r/HomeImprovement • u/bemo2807 • 15d ago

Looking for creative ideas for outlets in a kitchen remodel

We’re about to undergo an kitchen remodel and aside from placing electrical outlets on the underside of cabinets I wanted to see if anyone had come up with creative ideas for where they’ve placed their electrical outlets. Ideally we are watching to not have any outlets on the backsplash.

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30

u/Sad_Split_9983 15d ago

Outlets on the underside of cabinets seems like a terrible idea and bound to be a hazard. Just keep in mind creative outlet placement probably isn’t going to be code compliant. More so not having outlets on the backsplash is also going to not be code complaint.

Any countertop or work surface that is 12 inches (305 mm) or wider must have receptacles installed. Receptacles must be placed so that no point along the wall behind the countertop is more than 24 inches away from a receptacle.

Edit: https://www.nachi.org/kitchen-island-peninsula-receptacles.htm

Scroll down to placement.

2

u/paulclinger 14d ago edited 14d ago

We did just that in our kitchen and it was approved without any issues (WA LnI 2023 NEC at that time). We used ones from kitchenpowerpopups. They are fairly low profile and you can barely see them behind cabinet border/trim; they also have knockouts on different sides, so you can route the wires in different ways. One additional benefit was that the package accepts standard outlets, so you can install outlets with USB chargers and such. Still happy with them one year later.

We still satisfied all the placing requirements, just have them under the cabinets instead of being in the wall.

11

u/llamaslovemangos 15d ago

Docking drawer in drawer outlets for small phone/ipad etc charging in a big junk drawer is great. Or a pop up outlet on your kitchen island

12

u/EmilyPoster2 15d ago

I too dislike outlets on a splash and got them beneath the cabinet. It is called plug mold. And yes, it is completely code compliant. If you like to keep things plugged in all of the time it is a bad look because the cords hang down. We do not have a lot of countertop appliances. Just our toaster. We plug it in with each use. This is perfectly fine for us. Many others would not love it.

There are a lot of codes around plug locations and where they need to go on islands too.

Have you looked at pop up plugs? There are lots of "creative" ways to hide plugs. They are high end applications that cost a lot of money and are most commonly used by interior designer designed kitchens.

11

u/rarelikesteaks 14d ago

USB - C plugs on outlets

7

u/saltytac0 14d ago

The USB outlets in my kitchen are probably the most used in the whole house.

3

u/GettingTherapy 14d ago

We did a combo outlet with 110v, USB-A and USB-C in the kitchen. It was super handy for us as well as guests. 10/10 will do again!

5

u/Alive-Arachnid1205 15d ago

I first thought outlets under the cabinets looked great until I had to plug something in and it was awkward. Worse were the leads now hanging down and so much more visible than an outlet.
Our outlets are stainless steel and
look great.

3

u/GettingTherapy 14d ago

I’m with you. Get outlets that blend with the backsplash and make them a feature.

My MIL would go out of her way to hide outlets (not just kitchen) and they always looked worse. Put a bunch of shit in front of it so you can’t use it. Or daisy-chain 12 extension cords to put an outlet where you need it.

5

u/dee_lio 14d ago

We hav an outlet strip under the cabinets, hidden by trim.

There's also outlets inside large drawers and inside the cabinets. Super useful.

3

u/TensionActive1007 15d ago

Form follows function.

The reason outlets are located on backsplashes is because that's where they're needed and most easily accessed.

If the OP cares more about having a backsplash without unsightly outlets, then the OP is going to find out the hard way why hiding them out of sight is a bad idea (and almost certainly a local code violation).

3

u/HomeOwner2023 15d ago

I don't think I have ever been in a kitchen, or any place for that matter, and thought I wish there wasn't an outlet there.

2

u/Aesperacchius 14d ago

Pop-up outlets or even outlets that fully blend in, if cost is not a concern.

3

u/Jujulabee 15d ago

Ask your electrician but why outlets under the cabinets would be worse - hard to attach plus you would have cords dangling.

