You'll want a landing space for things coming from the fridge, microwave, and oven. Hubby is right. That said, I'd suggest posting your whole floor plan to see if someone can recommend a different layout that would get you that full size pantry.

Hi Kathryn P, I had asked the Houzz community :) about my pantry woes, and the conclusion was that this was the best option.

I agree that you need a landing space not just for the microwave, but for the fridge, the oven and the pantry. Is there a counter directly across from the microwave, fridge, oven etc? Like Kathryn P, I'd like to see a sketch of the kitchen layout to see where the nearest landing space is. If it is an island literally one step from the microwave (e.g. an island opposite the microwave, oven and pantry) then I don't think you need the pull-out and it could even be a pain since pulling it out could block traffic. If there is no counter directly opposite this (which is hard to imagine), then you need one and a pull-out would not really solve the problem.

For balance, I'd flip the pantry and oven sections .. and I'm with hubs, I definitely would want the "landing space" to place items.

Far more convenient than any pullout anything, and an easy solution is a convection/ microwave with a drop DOWN oven style door. I'd flip fridge and pantry if possible. I am also unclear as to whether you have TWO wall ovens or one. I'd make very certain you need two. A convection microwave can do quite a bit. The GE Advantium is quite amazing with a triple duty functions!! Kitchen aid below.

i can vouch for my drop down microwave door being very convenient. but its not like you'll open the microwave to pile the salad ingredients on from the fridge... so yeah if there is an island behind you while at the mw that would be good. if there is no flat surface anywhere i'm with your husband.

Rethink the two ovens to one with convection microwave multiple functions atop. Move pantry area to middle, and leave a "set down" space. Without seeing the entire kitchen plan, it is impossible to advise. Or Relocate the microwave to perimeter under counter space and get a Sharp, drawer style micro. They are the only makers of the drawer.

Your KD should be advising the options, btw.

( ps appliances are incredibly well insulated. no issue with that, but I still would center the pantry.

You need landing space for the fridge, ovens and microwave oven. Your idea has none, his has insufficient. Also an inconvenient layout with the doors and proximity.

And the drawer idea is terrible. Quite likely to be flimsy, protrudes into your walkway, is a moving, not fixed, surface, unsafe for containers full of hot liquids, and if you have spills, you'll be cleaning drawer grooves and recesses

Isn't it a problem to have a hot oven next to a cold refrigerator? There was a post recently where the installer refused to warranty the fridge if it was next to the oven.

Plus I think it looks more balanced if you put the stainless appliances on the sides with the landing space in between.

Tall oven cabinet to right, with built in separate speed cooker MW, and single wall oven. Fridge to left, being sure to get clearance of the wall enough to open, and a counter with storage between. That gives you landing space for everything, storage, and counter space.

I would put landing place in the middle. Functionally its better and also the symmetry of tall appliance on both side will be pleasing to the eye. color and material palate is great.

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We’re doing the Sharp MW drawer below the GE French door oven in this design so as to not lose counter space. She has a second oven in the range too.

Using tall elements to flank a counter space works really well. Of course, yours would be smaller. But it’s a great place for a coffee station and snack center.

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Sorry Jan, I disagree about the drop down MW door -- then again I'm short at only 5'0 tall. This is my biggest regret with our kitchen: should have put in a MW door that swings out to the side. And also, skip the drawer underneath the wall oven. Basically, I need to stand on my tippy toes to take anything out of the MW -- it would be just fine with a door that swings open. The drop down requires extra arm length I just don't got unless standing on tippy toes.

I guess I do see what Jan is saying in that if something was so scorching hot it made me drop whatever is in my hands, the drop down door would catch it before landing on the floor. Thing is, the drop down door makes it MORE likely I'm going to drop an item-- since I need to stand on my tippy toes to get anything out of the MW.

We will replace when the MW dies on us someday - in the meantime I just get the hubby to MW everything.

To OP: we have landing space both to the side and directly behind on an island. 99% of the time, I just turn around and use the island.

Jennifer M, I'm also short so this is important to me as well. Thanks everyone for your contributions. I have a meeting with our designer and installer tomorrow morning, and I'll present these options.

The full plan may help.

I don’t know how we can really help without seeing the whole layout.

Shacute, regardless of your layout and how close landing space is or what you do about that pantry -- since you're short, take out the drawer below the ovens or at least reduce its height a lot. And if it's not too late, also get a MW door that swings sideways rather than down.

That's what I wish we'd done.

The configuration works great for 5'10" hubby and most future buyers... I am just shorter than average so it's an annoyance I wish I'd thought through more carefully.

If it helps I just stood in front of our MW and my eye level is below the center of the MW, a little higher than plate height. It's no higher than what we had before in our last place with MW above the cooktop. The big difference is the drop down door rather swing out door, which is what we had before.

