I realized the best feature about the rental house I recently rented...

[Ginevra]

It wasn't the proximity to the beach. It wasn't the spacious Master Bedroom. It wasn't even the back porch on the canal at sunset, though that was probably #2. It was the small kitchen with plain ol' Formica countertops and white appliances. I know everybody's all gah-gah over sparkling granite counters and gleaming stainless steel, plus acres of islands to make food and entertain. BUT! I have that in my home and seriously, there is something to be said for being able to just pick up a dish cloth, wipe down a 2' space where you made lunch, and go on with your life.

 

Easy-care kitchens are on my wish-list for any future house! ðŸ˜

[Carol in Cal.]

ITA.  Stainless is too high maintenance for me, and as for granite countertops, I lose things on them.  Like dirt.  Like *one* blackberry.  Function!  Give me function!

[kewb]

I have a tile counter top that i love and adore. I can put hot stuff on it and it is easy to clean.

I am totally with you on low maintenance kitchens.

[PrincessMommy]

It wasn't the proximity to the beach. It wasn't the spacious Master Bedroom. It wasn't even the back porch on the canal at sunset, though that was probably #2. It was the small kitchen with plain ol' Formica countertops and white appliances. I know everybody's all gah-gah over sparkling granite counters and gleaming stainless steel, plus acres of islands to make food and entertain. BUT! I have that in my home and seriously, there is something to be said for being able to just pick up a dish cloth, wipe down a 2' space where you made lunch, and go on with your life.

 

Easy-care kitchens are on my wish-list for any future house! ðŸ˜

 

I recently told my realtor that I preferred formica counter tops to granite.  She about died.   I know I have to keep granite in the current house because it is expected in out neighborhood, but I'm not looking to putting it in for the new house.

 

Now lots of counter space with an eat-at island- yes I do want that. :) 

[Guest]

Viva la linoleum floors too!

[Garga]

That's pretty much my kitchen! Some days I hate how tiny it is because if I'm cooking a lot or if we're cooking together we run out of room to cook side by side. But when it's just me, it's fine.

 

I haaaate granite or marble becaue it always feels like my dishes are going to break when I set them on it. But a nice solid formica--yes. I love it. I just wipe it down with a rag, spray it with some bleach from time to time,- and I'm done.

 

The problem with my tiny kitchen is I run out of storage space. I store my dry goods in the diningroom and lots of stuff in the basement. Then again, running up and down the basements steps a few times a day is good exercise, so I don't mind.

Edited August 21, 2017 by Garga

[Guest]

We're remodeling our kitchen an I'm considering laminate counters. DH is mildly horrified.

[Selkie]

My kitchen isn't tiny (it's actually quite large), but I do have formica countertops. I love them. They're 20 years old and in perfect shape. You can put hot pans on them or use them for a cutting board and it doesn't leave a mark. Plus, cleaning them is so easy.

 

Our cabinets are being replaced this winter, so the countertops will be replaced as well. I'm pondering whether I should get formica again because I just hate the thought of giving up my low maintenance counters.

[Elizabeth86]

I dont have granite and stainless, but I just dont love them. It seems to take the home- iness look away and it looks so sterile and intitutional.

[theelfqueen]

We have a white fridge and stove.... but when our dishwasher broke recently I went to the store and got a remarkable deal on a floor model of a top of the line Bosch. I decided I wanted the cheap access to the features more than I wanted it to match. And seriously -- they're great features. But I HATE that Stainless finish. I thought maybe it would grow on me and I'd want to look to upgrade the others... but I do not like it.

 

[Guest]

My kitchen isn't tiny (it's actually quite large), but I do have formica countertops. I love them. They're 20 years old and in perfect shape. You can put hot pans on them or use them for a cutting board and it doesn't leave a mark. Plus, cleaning them is so easy.

 

Our cabinets are being replaced this winter, so the countertops will be replaced as well. I'm pondering whether I should get formica again because I just hate the thought of giving up my low maintenance counters.

How do you put hot pans and do cutting on them without damaging them? That's supposed to be the main reason people prefer granite.

 

We had formica countertops in our first house (and white appliances) and my countertops remained perfect. I was careful about it, though. I always used hot plates and cuttingboards. But the funny thing is, I could never bring myself not to use those even once we did have granite tops. I still always use hot plates and cutting boards. It's like there's a deeply ingrained stopping mechanism in my brain that says you never cut or place hot things on a countertop, no matter what it's made of.

