Just a few random thoughts..... I like the idea of doors that can be tucked away when open so they aren't in my way when I am getting my coffee, or toast, or whatever, plus I would probably leave the doors open much of the time, but that's me. We have our coffee cups in the top drawer right below our coffee machine and it is working out really well. I agree with you about putting the bread in a drawer, and I have also done that below our toaster. Have you thought about where you will fix the sandwich, or butter the toast? Not much room on a counter in front of the machines, so perhaps a slide out cutting board? I also see that Rev a Shelf is making a drawer insert for K-cups.

I have one of those.......

It holds my 4 slice toaster,my Nespresso, and frother. Must have both doors open when toasting, even though toaster can be accessed via one door because otherwise cabinet gets hot. This is a teen training issue. My cabinet is 32' wide and has doors that slide in, like your examples. I did not want a lift up door because they block the above cabinet and that is where I store the mugs. I do not have a water line. I have one 4 gang outlet and it is fine, It is in the back wall. It would have been lovely to have the cabinet illuminated when the doors open, that is on my to do list(but its been 3 years...).

I did not put my regular coffee pot in the cabinet, it sits in the counter. We are coffee drinkers. My husband makes the coffee at night to start automatically in the morning. Counter is best place for his needs. I can live with it.

My microwave sits on a shelf in my pantry closet. I like it off the counter and out of the way. It doesn't get used heavily. Today, for example, I defrosted a pint of frozen sauce and reheated a cup of coffee. If I didn't have teens at home I probably would not have a microwave. When this one dies I may live without. Before I got this one 3 years ago I hadn't had one for 8 years.

Reading Sherri's post I want to update, that I have my bread in a drawer, but it is not a drawer by my 'garage'. The bread drawer is in the island, next to the cutting board drawer and below the knife drawer.

I bake much of my own bread. The routine is pull out bread, board, knife. Slice. Take slices on board to toaster, if toasting is desired. Personally, not a toast fan as I have a very sensitive mouth and toast rips my palate to shreds. I know, I'm weird. I have teens they tell me constantly.

About those pull out trays..... there is still dirt underneath. I'd rather be able to clean the counter, than have dirt underneath a pull out that I cant clean easily.

I like the idea of doors that can be tucked away when open

Okay, good point. I wasn't consciously aware of this, but every one of my examples shows tuck-away doors.

Have you thought about where you will fix the sandwich, or
butter the toast?

The peninsula will be "right there" on the other side, so no problem.

I also see that Rev a Shelf is
making a drawer insert for K-cups

Like it, but I can't see paying $177 for an insert.

Must have
both doors open when toasting, even though toaster can be accessed via
one door because otherwise cabinet gets hot.

I wasn't thinking about heat -- but it's okay to use the toaster inside the "cavity" as long as doors are open?
It
would have been lovely to have the cabinet illuminated

Illumination is a good thought too -- something that wasn't on my radar at all.

My microwave sits on a shelf in my pantry closet.

I'm considering that option too.

About those pull out trays..... there is still dirt underneath. I'd
rather be able to clean the counter, than have dirt underneath a pull
out that I cant clean easily.

Okay, this is the first comment on pull-out trays vs. no trays. I hadn't thought about dirty underneath.

Thanks, all.

"Like it, but I can't see paying $177 for an insert."

Shop around, you can usually get these things for less elsewhere.

Another option is to make your own - how handy are you? It doesn't look too difficult to make.

Just placed my kitchen cabinet order and will have exactly what you are considering. The lower cabinets will be pulled out from the wall 4" so even with the appliance garage sitting on the counter I'll still have workable counter in front of it with the doors closed. It will be my coffee center (no dedicated water line) house the toaster and small microwave on a shelf above, mugs, coffee grinder etc. The only thing I ever use a micro for is heating the cream for my coffee every morning and heating leftovers - never cooking so I have no interest in building one in. This all sits back from the panels around the refrig so will be out of view unless you're actually in the kitchen.

Here's some other ideas for you.

I think this is a really cool setup. Could you order this from a semi-custom cabinet maker, or would it have to be custom?

We are building this into our new house. It will house a coffee maker (not plumbed), toaster and I'm also going to house my mixing bowl and blender, so it'll be 2 sets of bifolding doors (like pictured above) with adjustable shelves above for a small microwave, coffee cups, and whatever else makes sense. We will have outlets on both sides and they will be 15" deep and have 10.5" of counter top space available when the doors are fully closed. (This doubles as a landing spot next to my fridge.) The space is about 60" wide and about 50" tall. Not sure on where bread will go, but most likely in a drawer under the cabinet or in the pantry.

Once I owned a toaster oven, I have never wanted a toaster again.

I definitely applaud the idea of have everything out of sight!!

So long as the specs for the various appliances say that there will be enough space around them, definitely put them in a cabinet- this means that you have to remember to add the electric to the cabinet. I like the doors that fold back, but the ones that fold back with no possibility of interference from anything on the shelf actually do take up a fair bit of space. If possible the slide out that Caligirl5 showed might be very interesting also a cabinet where the door raises upward out-of-the-way may also be very interesting.

