One Oven or Two? | Oven Placement Tips for Your Custom Kitchen Design

When you're building a new kitchen from scratch, one of the most impactful decisions you can make is where to put the oven. You have the opportunity to completely redesign your kitchen, which means you can place the oven anywhere you want. 

You can build a cabinet for a wall-mounted oven or keep your oven near the floor. You can have a warming drawer or pizza oven stacked above or below. You can even choose single or double doors on your oven.

But the most important choice is where to put it. That's exactly what we're diving into, today. Let's take a closer look at your oven options to inspire your custom kitchen design.

Your Baking and Cooking Style

When it comes to baking, everyone has their own preferences. You may be someone who really prefers an oven under your range, or you might like a mounted oven at just the right height. You might cook family feasts each holiday and need the extra oven, or see a second oven as an unnecessary extravagance. 

Consider all the kitchens you've cooked in and which oven placements you've liked best.

Oven and Range Combination

In modern kitchens, you can't predict if you'll find a separate range and mounted oven or a unified oven/range set. For those who learned to cook with a combination range and oven appliance, then you may be most comfortable with that now.

It's certainly a space-saver if you have limited cabinet room for a wall-mounted oven, and the oven near the floor never requires you to reach or lift too high with hot pans.

Mounting the Oven - At the Perfect Height

However, mounted or wall ovens have been popular for centuries. In fact, the first brick ovens had to be wall-built to support the fireplace needed to create baking temperatures. Wall ovens are extremely traditional, but now with that stainless steel modern look for high-tech homes.

If you do a lot of baking, a wall oven at just the right height is essential. But too tall or too short and you'll find yourself with little burns every time you try to manage your hot trays. 

The perfect height for your wall oven should have the oven door opening at your hip level or a little lower so that pans are always right safely elbow-to-shoulder level in your comfortable lifting range. With your custom kitchen, you can have your oven at a perfect height suited to your needs.

When to Install a Double-Oven

Is a double oven something you dream of or something you'd have removed? Double-ovens are more than a matter of personal preference, they define how much you can cook at once - evenly and at identical or different temperatures. Double ovens stacked next to or on top of each other make it possible to make large batches and multiple dishes at once.

So if you plan to host big family holidays - or if you have a large family - consider the double oven. If not, the efficiency of a single well-placed oven is likely preferable.

Oven in the Island

One interesting option is to place your oven in your kitchen island instead of along the usual main wall. This will create a more dynamic "triangle" for your workspaces for a 2 cook kitchen and is a great way to make better use of your entire kitchen space.

Especially if you have more floor space than wall space in your kitchen. An oven in the island also provides separate prep space for pan wrangling and cooling racks away from the stove and sink.

Entertainer Oven Thoughts

Do you like to entertain? Let's talk about how your oven will play a role. For an entertainer kitchen, think about the space needed when your kitchen is filled with guests.  Or perhaps you have someone who loves to help.  Using this oven can be their role in the meal.

Oven Door Clearance

Finally, don't forget the swing of the oven door. Before you choose your perfect oven placement, keep in mind how "in the path" the oven door will be when opened. Consider how you will maneuver around the door to place and retrieve pans and if others will need to manage the space as well.

The Perfect Oven Placement in Your Custom Kitchen

What is the best place to put an oven when designing your new kitchen? That depends entirely on you. From family feasts to efficient home cooking, choose the placement you will most enjoy and will help you handle pans safely. Don't forget to consider little details like where to store your trivets and your near-oven prep space.

For more custom kitchen design insights or to get started on your kitchen project, contact us today!