 

I liked the formica counters so well in my first house, that is what I used in my laundry room for this house. But put them in my elegant new kitchen? That was unthinkable, so I was told. But my laundry room counters are still terrific (although obviously, they don't receive a workload like the kitchen receives!)

[Guest]

Viva la linoleum floors too!

Well, laminate for flooring is making a come-back. People like them to look like hardwood but be durable as heck. Now that you mention it, that is something I love about the family beach cottage. There can be 20 kids and a dozen aunts and uncles there, plus three dogs and a crab feast and - sweep, mop, voila! The floor looks exactly the same as it has looked for the past fifteen years.

[cjzimmer1]

How do you put hot pans and do cutting on them without damaging them? That's supposed to be the main reason people prefer granite.

 

 

 I've never had anything but formica and I've always chopped on them too.  Never knew you weren't suppose to, can't say I've ever found any marks from cutting.  Can't help with the hot things though because I do use hot pads.

[Tanaqui]

I am so over stainless steel. You can't ever let the kids in there, they'll smudge up the place - and when it crashes, it's going to crash *hard* and nobody will want it anymore.

[fraidycat]

We've been staying in a travel trailer for the past 6ish weeks. It got messy fast, but clean up was a snap. 20 minutes and the whole place was clean!

 

The day to day kitchen clean up was even easier!

 

I still want a big house when DH retires, though. With dedicated offices, music room (with lots of sound-proofing for the drums), but I'd happily live without a kitchen at all, if it meant I'd never have to cook!!

[momacacia]

This is how I feel about when we go stay in a Residence Inn for a few days to 2 weeks. It's wonderful, simple, so.easy to live. Then I realize, we left the bulk of our stuff at home and I cooked a lot of the food the week before and brought it with us. If only I.could figure out how to live this way at home.

[mom@shiloh]

We put in a kitchen two years ago and I went with Formica countertops.  They are durable and cost soooo much less.  If I get sick of them, I'll replace them with no guilt.  What would happen when I'm tired of the granite counters that I paid five times more for?  I'm probably not going to be able to justify the cost of replacing them.  

 

Besides, I avoid trends. They make me rebellious.

[Guest]

We put in a kitchen two years ago and I went with Formica countertops. They are durable and cost soooo much less. If I get sick of them, I'll replace them with no guilt. What would happen when I'm tired of the granite counters that I paid five times more for? I'm probably not going to be able to justify the cost of replacing them.

 

Besides, I avoid trends. They make me rebellious.

I feel this way about a lot of trends, too. There have been certain things I stubbornly refused to buy only because it annoys me that it's such a hot trend. Currently it's those "cold shoulder" tops. 99% of the reason I don't like them is because I see them so constantly. I went to a party and probably 65% of the women there had a top or dress with the shoulders missing. I think that trend will quickly burn out and, three years from now, people will look at the pictures from the party and will only notice pieces of shoulder everywhere. ☺ï¸

[Selkie]

How do you put hot pans and do cutting on them without damaging them? That's supposed to be the main reason people prefer granite.

 

 

 

Honestly, I don't know. I've been researching materials for our new kitchen and I keep reading that you can't put hot things on formica, but I've been doing it for twenty years without leaving a single mark. I can take cookie sheets right out of the oven or a pot right off the burner and put it down with no problem. Same thing with cutting on it. 

 

Maybe we have some super-durable version of formica, but I don't think so. When we picked it out, I'm pretty sure it was just standard formica. 

[PrincessMommy]

We put in a kitchen two years ago and I went with Formica countertops.  They are durable and cost soooo much less.  If I get sick of them, I'll replace them with no guilt.  What would happen when I'm tired of the granite counters that I paid five times more for?  I'm probably not going to be able to justify the cost of replacing them.  

 

Besides, I avoid trends. They make me rebellious.

 

This is exactly one of my thoughts as well.  

[PrincessMommy]

Honestly, I don't know. I've been researching materials for our new kitchen and I keep reading that you can't put hot things on formica, but I've been doing it for twenty years without leaving a single mark. I can take cookie sheets right out of the oven or a pot right off the burner and put it down with no problem. Same thing with cutting on it. 

