microwave and it gives you several options for support.

Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for! I'll look to see if the manufacturer has mounting brackets to help support it.

Sophie, that's one option. Ours had two (the other not using that upper cab) although if she installed a supported shelf, she could use that option.

That is how 95% of all OTRs are installed.

I know how to install the otr microwaves, that's not the issue - I'm looking for outside the box design ideas since we can't use our cabinet the way it is.

You are overthinking this. The MW will fit under that cabinet just like all retrofit MWs fit. Most will hang down below the adjacent cabinets. It's fine. All you have to do is scoot the range over where it belongs. Then add another cabinet to the right side so you can have the landing space there that you really need.

Hi Amy. I'm wondering if something like this could work for you. You would have to screw into the brick, but if you're going to remodel eventually, I don't think it would be a problem. Is there a plug somewhere in the cabinet for the microwave?

Here's the how to link: https://magnoliamarket.com/diy-open-pipe-shelving/

By the way, I know what you mean about the cabinet being too tall to put a regular OTR under it. I had the same issue. I just moved mine up and left the others, but it didn't look bad because I had cabinets on both sides. You might be able to find a small shelf unit with baskets to fill in the space between the stove and cabinets or possibly you could DIY one to fit the space.

Hope this helps!

The other issue I forgot to mention is that our cabinet isn't deep enough to hook the microwave into. So we cannot use the cabinet at all. I have had multiple cabinet designers at our house to look at it and they said there is no possible way we can use the existing cabinet. They quoted around $250 for a new one that would be the size we need. I really don't want a cabinet there, especially because we can't find anyone to match the cabinet doors we already have, so if we were to get a new cabinet, the doors wouldn't match our existing. The photo of the iron piping is exactly what I want, just thought there would be some easy way to hook up the pipe to the microwave. It doesn't sound like there is. Will look at the brackets under the microwave for support and just attach to a shelf over & to the wall behind.

All wall cabinets are 12" deep with all MWs being 15" deep. They all stick out. It is normal. That is how they are all installed.

This is really simple. Build your shelves. Install microwave just as it would be if there was a cabinet above.

A stove when installed needs to have an elecrical cord or flexible gas line long enough for the stove to be moved out for cleaning so i am having a hard time understanding why the stove cannot go under the cabinet and then remove the cabinet put in your shelves and arrang the bottom one at the right height to install the microwave and of course that microwave will have to have a filter as opposed to a vent and you will an electrical plug on that wall

It's not as hard to disassemble the upper cabinets and shorten the doors as you might imagine. The horizontal rails fit into the shape of the stiles so they just move down. I made a tutorial that shows how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_nnNO_j1L4

Did you resolve this problem? If no microwave, what are you using for a vent above stove?

There are charcoal self venting microwaves that do not require an outside vent.

I am hoping that someone could shed some light. I think it's a similar problem as I read here, except a slightly different situation. this is a garage conversion, small space. I have a 24" range and 24" over the range MW that will serve as a vent for the range. I don't have or want wall cabinets. I need to hang the MW over the range and I thought of a pipe shelf with a very thick bottom shelf to undermount the micro over the range. Will this work? I have a designated, electrician installed outlet for both the MW and the range.