In general, I like the idea of hissing those small appliances to keep my kitchen from looking cluttered. I keep my toaster in the lazy susan and pull it out when necessary. (We don't eat toasted bread products every day.) I contemplated a garage to hide my KA mixer, but realized the open counterspace would be more functional for KA use and for any future kitchen use. Still, I like the look and idea of one if placed properly in a kitchen.

For your kitchen specifically, seeing your layout would help with suggestions.

Do you *need* both a toaster and a toaster oven? Can't the TO take the place of the plain toaster? That's where I'd start in my planning, even if it meant planning a new unit that could both toast and act as a small oven.

I'm with you.

I have a big KitchenAid mixer that will sit out, and i'm good with that. I find them to be kind of sculptural and interesting. Might hide it if I had a gazillion cabinets.

I've always had a toaster. I'd never had a toaster oven until my husband talked me in to one. Honestly, the TO is more useful, and does an OK job of making toast, but I just miss a plain old toaster. We don't make toast all that often and I could tuck it in the lazy susan, and like you, pull out when needed.

I guess I'm just trying to decide how much that toaster oven on the counter will bother me. What's more important...the hiding? or the counter?

How about leaving the TO on the counter, garaged or no, and putting away the toaster?

I'd still like to see that layout. The hiding or the counter for you depends on your layout. :)

I didn't garage anything. I have a toaster oven and a microwave next to each other on the counter, and a coffee maker at the other end of the run. We use them all pretty much every day, so they don't go away. It does look neater to have them inside cupboards or in garages, definitely, but I can accept that amount of clutter. And I agree with you, if I needed to, I could move them and use the counter. So the answer is no, you don't need a garage. But would you prefer to have one?

I hate things on my beautiful counters! In general, a knife block by the stove and a little storage container with soap and stuff by the sink are the only things that are on them. My current kitchen and the one I am moving into in a few weeks are both very small. I got a range with the double oven (little oven on top) and ditched my TO completely. My current kitchen has a garage that fits my toaster and coffee maker. The one I am moving into was too small for even that, I could only fit in a 15" appliance garage/cabinet. So my toaster is going in there and my coffee maker up in the cabinet since you would have to peel me off the ceiling if I started drinking coffee and I only use it for guests! I don't cook so I don't have a kitchen aid mixer!

So I love the polished look of the little appliances off the counters and traded some of my limited counter space for a garage in both kitchens. Just a personal preference as are most things in kitchens.

I am doing a garage but thinking about more as a coffee center. I will keep coffee pot, sugar bowl, electric kettle, tea bag canister. Mine will have doors that open to the side and then slide back in.
In my imagination, the garage will be open in the morning when kids are making tea and my husband and I are having coffee, then I can close all that stuff away.
My thinking was that I wanted it on counter but didnt want to see it all day. However, I could sacrifice the counter space as I am gaining a large island.

Only if you want to permanently give up counter space.

And receptacles in an appliance garage do not count as counter receptacles for the electrical code.

Thanks everyone for all your responses. This photo shows the general layout of our kitchen in a pretty close proximation. Its probably close to correct as far as the dimensions go. Where the TO is in the photo, is where there would be an appliance garage. Microwave would have a matching pull up/down door. But, like the photo, I'm thinking I like this openness on the short run.

Brickeyee, I chuckled when I saw your electrical comment. Sometimes the codes make sense and other times they leave me scratching my head. I've said, "Seriously?" more than once!

I don't care for appliance garages, but then, I don't mind seeing working appliances on the counter. Appliances housed in the garage may fall out of favor at some time down the road. Meanwhile you still have your counter eaten up by a permanent fixture.

I would vote for open counters and no appliance garages. I was visually in love with the concept till I mocked it up for my layout.. Seriously hampered my flow.

If the space up for discussion is next to a fridge like the photo and therefore tucked away like that, I think I'd do without the garage. Put the TO naked on the counter and the toaster in a cab or drawer. That way, if you ever convinced DH that you don't really need the TO, you gain the open counter space.

My layout is similar to yours in that i have a short run next to my fridge. In my house it's pretty tucked away. I have a coffee maker and coffee there, paper towels, and often something I'm snacking on during the day.

I'd hate to lose that counter space, which I use a lot especially since it's right next to the fridge. And I like a little bit of a lived-in look, as long as it's not cluttered.

SOLD! Thanks everyone for your help. I don't post much, but am here almost every day gaining insight.

We're just finishing up the plumbing and electrical rough ins for a full house gut-reno + addition, so no photos showing anything exciting just yet, but soon...very soon!