Microwave Station Adds Extra Kitchen Storage

The other side of that weird hallway off our kitchen has been absent from all mentions on this blog and social media because it is where I created a microwave station and microwaves aren’t that interesting to me.

However, extra storage in a hallway IS interesting to me.

Remember that hallway?

The one where we added some built-in shelves?

That weird hallway used to look like this when we bought the Colonial Farmhouse.

Can you tell why I wanted to buy this place?

Hahahahahaha!

This hallway connects the kitchen to the main floor bathroom, which seems like a normal function for a hallway. In person, the whole space just feels odd and that could be because you need to duck your head to walk through this area due to the low ceiling height.

The doorway into this weird hallway that’s bigger than a hallway, but not big enough to be a room does not line up with the bathroom door. They are offset from one another.

That means there is an extra bit of space on the left side of this weird hallway.

Exact measurements aren’t crucial to the plot line of this story (thank goodness), so I’m going to guess that space is 24 inches deep or so.

I couldn’t let that space go to waste because we don’t have a lot of storage in this part of the house. As a reminder, I have just one run of cabinets in my kitchen.

I created a microwave station in that little nook and I haven’t mentioned it on the blog because it is a hard area to photograph and I didn’t finish the other side of the hallway until recently.

Plus, I’d have to explain that the weird hallway is a little weirder now that I can reheat my coffee in the microwave with a clear view of the toilet…if the bathroom door is open.

Who am I kidding?

The door is almost always open.

Sure. I could put the microwave on the kitchen counter.

Most people would, but I don’t like looking at the microwave and I especially don’t want it taking up valuable counter space in our already too small kitchen.

Plus, we aren’t heavy microwave users. It gets used, especially since I’ve taught the kids how to make their own ramen noodles in the microwave, but we could live without it.

But we aren’t going to live without it because MY KIDS CAN MAKE THEIR OWN LUNCH NOW.

If you imagined me yelling that last sentence while doing a booty shake and finishing it off with an impromptu kazoo solo, you’d have imagined correctly.

This microwave station was courtesy of yet another piece of furniture that was left in the Colonial Farmhouse when we moved in. I actually had moved it out of the house and into the barn where we were storing all the furniture that needed to be sold or donated.

Imagine how thrilled Handy Husband was when I said, “Hey! You know what would be fun? Moving that piece of furniture BACK into the house. YAY TEAM!”

Then I proceeded to sand, paint, and stain the new microwave station. The internet doesn’t need another furniture painting tutorial. Even if it did, mine would be short and sweet and something like this:

Just wing it. I’m sure it will turn out fine. 

Solid advice that works an undetermined amount of time.

I painted the microwave station the same color as I used on our kitchen wainscoting the FIRST time.

Remember how I repainted our kitchen wainscoting because the perfectly neutral khaki color I picked was not neutral and was instead dashing all my hopes and dreams by looking a bit green in our light? Good times.

I may be willing to repaint my kitchen wainscoting, but I was not willing to repaint my microwave station. That’s mainly because there’s no overhead light in this weird hallway, so no one can tell what color the microwave station really is anyway.

The things I hide store in this microwave station (besides the microwave that came with the house) are the extra boxes of kid cereal (because they open all the boxes at once and it drives Handy Husband nuts), the mini food processor that also came with the house (score!), my immersion blender (actually bought this one!), and tea bags (that we never drink).

So, the usual.

All in all, this microwave station works out really well for us. Now that the other side of the hallway has coordinating shelves and cabinets, this weird hallway seems to make more sense because it has a defined purpose.

The troubling thing is that the longer we live here, the less weird this hallway becomes. Should I be happy about that? Should I be concerned?

What’s that? 

You’re right.

You guys always steer me back to the important things.

I should be more concerned about the kazoo being an underrated instrument than I should about the proximity of the bathroom to the microwave.

Glad we settled that.

Seems like we now have more time for blog post reading! Here are some other posts you might enjoy. 

Would I Make It Again: Sweet Potato Cranberry Doughnuts

Cooking With Kids. Did I Survive?

5 Old Books I Found in Our New Home

*affiliate links in this blog post*