One of my main functional objectives when I designed our kitchen was to hide all of the appliances except for the Ilve range. I didn’t want a toaster, electric kettle, coffee maker, or any small appliances sitting out on the counter, and I wanted the fridge and dishwasher to be paneled. While necessary, those appliances almost always look modern and feel out of place in my aesthetic. The one exception is my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Jeff bought it for me as a housewarming gift when we bought and moved into our first home, and through all of my different decorating stages, I’ve liked having it sit out.
My plan in this kitchen was to store it under the freestanding antique kitchen island. I eyeballed it, and it looked like it would work, so that was the plan. In reality, it didn’t work. It was just a smidge too tall. I mean, we’re talking just a tiny bit. My dad joked that he could modify the table to make it fit, but I declined.
The fact that I needed a new home for the mixer is what prompted my open shelf idea. I had something similar in a niche in our last house, and I was able to build custom shelves that were sturdy and tall enough to accommodate the mixer. As a bonus, it gave me a place to store my excess of ironstone.
Now that the ironstone collection has been thinned and the shelves are coming down, the mixer needed a new home. I opted for as many drawers as possible in the lower cabinets, so I only have one cabinet where it could fit. I had planned this cabinet as an option for the mixer, and it fits well with the shelf adjusted. I wanted to make it a little easier to get out, though, so I ordered a slide-out shelf to install. I checked the measurements and even saw in the reviews that someone used it for their Kitchen Aid mixer, and it was perfect.
True to form, my mixer ended up being just a hair too wide. I mean, it is so, so close. Argh!
I was able to use that space for my Cuisinart and some other small appliances, so it wasn’t a total loss, but I was, yet again, left with trying to find a spot for my mixer.
I’ve removed some decor items from the counter, so I had room to try the mixer there. At least it fit!
I didn’t like it at first, but now it’s growing on me. I actually like it better than having it hidden away in a cabinet. I’m used to hauling it from a shelf to the counter when I need to use it, but it’s in a much more functional place as well. I think it will stay there for now.
Here is a peek at how the counter looked before I started decluttering a couple of weeks ago…
I’ve ordered some more bins for organizing and made some more trips to the thrift store, so the work continues…
I’ve always had my Kitchen Aid mixer on the counter, usually in the space between the top and bottom corner cupboards. I also use it frequently and chose a color (white) that blends in with my kitchen anyway so that it is not as obtrusive. The other appliance that lives on my countertop is my Nutribullet blender, which is used daily at least twice. We do have to be able to actually live in our kitchens, and mess them up, and not just have them as decor. Kitchen Aid mixers in particular are quite heavy and I sure wouldn’t want to be hauling that thing in and out of a cupboard every time! It is as much an appliance as a fridge or stove, in my opinion.
My Kitchen Aid mixer is cobalt blue and is on my black granite countertop. My cabinets
are white with blue and white dishes, glassware and bowls behind glass doors. I love the convenience and how great it looks!
I love it there. And, will be much easier for you to use. I fight that same thing, for about as many years as you have.
I have it on a higher shelf, which is a pain, but not much counter space.
Your countertop looks like it can breathe now. Good work!
I have the exact mixer and I know your struggle with making it fit. It wouldn’t even go under the upper cabinets in our previous house!
I fought the same problem for years and still have the same mixer for longer than I can remember! In our new house I took an 18″ wide cabinet, took out the shelf, and installed a Rev-A-Shelf. Worth every penny! My mixer with ease pulls up and out and clicks in place. When I’m done I release the latch and it practically lowers itself back into the cabinet nice and neatly away. Saves my back and arms too! Take measurements for your mixer and if you have a cabinet you’ll love it!
Also, just to be clear my cabinet does not have a drawer at the top so there is enough room to swing in place.
I think your mixer looks fine in its new spot. If you don’t like the black could you spray paint it green or brass?
My Kitchen Aid mixer sits on my counter as it is too heavy for me to move it. I was tired of dusting it (where DOES all this dust come from???) so I made a fabric “cosy” for it using two fabrics I had as window treatments. While I was at it, I made a cosy for my toaster, too. I know this is a very old fashioned thing to do but it works for me and brings in some much needed color to the counters which are white. As I bonus, I no longer have to dust my mixer and toaster.
Yep, GREAT idea!! I’ve already slipcovered many other things in my house, including my ugly desk and file cabinet, now onto the appliances!
I was blessed to have inherited a mixer cover made by my great-grandmother and given to my mother as a bridal shower gift 60 years ago. I also love the old-fashioned-ness of a mixer cozy!
I have always questioned why you stored your mixer where you did in both your Minnesota home and this current one given your previous shoulder issues. I know just how heavy that mixer is to move round since I have the same model in cobalt blue. Mine is angled into a corner on the countertop in our kitchen where I only have to pull it out a little bit for more working room. I applaud your decision!
