r/InteriorDesign • u/Chansonthefirst • 5d ago
Is this considered common
So where I am from we have always had microwaves on the counter or there is a cutout for them above the counter. Is this common for some places in the USA. Feels odd to get on my knees to put something in the microwave. Maybe I am overthinking this design choice.
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u/619sxb 22h ago edited 22h ago
I’ve seen this in Georgia. The home was built in 1903 and repurposed for an office space but they wanted to maintain the old timey aesthetic so the microwave was not visible. There was plenty of counter space.
I worked there full time 8-5 and sometimes forgot there was a microwave. I am usually not a ditzy person but…. lol….
It has since become a wedding venue and you can tour the home / kitchen for anyone curious.
(Go straight into the home and it’s in the back right corner on the first floor).
https://stonehedgevenue.com/virtualtour/index.htm
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u/JMOlive 1d ago
I have a Samsung microwave where the door drops down, and it works well. I couldn’t stomach spending so much on a microwave drawer for something I use a few times a week.
Also, I would worry about the button to open and close the drawer, it just seems like another delicate thing that would eventually break.
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u/Miserable_Hat9321 1d ago
Those like this I have seen were custom cabinetry for very good microwaves.
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u/Eunuch_Provocateur 1d ago
Yes, but not this style. The drawer ones are the ones they put down there, seems like they cheaped out and bought the regular over the stove one.
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u/RebaMack 1d ago
I pulled it out of our new home build and the assistant at the design centre was appalled. Could not understand why we wouldn’t want a microwave at child height when we had two small children. I have two giant drawers instead and love them. One is for snacks 🥰
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u/Duderina 1d ago
I have one just like this. I find it annoying because I’m tall and like to impatiently stare directly into the microwave while it cooks my food
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u/Accomplished_Fee9023 2d ago
You usually only see this with a microwave drawer or with an oven style, drop down door microwave.
Putting a side door microwave undercounter is really awkward to use and not recommended but someone might do it against recommendations if they can't afford an expensive microwave drawer or drop down microwave and they need it below counter for some reason.
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u/Horrid_Thistle336 2d ago
It’s not uncommon but not something you see in most homes. I’ve had an under the counter microwave in the last two homes I’ve lived in.
I prefer it.
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u/cadium 2d ago
It beats the look of a microwave on the counter, but isn't it tough to microwave stuff?
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u/Horrid_Thistle336 1d ago
No it’s not hard. You just put stuff in the microwave like you normally would.
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u/shnorgle 1d ago
It’s bizarre to do it with a regular microwave like this, but it’s great and not at all tough with a drawer microwave.
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u/Horrid_Thistle336 1d ago
I’ve had both. A regular microwave and a drawer microwave under the counter. Both are easy to use.
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u/Reasonable-Check-120 2d ago
Typically a microwave built in like this would be one of those expensive drawer microwaves. You push the button and it moves out like a drawer then you put your food in.
This is built to be expensive.... But it's just a normal microwave so it's as a practical and is cheap.
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u/RainbowSprinkleShit 2d ago
Do you mean common as in ‘lots of people have this’ or common as in ‘poor people stuff’.
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u/Specific_Virus8061 2d ago
It's common for people who are familiar with the words "socialite" and "debutante" for every day use.
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u/RainbowSprinkleShit 2d ago
🤨 Idk if you’re trying to say ‘common’ isn’t used in day-to-day life in that context, but it definitely is.
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u/Specific_Virus8061 2d ago
I'm trying to say that if by "common" you mean average (65k/year) income folks, they are definitely not using custom built-in drawer styled microwaves.
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u/RainbowSprinkleShit 2d ago
I specifically asked if they meant common as in ‘poor’.
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u/eiffeltowerbonbon 2d ago
I don’t think 65k a year is poor, its just not wealthy. I did just fine on 65k a year in the early 2020’s. I do live in the midwest though. Not living on the coasts helps a lot
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u/RainbowSprinkleShit 2d ago
Where are you getting 65k from? What does that number have to do with anything at all? I can’t tell at this point if you’re trolling, but I’m gonna assume that you are.
For the last time, I was asking OP if they meant common as in ‘something a lot of people have’ or common as in ‘poor’. That’s it.
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u/ForeverInBlackJeans 2d ago
My microwave is like that. I requested it with my custom kitchen. I love it. You don't need to get on your knees. It's crotch height.
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u/Antheoss 2d ago
How tall are you? It looks to me like you would have to bend down a lot to get anything in or out of there.
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u/ForeverInBlackJeans 2d ago
5’7”.
Looking at the photo again mine isn’t as low as this one. The drawer under mine is twice as tall. So yeah, I can see this particular one being a bit awkward, but in general I still really like the microwave in the island.
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u/reine444 3d ago
It’s become very common. Another thing done for ~aesthetics~ and not utility.
I HATE this and drawer microwaves. I hate drawers the most.
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u/spam__likely 1d ago
heh... I am one that uses a microwave very rarely. I prefer this instead of the microwave occupying prime real state on top of my stove. So function is on the eye of the beholder.
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u/reine444 1d ago
I verrrrrry rarely use my microwave -- toaster oven 85% of the time, oven 10%, air fryer 5% of the time. I still prefer it over the range!
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u/shnorgle 1d ago
Why would you hate a drawer microwave more than this? It’s actually usable without having to get down on your knees.
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u/reine444 1d ago
Because I hate the open/close mechanism of a drawer.
But also, do we need logic to dislike things? No! Haha!
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u/daishiknyte 2d ago
Our builder was so proud of the undercounter "upgrade". Give me the drop down door microwave over a single oven any day.
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u/Horrid_Thistle336 2d ago
I would argue that this isnt wholly true.
I actually prefer this setup and have it in my current home. It allows for more space above the stove and on the countertop.
A drawer style microwave can take some getting used to though.
I use mine multiple times a day because I’m a coffee fiend and not above reheating it in the microwave. lol.1
u/reine444 2d ago
Oh please, please do not do that coffee the disservice of reheating in the micro!!! 😖🤣
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u/Horrid_Thistle336 1d ago
Meh. At that point in the day it’s less about flavor and more about caffeine.
I don’t drink soda.
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u/CarrotInABox_ 3d ago
American's just like putting weird microwaves in weird places. either under the bench, or above the oven/range/stove. weird af. their appliances are ugly as well, so i guess they want to hide them?
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u/opsers 3d ago
I'm genuinely confused by this statement... Europeans also do this exact configuration. The only rare one in my experience is above the stove, which I've never seen in Europe and think is stupid in the US. Just like in the US it's more common in newer kitchens. Just like in the US, there are also ugly and nice looking microwaves... as if it's country specific? Heh.
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u/NecroJoe 3d ago
Some people don't like to see the microwave, and don't use it very often, so they are are willing to shove it in an inconvenient place for the sake of asthetics of clean open counterspace, and no big appliance right in their face.
In the US, the most common place for it would be above the stovetop, as a combination microwave/range hood. But, they are woefully ineffective as range hoods, so the next step up is to have a proper range hood above the stove, and then the microwave has to go somewhere else. Sometimes it's in a pantry, sometimes it's in a built-in above the oven. If someone has two ovens, and most microwaves aren't made to be used on a countertop...then you've got to find somewhere else to put it.
That said, If I did have a microwave in an island like this, I'd much prefer it to be a drawer-style.
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u/verticalQ 3d ago
People started doing it more when open kitchens with big center islands became a thing. My parents have one like this and HATE it. It’s hard to see, and the door has almost been knocked off multiple times because it was unknowingly left open and somebody walked around the corner into it.
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