What does "bread drawer" mean to you exactly? I use the progressive bread keeper with cutting board and it does an absolutely fabulous job. I have to keep my bread in the refrigerator as it will mold in my kitchen within two or three days during the summer months.

The lower cabinets will be pulled out from the wall 4" so even with the
appliance garage sitting on the counter I'll still have workable
counter in front of it with the doors closed.

This cabinet will be on a short run along with the refrigerator, and it'll be "refrigerator deep" -- probably 30" -- so, yeah, I'll have that bit of "work in front space".

I'm also going to house my mixing bowl and blender,

My mixer is used probably 4-5 times a week -- more often than the coffee pot -- so I want it to stay out on the counter. I also use my two food processors on a regular basis, but I have a spot picked out for them to live inside a cabinet. My blender I've used perhaps twice in my adult life; I'm not sure why it earns the right to stay here.

I want moveable shelves above and drawers below. So the upper area would
be something like the shelves inside this unit. One thing I found is
that traditional height cabinets above the counter are not high enough
to put the keurig under and open k-cup thingy.

Yes to moveable shelves. Who knows what might exist in 10-20 years? I didn't anticipate the Keurig machine, but it's a better choice for our coffee habits because it doesn't force us to make a whole pot.

Once I owned a toaster oven, I have never wanted a toaster again.

I had a toaster oven and liked it. That's a distinct possibility.

What does "bread drawer" mean to you exactly? I use the progressive
bread keeper with cutting board and it does an absolutely fabulous job.

Something like this:

Thanks, All, for the ideas -- and such nice pictures you've posted. You're really helping me to form opinions.

I looked at a bread drawer like you posted, but decided that I didn't want to dedicate that much space to bread (we don't eat a whole lot of bread) plus I didn't want to deal with all the crumbs in the drawer!

I had a microwave in a cabinet similar to what you are contemplating and I used a roll top door which I found super functional for me and I had zero problems with it. I don't have a picture handy, but here are a couple examples. I don't think I would like the 2nd one so much, but I've included it to give you an idea about size.

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At my old house we had the pocket doors that slid back in to the cabinet housing our microwave. Turned out to be a wasted expense for us. It was inconvenient to open them for brief microwave use then close them again so they stayed open until we were having guests and I wanted to 'pretty the place up'. At that point in my life I had kids at home and of course they couldn't see the need to close them - tucked away they weren't obviously open or in the way as a normal cabinet door is - one of the reasons I'm opting for normal cabinet doors on my coffee area! They still won't be in the way when open but they will be obviously open so I'm more confident they'll get closed after use. That, and DH isn't a coffee drinker so I'll close them. The micro will not be covered this time around

Depending on the function of your coffee maker, I would consider putting it on a pull out shelf. Many need to be filled from the top, and without enough headroom to the next shelf, it needs to be pulled out to add water. I would put it on a roll out for that reason, in case you ever change coffee makers in the future.

I really don't mind certain appliances out on the counter, and I don't care if they are "viewed" by guests or myself. I am just going to be overjoyed that I can put my real clutter away when I move into my build!!! The coffee maker will be used frequently, but it will be nice to have the coffee put away (for a change). Counter level and view-able will be perfect for my microwave, but it will be wonderful to have a cabinet for the rice, oatmeal, and quinoa! And I'll be able to move it should I discover I really prefer it elsewhere than where I plan to put it on my counter. And I'll be glad that all my condiments will have a home!

But anyhow, for most of my minor appliances, unless they're old and ugly, or small, they're fine out where they will be used.

In my last kitchen my microwave sat inside a cabinet with a roll top door in front (as above), in my new kitchen the microwave doesn't have a spot..... it's been banished to the basement pantry. I think I have used it once in 3 months.

so
they stayed open until we were having guests and I wanted to 'pretty
the place up'.

Good point, but since our coffee maker is rarely used, I do think the doors'd be closed most of the time.

Depending
on the function of your coffee maker, I would consider putting it on a
pull out shelf. Many need to be filled from the top, and without enough
headroom to the next shelf, it needs to be pulled out to add water. I
would put it on a roll out for that reason, in case you ever change
coffee makers in the future.

That's a good point about filling the coffee maker. Our current Keurig has a water container on the side, which we pull off and take to the faucet ... but who knows what coffee maker we might own in 10-20 years? The last thing I want is to design an expensive built-in cabinet to fit a $100 small appliance.

I don't have such a cabinet because that stuff is out in the office at our current house. Next house though, I want to be able to hide those small appliances. The only problem I see, and don't think it has been mentioned here, is that the steam from the coffee maker will damage the inside of the cabinet if it isn't pulled out into the open. Dh's coffee pot blistered the finish on a cabinet front using a Mr. Coffee type machine. Now he has a Keurig and I haven't noticed that it makes as much steam, but then, I seldom see it being used.

I'm a single cup at a time pour-over coffee drinker so the mug sits on the counter out in the open when I make it but with a coffee maker steam would be an issue.

They still won't be in the way when open but they will be obviously open so I'm more confident they'll get closed after use. That, and DH isn't a coffee drinker so I'll close them. The micro will not be covered this time around

Good point DLM. Probably a better idea with DH too since he would keep them open and he's the coffee drinker and user of the toaster oven.