I am designing my kitchen remodel also and have some of the same questions! Personally a mixer lift seems like a disaster in the making. I like your idea of a appliance garage. I believe an instant pot in a pullout would be messy. I have my appliance garage/serve ware in a hall closet with sliding doors currently and it’s pretty functional. Maybe pullout for lower shelves that may be difficult to reach. Your new kitchen will be beautiful!

Following. 😊

My thoughts, you need to consider the heat, and in some cases steam that appliances make. Where will that go? Is there enough "pull out" that it vents into the room or is it going to go into your pantry/closet/shelf and cause moisture/mold issues? In case of an instant pot, at least mine, it is pretty heavy when cooking and makes a lot of steam. It would take heavy duty sliders to hold that. Also, I wouldn't want wood or composite shelving to get steamed or exposed to heat like a toaster. That's why counters are heat resistant.

I wish a good solution could be found. All my small appliances live in the pantry and go back after use.

You could have the one of tall pantry segmented to be an open or with open and slide in door in the form of a 18" tall cabinet sitting on top of a 18" deep standard 36" tall cabinet and door ed cabinet above - coffee needs to be a a safe and ergonomic height of 36" no matter where it is placed.

@Leasa Brown yeah it is the steam that worries me which is why I was thinking pullout but you're right about how heavy it is.. My toaster is definitely going to live on my countertop. I'm hoping that and my coffee maker will be the only things out as opposed to now where my instant pot and blender are always out on my counter

@Adrian J. Naquin Interior Design L.L.C. thanks. I definitely had that thought but will need to still move those things bc of the steam/heat. I dont want to warp anything above....

I feel like my only option is going to be to take these things in and out of the pantry shelves and at 18" it shouldnt be too hard to access them I'm hoping... unless anyone else has any ideas

My stand mixer lives on my counter. It's heavy and I use it frequently. My slow cooker goes on a pullout shelf in my pantry. Our pantry is 24" deep. The bottom has pullouts, the top does not. Pullouts are great.

You've got it thinking these things out now. I didn't get design input in my current kitchen but my last bath I did. I set out everything I needed to store and measured heights, widths then figured out what would be stored together. This helped me determine the best shelf/drawer heights for my needs. Everyone's kitchen is equipped differently so take this opportunity to make it work for you.

@latifolia With your slow cooker, do you pull it out and place it on a counter to use it? Thanks!

Yes, I pull out my slow cooker and put it on the counter. It's a large one, but not heavy. I wouldn't want to leave the cabinet door open all day. I planned my kitchen to maximize counter space, and I'm not one to worry about the counters being cleared off.

I'm not one to currently worry about my counters cleared off, but I think that might be why there is always so much clutter in my kitchen. I have grand plans that with the reno I can keep everything pretty clear but we will see if I can make that stick.

I’d check with your code. I don”t think it is allowed to operate an appliance from within a cabinet.

I wouldn't want something pulled into an aisle impeding traffic.

I wouldn't want bits of food ending up in my cabinet.

Few of these appliances are heavy enough to make picking them up and positioning them a hassle.

A mixer is the only heavy thing here, right? Mine lives on the counter in a dedicated baking area. Even so, the spouse moves it to a different counter they feel is easier to clean. Teehee. You can't really win.

I think a heavy mixer on a mixer lift kind of makes sense. Not enough to install one or anything though.

@Fori thanks! True about impeding traffic. They’re not so heavy. I think probably easiest to move them over to the island to use. And might be a good excuse to buy the purple kitchen aid I have my eye on.

I have a mixer lift in my island and would not do it again. It basically takes up the whole one side of the cabinet. I would have been far better off making the island all drawers and stowing the mixer because I use it infrequently. Even if I used it often I still wouldn’t do the mixer lift. I’d let it sit on the counter. KitchenAid makes some beautiful mixers.

My mom built a home in the early '70s and fought to convince the contractor to deepen the counters to accommodate appliance garages left and right of the sink. Once she convinced him, he wanted to bring other clients to see them, but she refused! They were great! I would prefer a WIP with dedicated outlets/counter for small appliances, but I think a mixer lift would be great. The ones I've seen appear to be pretty beefy! If your situation is open concept, you have to decide how much of the equipment you want to display to the public. If your kitchen is closed off, it isn't such a big deal.

Do you use your Instant Pot every day? Weekly? Other?

Do you have to have all the pantry cabinets? Have you considered, instead, making that whole row base + uppers (no uppers in front of the window, of course)?

If you did, you could make a Snack/Appliance Center where you put your Instant Pot, toaster oven, coffeemaker, and what ever other small appliances you want to use without moving them.
They could be on the now much longer counter with several outlets to accommodate them all?
(Personally, I wouldn't use the mixer there as it's usually part of a much larger baking effort and I prefer to have it where I work.) The uppers could be used for food storage as well as the base cabs.

If you need more pantry storage, maybe reduce the seating at the island and, instead, have a row of shallow base cabinets that would provide more storage.

You show what appear to be at least 4 stools; I cannot tell, but be sure you don't have two stools sharing the same corner since two people's legs cannot share the same space. (I see that mistake a lot here, so I thought I'd mention it. I assume you also have the minimum recommended 15" of clear leg/knee overhang space as well & are not skimping on the overhang, especially on an aisle with a lot of traffic.)

Thanks. Wish I had room for walk in pantry. We’re going to be open to dining room. I use my instant pot a few times a week so right now it lives on the counter. @Buehl thats a good idea but the depth is only 18” and I need to pull out to use IP, toaster etc so that won’t really work unfortunately. I think it seems I’m better off just moving everything.

I think a purple KA should be out on the counter. Probably in front of the window. :)

With that tall pantry you won't mind pulling out the IP to use. I keep mine in a drawer and it's no big deal. The toaster stays out because..hmm...why? I guess because it's never truly clean.

We should not be ashamed of our appliances. It's a kitchen!

One of my favorite decisions in my recent remodel. Things are pulled out and used on the adjacent countertop or island depending on what it is. Very easy. Very clean. Love it!

@Fori agreed and a purple KA will bring out the purple specs in my countertop. My toaster and coffee maker will definitely be out.

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@MinnesotaMary thats what I was thinking so glad to hear it works for you.

We have a butlers type paBret, so things get used out there, and then put away. Sometimes. Usually the sit on the counter until I see it and put it away.

My kitchen island was equipped with an appliance lift with a plug built inside that cabinet. I didn't find it to be particularly useful. I always ended up moving whatever appliance was there onto the actual island to use. So now, I just use the lift as a regular shelf for storage.