Where to Stash Your Stand Mixer in the Kitchen
Stand mixers are heavy and can take up space, but these storage ideas make them easy to access and use
Becky Harris
5 December 2021
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Stand mixers weigh a lot and are not easy to move around. Here are some easy-to-access storage solutions for this heavy kitchen appliance. And if you have other storage tips of your own, be sure to share your ideas with us in the Comments.
Solution: Out in plain sight.
Who it works for: You use your stand mixer not only for baking but also as a fun, colourful accessory. It’s like the statement necklace of your kitchen’s outfit.
Part of the reason I’d shell out a few hundred bucks for one of these mixers is because they look great and come in cool colours. I don’t know how anyone could buy a happy pear-green KitchenAid mixer and then not want to look at it all the time. But I can relate to needing the bench space it requires, so we’ll go through a variety of other options too.
Who it works for: You use your stand mixer not only for baking but also as a fun, colourful accessory. It’s like the statement necklace of your kitchen’s outfit.
Part of the reason I’d shell out a few hundred bucks for one of these mixers is because they look great and come in cool colours. I don’t know how anyone could buy a happy pear-green KitchenAid mixer and then not want to look at it all the time. But I can relate to needing the bench space it requires, so we’ll go through a variety of other options too.
Solution: Tucked under an upper cabinet.
Who it works for: You want to look at your mixer but want it to live in a tucked-away space.
These homeowners can still enjoy looking at their turquoise mixer, but if they need that valuable bench space for unloading groceries or setting out ingredients next to the refrigerator, they can push it out of the way.
Renovating your kitchen? Find a kitchen designer near you
Who it works for: You want to look at your mixer but want it to live in a tucked-away space.
These homeowners can still enjoy looking at their turquoise mixer, but if they need that valuable bench space for unloading groceries or setting out ingredients next to the refrigerator, they can push it out of the way.
Renovating your kitchen? Find a kitchen designer near you
Solution: A pullout drawer.
Who it works for: You think stand mixers add to benchtop clutter. You have a strong back, don’t use the mixer often and want to add a little arm workout in with your kitchen duties.
A sturdy pull-out drawer like this one keeps the mixer close by without taking up prime kitchen real estate. Be sure to let your cabinet maker know you plan to store something heavy here so he or she can check the weight rating for the drawer slides.
Who it works for: You think stand mixers add to benchtop clutter. You have a strong back, don’t use the mixer often and want to add a little arm workout in with your kitchen duties.
A sturdy pull-out drawer like this one keeps the mixer close by without taking up prime kitchen real estate. Be sure to let your cabinet maker know you plan to store something heavy here so he or she can check the weight rating for the drawer slides.
Solution: A mixer lift.
Who it works for: You want easy access to the mixer with minimal physical effort. You’d rather give up lower cabinet space than benchtop space, or you want to use your mixer on an island in the middle of the room.
Open the cabinet door and – voilà! – you can pull the mixer up and out with ease, do your mixing right on the shelf it sits on, then stash it away when you’re done. Installing a power point within the mixer’s cabinet makes things even easier. Also, think about where you’ll be doing your baking tasks when you install this. For example, being able to undertake electric mixing at a kitchen island is a relatively new option that might not have been available the last time you renovated a kitchen.
Your cabinet maker should be able to source the hardware for you, but if you’re shopping for it yourself, Häfele and Rev-A-Shelf are good sources.
Who it works for: You want easy access to the mixer with minimal physical effort. You’d rather give up lower cabinet space than benchtop space, or you want to use your mixer on an island in the middle of the room.
Open the cabinet door and – voilà! – you can pull the mixer up and out with ease, do your mixing right on the shelf it sits on, then stash it away when you’re done. Installing a power point within the mixer’s cabinet makes things even easier. Also, think about where you’ll be doing your baking tasks when you install this. For example, being able to undertake electric mixing at a kitchen island is a relatively new option that might not have been available the last time you renovated a kitchen.
Your cabinet maker should be able to source the hardware for you, but if you’re shopping for it yourself, Häfele and Rev-A-Shelf are good sources.
Solution: A custom pull-out shelf that’s lower than standard benchtop height.
Who it works for: You have young children, need a seat while baking or use a wheelchair.
This custom set-up is for a home that follows universal design principles. The cabinet door flips up and a shelf that houses the mixer pulls out. As you can see, there’s a handy power point positioned just behind the mixer in the back of the cabinet.
Who it works for: You have young children, need a seat while baking or use a wheelchair.
This custom set-up is for a home that follows universal design principles. The cabinet door flips up and a shelf that houses the mixer pulls out. As you can see, there’s a handy power point positioned just behind the mixer in the back of the cabinet.
Solution: Appliance garage or cupboard with a sliding shelf.
Who it works for: You want to use the mixer on a perimeter behchtop but don’t want to look at it all the time.
This arrangement is so easy: lift or roll up the appliance-garage door and slide out the mixer, which sits on its own pull-out shelf.
Who it works for: You want to use the mixer on a perimeter behchtop but don’t want to look at it all the time.
This arrangement is so easy: lift or roll up the appliance-garage door and slide out the mixer, which sits on its own pull-out shelf.
Here’s an example of an appliance garage with bi-fold doors that blend right in with the rest of the cabinetry.
Browse more contemporary kitchens for inspiration
Browse more contemporary kitchens for inspiration
Solution: An appliance garage that opens on two sides.