Eliminate a drawer or two.........add a drawer style micro wave : ) Sharp. On the perimeter or in the island. This is design in a vacuum with no full plan of the kitchen. In fairness, all are issues not for a design community on Houzz,, but for the KD familiar with the actual kitchen space , the plan and the OP.

Respectfully, even with an actual kitchen space and familiar KD such details can still get overlooked, for those of us shorter than average height. Unless your KD is shorter than average height too. Taller people just don't get it because they aren't our height. They just aren't. And by taller I am meaning average. Heh.

Most folks think I'm crazy when I tell them that yes, those dang airplane seats are ALSO a horrible atrocity for me, they think it must be fine because my knees aren't hitting the seat in front of me like theirs are. And they are right on that point, but they just don't experience the back issues that comes from ill placed lumbar and arms that are too short to rest comfortably on the arm rests.

Go look online for stylish fashionable foot rests for under an office desk and you'll see we shorties have little options. Adjustable height desks? Only go one way-- taller. NOT shorter.

Drawer style micros? Considered that but if you already have back problems (due to conforming your too short stature to a too tall world) then leaning over to get stuff out is the last thing you want to do. If you're lucky you have a good physical therapist who's taught you all the yoga poses for any movement requiring bending -- operating a drawer micro would be like the moves you have to make to unload a dishwasher without throwing out your already unhappy cranky back. A back made miserable by sitting in chairs too high at desks too tall and in sofas that are way too deep without piles of pillows -- yet your feet are still dangling regardless.

Sorry for my cranky rant, that I am typing while laying flat on my back which is not happy at the moment. And yes, I know it's just as hard for the taller outliers too.... who will have to do even more contorted deeper yoga poises to reach into that micro drawer (that's why the trend has raised ovens up on to the wall, right?).

Okay not a pro just a kitchen user-- I think the peninsula is too far for a landing spot. It's not a pivot and place distance; it's a few steps away and on an angle rather than directly behind you.

Do the counter between fridge and ovens like your hubby wants.

Also that counter will be perfect for a coffee station. Will keep your other counters free.

Or if you don't drink coffee, any other sort of beverage or snack area or toaster oven/ breakfast bar--- stuff family wants to raid while you are doing the dishes and cooking. Keeps them out of your way.

But I get wanting a lot of pantry space. Do you have other areas for pantry space beyond the kitchen?

Jennifer M, on other post, I asked if I should add matching cabinets or a hutch for storage to this wall

We're moving from a much bigger home, and large kitchen/dining area, so we're downsizing.

Totally understand the down-sizing; we are recent empty nesters. Our last kitchen though was about the same size as your current one. Just the U not the fridge/wall oven wall. But did have a second peninsula dividing eat in with main area, that had extra lower cabs but no uppers. And honestly it worked pretty well, even for a family of four, with commitment to daily family dinners, and packed school lunches, and all of that.

Not saying I didn't crave a pantry! Basically most of our food storage was crammed in the lazy susans. No bulk shopping for us.

Our new kitchen is a galley with island on one side. Decluttering way down (like more than 1/2) really helped.

But yeah... we also put in a walk in pantry behind the kitchen. In a space under the stairs, that used to be a laundry (moved the laundry upstairs).

If your downstairs has a laundry room maybe that is an option -- if you are willing to sacrifice? Our upstairs laundry is now just a closet with stackables, but it works for us, and I'm much happier having the walk in pantry downstairs near the kitchen.

Change the cook to a 30 inch RANGE, giving you one oven, ( treat it as the extra if you can't bend, but note that a GE pro has full extension slide out racks ) move the wall oven and micro combo to nearest dining entrance, center the pantry/ landing spot and done. Note, I have never reached into a micro and needed an oven mitt, so the "too hot to handle" thing is a bit of a mystery to me.

Note, doing that would allow a simple pivot to range/set down area, the fridge has a simple pivot to peninsula, and basically you would need no landing spot, allowing more storage for that which would be eliminated by considering a range vs. cook top. At some point it becomes wheel reinvention : )

I believe you definitely need the landing space since you don't have an island. And I agree with folks who say to split the appliances and put the landing space in the middle.

Your layout is similar to mine. I would consider adding a few inches to the right of the sink so your dishwasher is to the right, not behind you. Moving the dishwasher will also allow you room for a nice, large pots and pans drawer in the peninsula.

One thing I did in my peninsula was take advantage of the dead space under the overhang by adding a cabinet with pullout shelves on the outside of the peninsula. I store seldom used things like my dutch oven and Kitchenaid mixer in them.

Using as many drawer bases versus door bases will greatly increase your storage as well.

You want to be sure there's either a filler to the left of the fridge or that the wall is pulled back far enough for the door to fully open. Consider an extended depth refrigerator cabinet as well. It's also great for storing seldom used items.

The smaller cabinet to the left of the cooktop would make a great place for cookie sheet storage if you have dividers installed. Mine is only 15" wide and has cookie sheets, muffin tins, and cutting boards. The vertical storage is nice to have.