4 Smart Ways Designers Hide Kitchen Appliances

Kitchens may be inherently utilitarian, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be attractive too. To interior designers, cabinetry and paint colors are just the beginning. They also think about appliances—big and small—and sneaky ways to camouflage the visual clutter. 

“There really isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for hiding your unsightly kitchen appliances,” insists Liz Fraser Wooten, co-founder and principal designer of Ashdown Studio in Charleston, South Carolina. “You need to be realistic in answering how often those appliances are used.”

You must also consider your layout, lifestyle, and budget. Then, you’ll be able to decide which of these designer-approved solutions is right for you and your kitchen.

Appliance Garages

A favorite of every designer we talked to, Chelsey Cox and Rachel Rector, co-founders of Chinotto House in Gainesville, Florida, describe appliance garages as the best of both worlds. “They hide the clutter of bulky tabletop appliances but keep the function front and center,” they explain. “By integrating them into the cabinetry, they become part of the architecture rather than an add-on.”

Heidi Feliz-Grimm, senior designer at O’Hara Interiors in Austin, Texas, likes to use retractable doors because of the way they “keep everything within arm’s reach, but don’t interrupt the look of your design or take up as much space as traditional cabinet doors.” If you want, she points out, you can leave retractable doors open the whole day and they won’t impede the use of your space.

Furniture

For the less frequently used appliance, Fraser recommends a beautiful hutch or similar piece of furniture. “Finding a vintage—or new—piece to fill up an unused wall or awkward corner of your kitchen or dining room not only adds to the design but also the functionality,” she explains. Another pro of this solution is that it’s budget-friendly and renovation-free, so anyone can hide their appliances.

Panels

Sarah Scott, owner and principal designer at Sarah Scott Designs in Wilmington, North Carolina, loves paneling refrigerators and freezers. “This makes them feel like cabinetry and hides all of the stainless steel in the kitchen to create a more calming and cohesive feel,” she says. When it comes to wine refrigerators specifically, Feliz-Grimm often recommends one that’s panel-ready with a glass insert so that clients can display their collections when they host, and the stainless steel is still covered.

Opting for panels can be especially impactful in small kitchens, as they create a more seamless line of sight and make the space appear larger. In fact, some designers prefer not to use them in big kitchens, so there are visual breaks.

Walk-In Pantries

Feliz-Grimm encourages her clients to consider tucking their appliances into a walk-in pantry, since “they’re already storing all the ingredients they’d use them with anyway.”

Betsey Mosby, founder of Betsey Mosby Interior Design in Jackson, Mississippi, likes to take this a step further. “My favorite design trick is incorporating a secret pantry, which we’ve been doing frequently in our projects,” she shares. “It appears to be a regular cabinet door, but upon opening it, you enter a versatile working pantry.” They often include extra ovens, microwaves, warming drawers, water bottle fillers, and/or other specialty appliances. Mosby incorporated one into her own renovation nine years ago, and insists that it remains her family’s most used room to this day.