I find that the cabinet above the microwave/stove vent is the most accessible of the two smaller and highest cabinets in a kitchen. Some of the obstacles commonly found in this cabinet are ventilation or electrical cords to the microwave.
Prior to my remodel this cabinet actually came further down. Perhaps it was designed to sit above a 1950’s refrigerator. It was always higher than the others. At some point, the stove was moved to this spot and the fridge was moved to where the stove was. This is evident by the location of the outdoor vent.
I grew up in a house with gas burners and a hood that fed out through this cabinet. It still had large spaces on either side. Ever since I’ve only ever lived in homes with electric stovetops and therefore have had the microwave above the stove. The electrical outlet is almost never well located and ends up making using half of the cabinet challenging.
Types of things I Think to store above the microwave:
There are certain things that I grew up expecting to find here. Primarily the oven mitts. I naturally look up there for them. This is the extent of the commonalities between my childhood kitchen and now.
I have stored recipes up here as well as the vacuum sealer. I have also historically stored my shredder up here. The vacuum sealer has been stored up here because it’s rarely accessed but it is difficult to get out and a bit heavier than ideal to lift out of this cabinet. The shredder I store up here because it can sit around an electrical cord easily.
In my remodeled kitchen:
I started by storing all the items I didn’t use often, like recipes, extra wash pans/strainers, toaster, extra linens, the shredder, and the vacuum sealer and supplies.
The issue with this is that I can only easily reach the front of this cabinet for about the lower third. So if small items fall or are stacked I have to bring it all down or get a step stool out. It wasn’t working extremely well.
After organizing my kitchen deep drawer, I relocated two Tupperware items here to this cabinet. I also moved the larger wash pan to this cabinet.
Before Version 2 Above Microwave Cabinet Before
I tried moving a few things around but found it difficult to pull things out and use them without moving everything around them as well. Additionally, this is still a prime location for storage.
I moved the spare towels to a hard-to-reach upper shelf in another cabinet.
I also needed better access to my baking pans as I began to use them regularly. They were previously above the refrigerator which is nearly inaccessible without a step stool. Moving them into this cabinet was surprisingly successful. Each pan is light enough to pull them out individually and it utilizes the vertical space better.
In order to gain a little more room for the toaster to be pulled out, I decided to try hanging the potholders on the inside of a door with small Command hooks. This side seemed to have the most space in the front of the cabinet so the door would close.
This is what the cabinet looks like now. (the second pitcher was in the fridge at the time of this photo but it belongs in this cabinet as shown before).
If I can find a replacement drawer for my oven, I will probably move the pans to be stored there. For now, this arrangement is working very well. There are few items that are light enough to easily access in a cabinet this high.
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When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!
You had left several comments. I accepted them all in the same session. Are you positive that they weren’t notifications of all of your comments? I will look into where this option is stored but it may need to be from your side. If I can access it from my side, I will turn that off.
I found a solution for you. Since it was a personal selection, you will need to unsubscribe from your side. The instructions are a little ways down but should be available in any of the e-mails that my site is sending you. Here are the instructions: “You can unsubscribe to such comment notification emails by merely clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.”
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-turn-off-comments-notification-in-wordpress/
So Sorry Hairstyles, I accidentally replied to myself and since I can’t be sure you’ll get this. Here it is again.
I found a solution for you. Since it was a personal selection, you will need to unsubscribe from your side. The instructions are a little ways down but should be available in any of the e-mails that my site is sending you. Here are the instructions: “You can unsubscribe to such comment notification emails by merely clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.”
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-turn-off-comments-notification-in-wordpress/