we have our MW on open shelf under upper cabinets next to fridge. There’s extra space on sides, which doesn’t bother me. Will be happy to be able to just put another MW there when current one dies

oh, sorry. just re read your question. You’ll have to check depth the MW needs for proper circulation. We had to make the upper/ microwave shelf deeper to accommodate for that.

Thanks, SM. Yes, I think the ventilation can be an issue with 12 inch cabinets. I would need to make the cabinets deeper, which is why I was thinking of building a deeper cabinet and taking it all the way to the counter where I can install a separate cabinet/appliance garage for the microwave. I was thinking maybe 18 inches in depth to account for my 13 inch depth microwave. This would also still leave a bit of room on the counter. Thanks.

Well, to each his own, but I like the shelf. I had one before current OTR in new to me house one & will recreate when I do some remodeling.

Also I use my microwave multiple time/ day for reheating & I don’t mind seeing it in the kitchen.

Anything here for inspiration?

https://www.happystartsathome.com/seven-places-to-put-your-microwave-that-arent-on-the-counter/

I am confused you do not want to waste counter space but you are doing exactly that with an appliance garage which BTW are a dated look.They take up couter spce for sure . I see nothing wronf with applaince you use all the time out on the counter

Prefer it in on shelf, next to fhe fridge where It’s most convenient. our toaster oven is tucked underneath.

I had my galley style kitchen renovated a few years ago. I chose to have a microwave shelf installed above my counter centered in the middle of my upper cabinets. I use my microwave often to cook frozen veggies and reheat food. I chose the shelf, so if my microwave needs to be replaced at a later date, I could easily purchase one to fit on my shelf. I believe a functional kitchen does not need to hide appliances that get used often. Best of luck on your journey!

We bought a countertop microwave and have it in a cabinet with pocket doors so we can hide when we want. We also have an appliance garage for toaster, egg boiler, kettle and electric corkscrew. That’s the best bc I was taking out/putting away the toaster every day. (Because I want “nothing on the counters,” to reference another post.) If you do the deeper cabinet, could you put the microwave on a shelf and have the counter height area for toaster etc?

Putting it in an appliance garage is the same as putting it on your counter. It takes up counterspace that you can't use for anything else. Even if the garage is more shallow than the full depth of the counter, you extra space in front of the garage is not really usable because you have to keep it clear to open the microwave door. I'd go for on a shelf below a cabinet or inside a cabinet. I stored ours inside a tall pantry cabinet. There was enough circulation all around but we had to keep the cabinet doors open while in use.

Mine is also on a shelf. It died after 6 years and I just bought another one. There were plenty of choices. The entire upper is open shelving and I have cookbooks above the microwave.

@ Patricia I do agree that putting the microwave on the counter in a garage will take up counterspace but I did have some concerns about putting it on a shelf as I noted. I thought putting it in a garage on the counter would essentially be me putting it on the counter but hiding it, which I thought might look better and more streamlined than just out. Since I'm redoing my kitchen I'm looking for function, but also what I think would look good to me and I'm trying to take various considerations into account. I'm thankful for the various posts from people showing their shelves, which look good. Thank you.

@ Stiley, Thanks. I like the idea of the shelf and other appliances below.

@Vinmarks, how wide is your cabinet for the microwave? How far does the shelf extend from the cabinet? Thanks.

@Nick , here’s how ours is built. The microwave is pretty large, so we had to do that upper cabinet and shelf 22” deep in order to allow for circulation. With our layout it works great, allows a landing zone for whatever is being microwaved, for groceries being unloaded, and a place for toaster. We use upper deep cabinet for platters, large roasting pans, etc which wouldn’t fit well in the regular depth cabinets

@Kendrah, thanks. Agreed the appliance garage is the same as putting it on the counter, but I thought the garage would at least allow me to hide the microwave. I'm not opposed to seeing the microwave. I just wasn't sure about the look of it on a shelf and whether it would protrude too much from uppers/not look good, etc (I see the pictures posted here, which are very helpful to get an idea of the look). I also only want a compact microwave and wasn't sure about building a shelf around it in case I had issues finding a decent replacement. I do want my kitchen to be functional, well designed and pretty!

@S M. Thanks for your picture--very helpful! Your setup looks great! It definitely works being alongside your deeper fridge.

S M. Your kitchen is lovely!! My microwave shelf is 22” deep by 25.5” wide, if that helps.

@Nick The opening is 22 inches and the shelf comes out to 17 inches.

How much do you use it? At our lake house we have a little one without a lot of air space around it. We only use it to melt butter and reheat coffee, so it's not on for long.

Thanks, Latifolia. Nice cabinets! I would not say we use it everyday and don't use it for cooking, but we definitely use it to reheat leftovers, reheat tea/coffee and make popcorn, so I would like to ensure there is proper ventilation.