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If you have a microwave drawer, how wide is your aisle?

10 years ago

We have 36" between countertops in our ktichen design (skinny 100+ yo brownstone). I could not figure out where to put the microwave, until I read a thread here about microwave drawers.

My question is: it looks like the handle sticks out a bit, for those of us graceful types who tend to run into things...how wide is your aisle in front of your microwave drawer? And do you run into the handle?

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

deeageaux
10 years ago
I have a 1957 galley kitchen in MCM house.

36.5" between countertops. I don't find it is a problem and don't think about it.

You could spend some extra change and get the Thermador which sits flush with cabinets with no handle.
chicgeek
10 years ago
We love the Microwave Drawer. I had never seen one before and when our designer suggested it, I was skeptical. It was the best option for our kitchen and it has worked out great. We have 37.5 inches between countertops.We haven't found the handle obtrusive in any way. Although we did consider the handle when we purchased our dishwasher which is in the opposite bank of cabinets. We choose a KitchenAid model that doesn't have a handle.
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Hi, hobokenkitchen Guidelines are just guidelines, and my husband and I never have felt crowded with the aisle and dimensions that we have in our kitchen -- true we each have a body mass index under 25! But things feel efficient in there: we can easily turn from one line of counters or from the range to the island without taking more than a couple of steps, and the 24" square island utility sink is easily accessible from both sides of the narrow island, from the prep counter against the windows and from the range on the interior wall. The refrigerator/freezer doors are not 36" wide, either, so it doesn't swing too much into the space, and even when the dishwasher door is fully open (on the window side, to the left of the island utility sink) it is possible to sidle around it. I think my only concern having lived with this arrangement for over a year is: it will be interesting to see how well the cork floor holds up over the years, because we really do cover the same territory on that floor over and over. So far no sign of extra wear. But I have extra cork tiles saved! Good luck to you, and thanks to CoCo for supplying those links. lynn
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lascatx
10 years ago
I wound up with about 40" from counter edge to edge, about 38" from front of micro drawer handle to opposite drawer handles and 23"when the micro drawer is open, The front does stick out a bit in front of the cabinets drawers and the counter top. I have a range top that also sticks out, and in my case, that sticks out further, so the micro is almost recessed by comparison. My knob to handle clearance at the range top is right at 36". It is not a problem for us, but as suggested, you could go with a version that is more flush fitting.
taggie
10 years ago
As stated above it sticks out a very little bit, but not as much as my range handles or dishwasher handles. The handle on mine protrudes less than an inch past the counter overhang. You will be perfectly fine with your 36" aisle, no worries.

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