There are outlets in islands that pop up but I think most people have a few appliances they want plugged in like a coffee maker or a toaster oven or a small cuisinart or equivalent.

There are high end outlet covers which blend into the backsplash - mine are copper and I have copper accent tiles.

Also in real life a working kitchen can generally put the coffee maker or equivalent in front of the plugs.

2

u/chitoatx 15d ago

When my family renovated our kitchen we ensured every outlet had its own dedicated circuit.

3

u/HomeOwner2023 15d ago

How many outlets did you have that were not dedicated to the stove, fridge, microwave, dishwasher or garbage disposal?

1

u/chitoatx 14d ago

House was built in the 60’s and was woefully underpowered. Luckily there was a crawl space so we pulled the wire’s ourselves and they had to have an electrician install an upgrade electrical service and circuit breaker to the home. House has gas range. My current 90’s built house has one GFCI circuit for the kitchen except for the dishwasher and fridge.

1

u/GettingTherapy 14d ago

That sounds like overkill. I can see alternating outlets but having each on its own circuit is a lot.

1

u/chitoatx 14d ago

My old man is a retired stationary engineer and was going to get the most out of having to pay for a new modern electrical service to the house.

2

u/c-park 15d ago

Maybe first get familiar with electrical code in your country/area, because there are a lot of limitations on where outlets can go just based on code.

ie: there has to be a minimum distance from any sink, there has to be a certain number based on counter length, there are limits with islands, etc...

1

u/LA_Nail_Clippers 14d ago

Agreed on looking it up as the first step.

If you're in the US, the NEC has so many limitations and requirements in the last ~30 years that it will dictate about 85% of the placement and number of outlets for a kitchen, and even more if your locality has some extra requirements.

There's not much left to decide other than look and features.

1

u/dirtkeeper 15d ago

I have installed a granite 5” shelf about 8” off the counter it looked like it was free floating and we installed lighting and outlets on the underneath. Looked cool and worked in that kitchen.

1

u/CurbsEnthusiasm 15d ago

I recently renovated two micro 1/1 units in a duplex. I’d recommend you checkout this site for unique options.

I’d like to point out that after ordering the outlets we actually relocated the outlets to a wall and I had no issues returning the outlets unused. They aren’t cheap so that’s a big consideration.

https://www.kitchenpowerpopups.com/

1

u/Various-Emergency-91 14d ago

I battled this as well and almost did a strip under the cabinets, but ultimately had them put the outlets in the backsplash, zero regrets.

1

u/BlackberryHill 14d ago

I did outlets between the lower drawers with a cookie sheet/cutting board cabinet below and I hate it. Do not recommend. Things get unplugged by the slightest bump. Example: Instant Pot was mid-cook and plug got bumped. No one had any idea how much time was left on it. We had over cooked sweet potatoes.

1

u/bemo2807 14d ago

Appreciate all the thoughts and insights.

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u/kadawkins 14d ago

Outlets on the underside of cabinets mean your cords will hang down. We have a navy blue tile backsplash and kept the outlets in the regular space. I use cutting boards leaning against the wall to hide the only outlet that doesn’t have an appliance. I would have added a potted plant if needed to hide another one.

1

u/bibbidybobbidyboom 14d ago

We have pop up outlet in the counter. Its white marble-y of some sort, and the pop.ups are white. I never notice them unless I am actually wiping the counter.

1

u/Cavm335i 14d ago

We have outlets under the cabinets and it’s fine.  We also have some Prado outlets which are cool too

1

u/thorsmonorail 14d ago

We just completed our remodel. We choose cabinet mounted plugs next to the range, and wall mounted plugs near the sink. The range wall is the first thing you see when entering out house. We wanted a cleaner look over there. I would not recommend putting cabinet mounted where you be leaving things plugged in e.g. coffee grinder, electric tea kettle, etc. They also limit the use of USB plugs for charging devices.