Setting up the oven and microwave

As mentioned in a former post, when we bought the house it had a 1957 Tappan oven. That thing was huge and the microwave was installed to the right of it under the cabinet.

Once the Tappan died and was removed, the cabinets used to support it also had to be removed to make space for the new range. 

Once the new range was in, having the microwave offset was awkward. It definitely looked like something had gone wrong in the planning of the kitchen.

The obvious answer was to move the microwave above the range. That left a big empty space where the microwave had been so I decided to use a shelf and spices to fill that void. I also repurposed a utility cart to hold oils and root vegetables. 

As I mentioned in the first post, my plan before the bar was finished was to have a large island and the range in the island. That is why I chose a slide-in versus a freestanding model. I don't regret that decision now that my plans have changed because I like having the controls on the front and I love the continuity of the backsplash.

Finally to finish the top cabinets, I built a nook for my cutting boards and stadium shelves for the spices using cabinet wood we salvaged when we removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room.

Eventually I want to install a narrow base cabinet to replace the cart but the new refrigerator needs to come first so that the width of the cabinet is right. The nook can be adjusted easily.

So far I am loving this set up. It's convenient and looks great. No more awkward space!