Picture?

I will post a photo of how dumb this thing seems after a few replies

why wait? post the darn picture so we know what you're talking about.

who cares what 'they' say. it's your kitchen. if it's awkward, then you won't like using it. get what you like. period.

So they installed a regular cabinet on its side and told you it was the latest thing? Hmmm....

"the latest thing" is a continuous door that slides into a track, like a good breadbox, not something that lifts up to a 90 degree protrusion.

I'm not big on an appliance garage anyway, but if you don't like the one you have, by all means take it out!!

Like these? This would be awkward.

My appliance garage has 2 doors, they slide fully back. I do recall my cabinet maker saying it was not standard.

We had one in my kitchen growing up in the '80s when my mother re-did the kitchen with all "the latest". Exactly as you described. If it is what Traci_from_seattle pictured above, your contractor is lying if he is saying "it's the most innovative thing". Though the fact that you are being coy about posting a photo is making me wonder what this post is really for.

There are positives and negatives for each type of appliance garage. Customizing some details mitigates some of that. But doors don’t disappear. The type of doors has to be figured based on the intended function of the garage. The objects height and width impacts that.

Photo please.

Photo? We had an appliance door vertical lift similar to this one at our last house. It swung up from an upper cabinet, though, as it hid our microwave so it wasn't "in our face" when lifted.....

(For some reason, Houzz isn't letting it display their photo I'm referring to but you can click HERE to go to it.)

this is it - does not slide back in nor does it slide all the way up

I wouldn't want anything like that in my kitchen. It just isn't functional. I think you could remove the door completely and just have the applicances on the counter - the side of the cabinet hides most of it. Or if it has appliances that aren't used often, have them switch it for a regular cabinet with a door. It doesn't matter if it's the "latest thing" or not if it doesn't work for you.

Could you open it and take another picture?

Do you still like the appliance cabinet idea?

It sounds to me like they are just lazy about replacing it for you. If it is not functional you should insist on something else.

I've designed a few kitchens where the client absolutely wanted a garage door cabinet. I'm not a fan of them myself. The idea is nice, but in reality, they are a PITA. When a client wants one, I do my best to inform them of how it will look & function. The problem with the fold-up door like yours is that if the door is taller than the cabinet is deep, the door sticks out like you're describing. The drawback with the roll-up style is that the mechanism takes up a lot of the height at the front. So then tall kettles, & coffee makers need to be tipped to pull out. I have also designed some that are more like an entertainment centre where the doors fold in on the sides rather than the top. Out of any of them, this is my preference, but still not a perfect system as, this, like the fold-up style, will only slide in the depth of the cabinet & if the door(s) are wider than the cabinet is deep, they will stick out. However, at least it's on the side.

Judging by your picture, your door is taller than the cabinet depth & will only slide in to a point. A good Designer should have seen that & let you know.

How does it stay up when it is open? To me it looks like he just installed one of the doors sideways and called it a day. Lame.

Appliance garages are always problems. They interrupt counter space, can’t hold what you think they do, and don’t really “hide” anything. It’s better to just buy pretty appliances and only keep the ones you use on the counter. A kitchen is a kitchen. It’s not a secret that it has appliances.

"Innovative" is a relative term and this is far from innovative in my opinion. What's most important is if it's functional for you, which it does not sound like it is.

"Innovative" most likely means the latest hardware for this application. If it's not executed in the correct way, new or old hardware won't make it any better.

LOL it doesn't sound very pretty nor very practical. whoever is selling it sounds like a pretty good salesman and knows how to cover up mistakes pretty well. it seems you didn't fall for it though,. impressed. yea forsure switch it to something that works properly and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb

From what I can tell, it looks like you have full overlay doors. Your cabinet doors cover beyond the opening of the cabinets. You wouldn't even be able to change the hinging mechanism to a garage door if you wanted. The door needs to be shorter and narrower than the opening of the cabinet. So, your options are to get a smaller door for the slide-in, switch to a roll-up door, or just get rid of the door and leave it open (preferably with the interior of the cabinet finished). The door-less option is the easiest fix, and it's not a bad look at all. It still gives your appliances a home. Hope this helps.

There are special hinges that make the front come out and straight upwards (almost vertical). Find out if your kitchen salesman can find these somewhere and install them.

Those aren’t any better. They still occupy a lot of space on the garage interior, and they totally block the cabinet above. So you can operate the coffee maker or get a coffee cup. But not both.

rinqreation .... Richelieu sells something similar, see here. I had forgot about those

@rinqreation, I had one of those in my old kitchen. It was my favorite! While using the appliance garage (which held my Vita-mix, toaster, a bin of mail) multiple times a day, I never had to access the cabinet above because I stored my needed items directly next to it in a cabinet. It was SO functional, nice to use, and didn't take up any needed room in my "garage". I would use that again in a heartbeat!

I love my appliance garage. Not to hide appliances but to hide the dog's mess daily. All her meds, treats, bowl, etc. I hated having it on the counter. Ours is a Blum hinge that lifts straight up and I love it. Works great.

Here is my appliance garage closed.

And here it is opened. It lifts straight up. Yes you can't get to the cabinet above, but for us that's not a problem with this cabinet.
And here you can see it above the microwave closed.

IMO appliance garages are dated and a PITA and this one seems even more of ahassle than usual.

I am always amazed how you seem to have this need to give your two cents as to what is considered dated. And even if something is "dated" but it works for an individual, does that make it a poor choice?

I also find it amazing how you KNEW without the OP posting a photo of their garage that it was "more of a hassle than usual.

Frankly you may be a professional but not one I'd ever hire

The lift-up mechanism would be a really great solution in this case. You keep the door, and the overall look does not change when it's closed. Great ideas given in this thread, and I don't believe appliance garages are dated. It's definitely not something you would put in every kitchen, but it's not anything to rule out.

this is how it opens in this particular case

Adam Berk, when I click on the links you provided, I get an error message. Can you give the name of the hardware, please,

I think you can definitely have the lift mechanism swapped out for the Blum Aventos lift system fairly easily.