Growing up in an Italian family really emphasized cooking from scratch. So when I was younger the microwave was only meant to heat up some delicious leftovers from when my mother cooked the night before. My mom hated clutter so she didn't want the microwave on the countertop. After brainstorming with my father we decided to install it into a cabinet. Years later when designing my kitchen I decided to purchase a small microwave. They have become smaller and more slim as the years have gone by. The smallest version available is the GE Spacemaker. It comes in black and white. I should mention that the standard cabinet is only 12" deep so I had to order semi custom Ultra Craft Cabinets from a company in North Carolina. I was thrilled that they were Made in the USA.They made the upper cabinets 13" deep. We cut out the back of the cabinet and installed a double receptacle into the cabinet.
As you can see it fits nicely and doesn't take up so much space.
With the doors closed the kitchen looks nice and clean. With so many options of beautiful hoods out there the old fashioned microwave combo takes away from the look of the kitchen. Obviously depending on how much you use your microwave this is a great option to conceal this appliance. If your going to design your new kitchen write down some ideas about what custom features you would like to have. Thinking outside of the box is OK after all its the place where we spend the most of our time in our home. When my wife and I were planning we wrote down some ideas and we even entertained the notion of installing the microwave in the island. As many of you know having a dog and kids can be difficult when heating up food. I think Bailey agrees!
Ciao