My DMIL gave me my microwave 15 years ago and it still works. But I didn't want to give up any counter space for it and, when it dies, I really want to get a Sharp 24" microwave drawer. So I had the cabinet guy leave a space for it under the island countertop and it's relatively easy to use. Surprisingly so.

Right now it's just an open shelf but the Sharp will be built in later. There is a bit of room on each side and on the top of the old microwave so I am using that to store my cutting boards. Don't know where I'll put them when I get the Sharp.

I had a similar reaction to your question as Salal:

Decide on what you would like to replace the old appliances with if you had the budget to do it today and try to come up with a configuration that will allow you to use your current units but easily replace them when the time comes.

Hiding them because they're ugly wouldn't concern me much, but for some people it's important to have things look just so. (I like a bit of character.) You could definitely put fold back doors (like on a TV cabinet) on a cupboard holding the microwave. The unit just needs some ventilation room around it. A good safety feature would be to wire a switch on the outlet and the doors so that you can't operate the microwave with the doors closed. Or you could have an open cabinet and put a hook in the top from which you hang a picture, like covering a wall safe.

The toaster oven is harder. Do you use it a lot? If so, you might just want to put it on the coutner and get a pretty cover for it. Toaster ovens, especially older ones, get very hot and don't really belong in cabinets. Some have put them in appliance garages, but I'd be uncomfortable having one enclosed by wood. Some people who use it less frequently put it in a cupboard and just bring it out and plug it in when it's needed.

Since you can buy a decent microwave for $100.00(perhaps as an interim), I wouldnt plan anything around something that could die at any moment. My parents had a 30+ year old microwave that worked fine until one day it started to go haywire, for example (let alone the notion that microwaves over a certain age probably leak some radiation during use.)

If anything I would plan to put it in an inconspicuous spot and plan for the new permanent microwave placement at the same time.

Since each of these appliances is replacable by a $79 model that would be much smaller than you're dealing with, I would at minimum replace them with modern sized appliances. Don't let your attachement to ancient appliances make you make bad decisions in the planning stage of your forever kitchen.

How old is your old GE dishwasher? How old is your microwave? How old is your toaster oven?

I'd be reluctant to plan a new kitchen around old appliances personally. Of course, I'm one of those people that wouldn't use a microwave if you paid me, and I hate toaster ovens because they look terrible, and they break easily, and I'm afraid of them being a fire hazard. But forget all that. Small appliances only last so long so to plan a kitchen around old small appliances may not be wise.

I agree. It seems giveaway boards are full of free microwaves. Craiglist, your church or school, start pestering your friends -- it's likely someone has one in their closet they'd be happy to lend, or sell you cheap, just to get it out of there. Start with someone whose kid just moved back from college and doesn't show any signs of moving out ...

Swap your ugly big one for an ugly one of the size you really want/need. That will at least get you closer to what you want.

Or even if you have to have the ugly ones out on the counter for a year or two until they die a natural death, or you CAN afford to replace them, grit your teeth and do that. It's one year of ugly compared to many years.

Toaster ovens are pretty much the same size, I think, so that's less of an issue.

Don't make a permanent cabinetry space decision based on outdated appliances, you'll kick yourself later for something that is really fixable now.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone. All valid points. Guess my main focus is not old or new appliances, but more about planning for flexibility (with regard to fire hazard & ventilation). I agree for under $100.00 these are "disposibles" and don't see the point of buying a new flashy built-in of these. Same rationale for not disposing of them if they still work. The old dishwasher will be a placeholder for a newer one down the renovation road.

I'm now toying with idea of a pull out pantry shelf in a base cabinet or above that I can pull out when these items are in use for the short time for ventilation, then popped back behind closed doors when done. Trying to brainstorm for some "outside the box" ideas. Thanks.

- LivNLearn

Just for perspective on this, I am tabulating about $9K-10K for the cooktop (2-3K), two wall ovens (7K).

The Most expensive countertop microwave I could find is $700ish--most are $400 and below. So at the High end, we are talking about 8 percent of your cooking appliance budget and as little as 2% for a decent worker bee countertop microwave. I would try to save a couple hundred bucks by leaving out a pullout or drawer organizer at this point, if necessary.

We had a new deeper upper cabinet built to hold the microwave. Here's a picture - the cabinet was just installed Monday.