The Property Brothers' Appliance Hack That Transforms Any Kitchen

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Unless you have a humongous kitchen with endless storage space, your countertops are likely home to several small appliances which you use on a regular basis and thus don't want to tuck away. However, they could also be the reason your kitchen doesn't feel as magazine-worthy as you want it to. In an episode of HGTV's "Celebrity IOU," The Property Brothers' Drew Scott shared his opinion that "nothing is worse" than kitchens where "you can't even see the countertop because there's so many appliances on it."

Luckily, the design duo also shared their go-to hack that addresses this issue: Creating an appliance garage. An appliance garage is some type of compartment or cabinet where you can store your appliances so they're out of sight but still easily accessible. The accessibility is the key difference between an appliance garage and simply carving out extra storage space to keep your appliances — you don't want to be forced to wrangle your toaster from the top shelf of the pantry every time you need to use it. This means that, whatever your appliance garage looks like, it must incorporate both electrical outlets and a reasonable amount of clearance space above or around the appliances so they can be used with ease. If you need to clear a bit of extra space to create an appliance garage, consider some space-saving hacks like wall-mounting a magnetic knife rack or spice rack or installing items like a paper towel holder on the underside of cabinets.

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While building a bespoke appliance garage may be the most ideal solution, that's likely not be realistic if you're looking for a budget-friendly or DIY option. There are a few alternatives that don't require a full kitchen renovation, though.

First of all, assess your starting point. If you have limited electrical outlets in your kitchen, the first step will likely involve paying an electrician to install a few additional outlets where you want to create your appliance garage. Then, consider retrofitting what you already have. For example, if you have a reasonable amount of counter space, it may work to install track and tambour doors that slide either vertically or horizontally, allowing you to create an appliance garage without significantly altering your current cabinetry. Or, add sturdy pull-out bases to a cabinet with outlets installed — this way, you can easily slide out the base to use the appliance and slide it back in, out of sight behind closed doors, when you're finished.

Finally, evaluate the appliances you use most regularly to determine which are worth including in your planned appliance garage — you don't want to bother installing outlets and solutions for something you use once a month. Some of the most common candidates include items like your toaster, blender, air fryer, and coffee maker or electric kettle. And, while you're in decluttering mode, you may want to relocate any other items that should never stay on your kitchen counters, including ground spices and coffee beans.