The second picture isn't showing up for me but, while I get the desire to avoid an OTR microwave, will you have sufficient storage space without it? How are you venting the range?

"Depending on the microwave, it might be hard to reach into/over the peninsula to open the door and use controls."

Good point, rantontoo. All but six inches of the MW would be over the peninsula, so I did a mock-up. It wasn't ideal, but it really wasn't that bad to reach in and out, because the MW I plan on using is only 17" wide.

"Have you seen examples of the microwave in the lower cabs?"

Do you mean like in my first example? Or do you mean inside a cabinet behind a door?

"What is on the other side of the stove?"

A 15" cab. Definitely not room there.

You're welcome! While the second option would give you more upper storage, you are still giving up real, usable counter space. Have you planned where things will go that take up counter space under the cabinets (e.g. toaster, coffee maker, etc.)? How much counter space do you have on the other side of the range? I think I would have to look past my preference for a non OTR-microwave if the space dictated it, because storage space and counter space are the two most important functions of a kitchen for me. And the things I notice most when they are lacking.

To echo what rantontoo suggested, if you can afford to lose the lower storage and you really hate the idea of OTR, I would look into lower cabinet options (i.e. microwave drawer). I'd rather give up the lower cabinet space than upper because at least it's hidden that way. I also think its safer to lift hot things up, rather than bring them down :)

"To echo what rantontoo suggested, if you can afford to lose the lower storage and you really hate the idea of OTR, I would look into lower cabinet options"

Oh! Sorry to have misread your post, rantontoo. I didn't read "lower" correctly and got confused. I love microwave drawers, but can't spare the loss of that lower storage.

"storage space and counter space are the two most important functions of a kitchen for me."

These are really good points, Kirsten. You are really helping me prefer option two, because that counter space isn't used for anything now, and most can't be used for prep because the peninsula limits reach over there.

I used a single wall oven with a microwave in the wall cab, and it works very well for us. I do not see that option in the photo.

I was referencing this:

kim k, thank you very much for the suggestion. Sorry to have these two threads be a little redundant - that was not my intention! I was previously planning on an undercounter microwave in that hutch, but it took up way too much space that I needed for pantry items. If I change the top of that hutch from the 12" deep as shown to 18" deep, I'd have lots of room for a microwave on a shelf. That may be my best option.

HU-451779770, I see what you mean about the fridge and microwave placement. kim was kind enough to post the plans that show that there is not enough room next to the fridge, but the hutch may be almost as good, since the next step after microwave is often "eat" and the hutch will be very close to the dining table.

rantontoo, I love the look of those microwaves you posted that give a real built-in look, but then when I research microwaves, they all have clearance requirements for ventilation needs. I'm not finding the microwaves that can actually fit that tightly because all I find is ones that need a few inches of space on the sides. Am I missing something? How do they do that?

My current kitchen layout is almost identical to the picture in your original post - even down to the placement of the appliances and sink. We also have a patio door in the same spot. I would not put the microwave in that location. We're painting right now so I've had to move everything for the painter. In the spot where you'd be putting the microwave is the spot I'm using to temporarily place the everyday items for now just to get them out of the way. It's such an awkward spot to get to with the peninsula right there. It really gets in the way...and the items I've put there are just loose small items, not something fixed like a microwave. You also will not be able to face it directly straight on, you will have to be at an angle every time...and if you have any lower cabinets right there, say hello to constantly hitting your hips on those pulls or the dishwasher handle.

The kitchen at my last house had the microwave mounted underneath the cabinets like what you're considering for option 2. We had a hood so thats why it wasn't over the range. The GE microwave in the image you posted is actually the same microwave we had! I liked that setup way better. However, I think the reason it worked well was because the cabinet it was mounted to was the kind you'd normally find above a fridge so there was a lot of space between the bottom of the cabinet and the countertop for the microwave to go without interfering with counter space. (There was actually more space there than there was between the bottom of the other normal upper cabinets and countertop, even after the microwave was mounted. The cabinet was also right next to the hood, so it was close to the range/oven.

Although the GE microwave is considered a space-saving microwave so the interior isn't that big and I think it's only around 800 watts, it's a workhorse!

For what it's worth, the microwave I have now is just a countertop one, but located inside of a pull out pantry cabinet next to the fridge, which is across from the sink (similar to your layout).

I've always liked this idea:

Although many people on this forum seem to think that an otr microwave is worse than the plague, sometimes it is the best option. I needed to maximize storage space in my not very big kitchen, and if I hadn't done an otr, I would have to have had no microwave at all. If you can find a good other spot for it, great, but if not, otr is not terrible in my opinion.