 

Maybe we have some super-durable version of formica, but I don't think so. When we picked it out, I'm pretty sure it was just standard formica. 

 

 

In a previous house a babysitter burned our Formica counter top by placing a hot pan directly on the counter, so it can happen.   Honestly, it wasn't a big deal to have a towel or hot pad handy to put under a pot... I'm not exactly sure why that is such a selling point with stone counters. 

[freesia]

I recently told my realtor that I preferred formica counter tops to granite.  She about died.   I know I have to keep granite in the current house because it is expected in out neighborhood, but I'm not looking to putting it in for the new house.

 

Now lots of counter space with an eat-at island- yes I do want that. :)

 

Yep, me, too.  But I still have formica.  And am not asking that the church put in granite.  I think granite is ugly and granite and stainless steel make for a dreary looking kitchen imo.  I have never understood the appeal and am sad I will likely end up with a kitchen like that at some point.

[Hilltopmom]

Our new house has the Ugliest granite countertops, miles of them.

I love having a big kitchen now, but we'll never replace the pricey counters even though I hate the look of them. Boo.

 

But hey, we re did the ugly red, white, & blue bathroom this week & it's coming out pretty nice.

[Guest]

In a previous house a babysitter burned our Formica counter top by placing a hot pan directly on the counter, so it can happen. Honestly, it wasn't a big deal to have a towel or hot pad handy to put under a pot... I'm not exactly sure why that is such a selling point with stone counters.

Yes. In my SIL's first house (formica countertops), my other, youger SIL burned her countertop (permanent damage) while babysitting by putting a hot pot on it. Also, my parent's house had a burned formica countertop for all my years growing up from this same type of event, although I grant you, that countertop was installed in the 60s, so who knows how fragile it was compared to today's formica.

 

I actually have a burned/discolored spot on my wooden kitchen tabletop because DH put a hot stoneware casserole dish on it with no hot pad.

 

But the funny thing re:babysitters burning the countertop is that part of why I still use hot pads and protection from knife marks is that I don't want my kids to be comfortable with placing hot things on the counter or chopping things on it. I don't want them to ruin someone's counter because they grew up with a stone counter and had no idea this was a problem. I want them to be at least as thoroughly brain-washed as I was because my parents told me 900,000 times not to burn the countertop like the babysitter had! 😄

[Alexigail]

We just bought a house with a galley kitchen and I love it.  It takes barely any time to clean and no one wants to leave anything out because it's so small. Less stuff and less space all the way!

[Carol in Cal.]

I love the appearance of granite, reminding me as it does of my favorite mountains.

But I don't like it on counters.  It's higher maintenance than fakes--you have to reseal it regularly.  And it cracks and chips.  But the main thing is that it's too much of a visual pattern--like kitchen camo.  It's hard to see, say, one errant blueberry on it.  It's hard to know whether it's clean when you wipe it.  And the non brand new ones always look faintly smeared to me, like stainless appliances--it must be hard to *quite* finish cleaning it or something.

 

I would enjoy it as part of a backsplash, though.  Or kitchen cabinet doorknobs.

[happypamama]

I don't care for stainless generally; it's too austere for me, I think.

 

There is something to be said for a small kitchen that's quick to clean. I have a not small kitchen that doesn't have enough counter space for my everyday cooking needs. That's a pain. We're planning a remodel, and it will have lots of white wood cabinets, more counter space (a dedicated peninsula for my small appliances -- the two magic pots need a good home!), and wood floors. I think we're going with a laminate countertop though -- easy care, easy clean, and not expensive.

[Katy]

I think granite is ugly too, but I do miss the other aspect of having stone counter tops: being able to pull a package of hamburger out of the below-zero deep freezer and have it completely thawed but still cold in less than 2 hours. I got to be a lazy cook in that house, and I miss it.  The laminate in this house forces me to think about what I want for dinner first thing in the morning.  Or worse, the night before.

 

When we redo the kitchen in this house we're doing slate and soapstone.  And I already did the slate-look luxury vinyl tile, which I LOVE.  But the grout was the most difficult stuff to work with I've ever done. No problems since, though.