Who it works for: Your kitchen may have more than one small appliance working at once, and you cannot stand wasted corner space.
Sometimes corners in a kitchen are full of wasted or dead space. This designer made the most of that, which left a lot of room for a nice adjacent window. This solution is smart because you could pull out the coffee maker and the mixer at the same time and have plenty of space to do so. And hey, it can even suit different moods. Want to look outside and watch the birds or gaze lovingly at that killer splashback tile while you mix? It’s your choice.
Who it works for: Your kitchen may have more than one small appliance working at once, and you cannot stand wasted corner space.
Sometimes corners in a kitchen are full of wasted or dead space. This designer made the most of that, which left a lot of room for a nice adjacent window. This solution is smart because you could pull out the coffee maker and the mixer at the same time and have plenty of space to do so. And hey, it can even suit different moods. Want to look outside and watch the birds or gaze lovingly at that killer splashback tile while you mix? It’s your choice.
Solution: Stash it in a baking cabinet.
Who it works for: You love to bake and you want a dedicated station for gathering ingredients, rolling dough, measuring and mixing.
A baking station is a dream for those who love to bake. With all of today’s clever storage solutions, you can set up a baking cabinet complete with stand mixer, ingredients, baking sheets, muffin tins, measuring cups and everything else you need to house efficiently in one place. It also provides a surface where you can roll out and knead dough.
Who it works for: You love to bake and you want a dedicated station for gathering ingredients, rolling dough, measuring and mixing.
A baking station is a dream for those who love to bake. With all of today’s clever storage solutions, you can set up a baking cabinet complete with stand mixer, ingredients, baking sheets, muffin tins, measuring cups and everything else you need to house efficiently in one place. It also provides a surface where you can roll out and knead dough.
Your turn
Do you hide your mixer or leave it on show? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Need more practical advice on kitchens? Don’t miss this story: Designing a Single-Wall Kitchen? Here’s How to Make It Work
Do you hide your mixer or leave it on show? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Need more practical advice on kitchens? Don’t miss this story: Designing a Single-Wall Kitchen? Here’s How to Make It Work
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@Ljiljana Pejic
It takes time to build a kitchen like yours, because it takes time to live in a space and see what works and what doesn't. By designing and building your own cabinets you have a space for everything and maximise your space. This kind of individualised design would be horrendously expensive to pay someone to do and even the most "bespoke" cabinet makers prefer to use designs they have made before because they can do it quickly and know what to expect. They definitely don't like to make pieces that have drawers of varying sizes.
I did a house reno myself a few years back. My husband and I did everything except the plumbing and electrics. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the kitchen so put in a temporary trestle-style bench to hold the sink and all the other pieces are moveable furniture pieces. I didn't want to rush into creating the kitchen because with built in kitchens you can't really change your mind easily. I thought I would ultimately have to have a built in cabinet for the sink, at least, but have since discovered that, as the sink weighs about 70kg (it's a solid marble double butler sink) it is sufficiently heavy to anchor the cabinet without having to be built in. There's an old world charm and functionality to unfitted kitchens that I love and so that's what I'm going to stick with. I live in a mountain cottage built in 1937 and am going for a rustic elegance meets 1950s retro feel which sounds bizarre, but really works. I have finally settled on a configuration that works and will, over time replace the pieces I have with pieces I build myself which will have more intentional storage.
How nice it would be if we could sit and have a cuppa together in our respective cosy kitchens.
Blue Wren: Oh, definitely, we would have something to talk about! My main inspiration did come from Johnny Gray's book (nephew of famous British food writer Elisabeth David) ' The art of kitchen design" i.e. creation of unfitted kitchen!!! As a result my worktops have different heights as to adjust to different tasks, kitchen has the 'zones' for certain tasks and is made to be pleasure to work in and to socialize, too. If you are still busy designing/deciding maybe you might check his book.
I don't know your age (I am 67 now) but I designed drawers for my pots&pans (25 of them) bearing in mind my bad back so they are all hanging individually on left and right side of board that divide vertically element which is only 30 cm wide - and I have 2 of those elements; there are people nowadays that do magical things cutting plywood in any shape imaginable -on the paper size of my drawer bottom I drew outlines of my kitchen utensils (I overdo things, I know)..and man cut openings in plywood for me - things that he pulled out he put for sale in his shop as kiddies toys... Spices and oils/vinegar are by the cook top in the space that is usually left empty (between lower and upper cabinets), all so handy... And here is how I did it:
@Ljiljana Pejic .I don't own that book, but I do know of it and have thoroughly checked out his website. (I love Elizabeth David too. I bought her Bread Book back in 1990 (I'm 58) and read it cover to cover several times and made many of the recipes. I love her unhinged rant against crumpets, hilarious). I have my knives and stainless steel utensils on magnets on the wall. I'm guessing they might have done your drawer cutouts with a CNC router (you can put the dimensions and spacing into a computer and the router cuts it all out precisely. I'm a woodworker myself and seeing the snug fit I'm guessing this is how he did it). Great solution for your pots and pans. Mine are mostly cast iron, some Le Creuset, some cheaper versions. Not all have hanging hooks on the handles so not sure how to sort their storage. I honestly haven't got down to doing any CAD drawings yet for the main storage cabinets as there are so many other building jobs around our property. I'm hoping to get onto this in Summer 2024 (around Dec 24/Jan 25, I'm in Australia).