The Kitchen Aid has always sat on the kitchen counter. I feel lucky enough to assume it belongs in a kitchen the way a stove, refrigerator and microwave do.
By the way your’s now looks like it found a great home and I also am enjoying the “decluttering”!
It is absolutely perfect there and the mixer color works so well, too!
It looks great and the counter looks less cluttered.
I really like where it landed. It’s so classic in black and so much more streamlined than the before photo.
Mine sits on the counter as many others have mentioned, it’s a workhorse. I use it to grate cheese even, and if I had to haul it out, I don’t think I’d do that. (I’d use the hand grater and scrape my knuckle and have to start all over…)
I love that yours is black and looks like it belongs rather than just trying to fit in.
It looks great on your countertop, Marian! And, how sweet that you can be reminded every day that it was a gift from Jeff at a time in your lives when everything was just beginning. It also looks like there’s just enough room to place the mixer on a cutting board ~ which will help slide it out, and can then be used to prep ingredients.
I love how your black mixer blends with your scale~ it looks great!
I think a Kitchen Aid mixer is iconic and looks great on a kitchen counter, not to mention how much more convenient it is to have it in place where you will use it. Mine is that beautiful Kitchen Aid red and was a gift from my kids after they were grown. (How did I raise 4 kids without it?! I’m just glad I have it now!) I’m watching with interest as you declutter. Like you, I’ll never be a minimalist, but I also don’t want my kids to be overwhelmed someday when they are trying to clean out our house!
Our kitchen is on the smaller side so storage is an issue. I keep my mixer on the counter. It’s a pretty navy blue so it looks pretty sitting out in the open and is handy when I need it. No lifting needed. They do sell adhesive casters for the bottom to help slide it around. I might give those a try one of these days. What will they think of next???
I think yours looks great there! Looks very classic! Like others, mine is on the counter in a corner but with a seasonal decorative tea towel folded over top. I don’t bake very often anymore, but it is definitely too heavy to haul up from a cabinet especially since I broke my right shoulder a few years ago.
Looks good! Stop fretting and enjoy.
Tell me about your brass knobs, etc on cabinets.
Details.please. Where to buy, what to ask for, how do each our care for them?
I put 4 Scotch felt pads, each about the size of a nickel or quarter, on the bottom of my heavy Kitchen Aid mixer. They’re advertised as floor protectors to stick on the bottom of chair legs.
They stick on — just peel off a little piece of wax paper from each one. I’ve had them on there for close to two years now and they’ve not come off. The pads allow the mixer to easily slide in and out from under the upper cabinets.
I was so excited to finally be able to store my Kitchen Aid on the counter. I use it a lot and like the looks of it. Yours looks great! I use mine so much more now that I don’t have to lift the weight from a lower cabinet.
My Kitchen Aid lives in the hall closet because my kitchen is too small to leave it out. It is so heavy and I hate hauling it in and out, so I don’t use it as much as if it were conveniently on the counter. Truth be told, it hasn’t really held up that well for kneading bread, and when it dies, I won’t replace it. But I feel your dilemma for where to store it.
I think yours looks lovely where it is and I’m sure it will be very handy when you want to use it.
It looks nice. It looks very nice. You also save your back by not having to lift it up onto the counter from the cabinet when you need to use it.
No one has mentioned the KitchenAid mixer cabinet lift – the base is not a “basket” like the one that slides out, it looks like a plain wooden shelf. This might be wide enough, and it’s great because you lift it up to the level of the cabinets, you can use it there, and when done, it goes down into the lower cabinet again. I would love to have one, but I cannot use a cabinet for one appliance only, mine are stuffed to the hilt. I keep my KitchenAid on the counter under my corner cabinets. Take a look at the measurements, I think it might work for you! (it is a little pricey, though)
You carried that thing around? Girl! Full body workout.
I went through this exact problem! I ended up moving it out of sight to a shelf in my pantry. It felt “wrong” not to display it, but it ended up being the best solution for me. Our kitchen is small, and reducing the clutter is easier on the eyes and makes everything easier to clean. The mixer gets pulled out as I need it. I still value it highly—a wedding gift 35 years ago from my favorite aunt—but I realize I don’t need to see it every day and that’s okay.
I very much like the new location with the cutting board behind it. I also have never seen a black one…I love it !!!! I am curious why is facing towards the back door? I would have turned it around to face the “main”of the kitchen. Like it needs to join in with the other “work horses” of the kitchen. This facing makes me think it is ready to go out the backdoor ….to the thrift shop.
Of course, I am not there to get the total feel of the layout.
It’s faced that way because that is its “good side.” The cord comes out the other side, so that would be much more visible if it were turned the other way.
I put my KitchenAid mixer on a black plastic-type cutting board that matches my black granite countertop. When I need to use my mixer I easily slide the cutting board, with the mixer on it, out from where I store it on the countertop.