[Guest]

I think granite is ugly too, but I do miss the other aspect of having stone counter tops: being able to pull a package of hamburger out of the below-zero deep freezer and have it completely thawed but still cold in less than 2 hours. I got to be a lazy cook in that house, and I miss it. The laminate in this house forces me to think about what I want for dinner first thing in the morning. Or worse, the night before.

 

When we redo the kitchen in this house we're doing slate and soapstone. And I already did the slate-look luxury vinyl tile, which I LOVE. But the grout was the most difficult stuff to work with I've ever done. No problems since, though.

Interesting. I don't ever like meat sitting on my counter, even in a bag. I have one of those teivet defrosters, though; I always put meat on that to defrost.

[KungFuPanda]

Lots of stainless makes me think of a lab or a morgue or even a commercial kitchen. None of those are pretty. I don't mind sink or range hood here or there. I have formica that I swore to replace with something better when it looked worn, but 15 years later it's still perfect. Sometimes I get a tea cup ring, but it comes up when I sanitize my counters with diluted bleach. I like the LOOK of granite, but not the coldness or the fact that dropping something on it could mean breakage. I get the resale point, but it seems people only like the granite they choose.

 

I was going by some granite countertops in home depot thinking "I'll never spring for that, but it's pretty" when the price caught my eye. It was cheap! What! It was formica. I can install formica myself! Hmmm . . .

[Carol in Cal.]

I think granite is ugly too, but I do miss the other aspect of having stone counter tops: being able to pull a package of hamburger out of the below-zero deep freezer and have it completely thawed but still cold in less than 2 hours. I got to be a lazy cook in that house, and I miss it.  The laminate in this house forces me to think about what I want for dinner first thing in the morning.  Or worse, the night before.

 

When we redo the kitchen in this house we're doing slate and soapstone.  And I already did the slate-look luxury vinyl tile, which I LOVE.  But the grout was the most difficult stuff to work with I've ever done. No problems since, though.

 

We stayed in a place with slate tile floors once, and I was surprised at how impractical I found it.  It got EXTREMELY slippery when wet, and also I couldn't go barefoot on it comfortably because it was very hard underfoot and also the texture was...not sharp of course, but kind of sharp-feeling to my feet--very uncomfortable.  I love the looks of it, but I wouldn't want it in an entry way or bathroom or kitchen that might get a little damp at times, or anywhere I wanted to go barefoot.  Maybe it's better now.

 

 

[rose]

You all amaze me. I have no idea what formica is and I have no idea what my countertop in the temporary rental I'm staying in is. I know it's not granite, slate or stainless steel though. It looks like some sort of new type of hardcore plastic countertop material with a fake marble design that I could cut on or put hot pots on but I'm afraid to because like others it's been ingrained in my mind never to do so. Does this sound like formica?

[Ausmumof3]

It wasn't the proximity to the beach. It wasn't the spacious Master Bedroom. It wasn't even the back porch on the canal at sunset, though that was probably #2. It was the small kitchen with plain ol' Formica countertops and white appliances. I know everybody's all gah-gah over sparkling granite counters and gleaming stainless steel, plus acres of islands to make food and entertain. BUT! I have that in my home and seriously, there is something to be said for being able to just pick up a dish cloth, wipe down a 2' space where you made lunch, and go on with your life.

 

Easy-care kitchens are on my wish-list for any future house! ðŸ˜

I had a little tiny galley kitchen in a rental and it was my best kitchen ever! It couldn't get messy because there was nowhere to pile dishes, all the cupboards were within two steps and no one came in and leaned on the cupboards I need stuff out of.

[rose]

OK, I went to google images. I definitely have formica countertops. I really like them but now I feel really dense for not knowing what that was. There's something to learn everyday. :D

[Bluegoat]

Lots of stainless makes me think of a lab or a morgue or even a commercial kitchen. None of those are pretty. I don't mind sink or range hood here or there. I have formica that I swore to replace with something better when it looked worn, but 15 years later it's still perfect. Sometimes I get a tea cup ring, but it comes up when I sanitize my counters with diluted bleach. I like the LOOK of granite, but not the coldness or the fact that dropping something on it could mean breakage. I get the resale point, but it seems people only like the granite they choose.

 

I was going by some granite countertops in home depot thinking "I'll never spring for that, but it's pretty" when the price caught my eye. It was cheap! What! It was formica. I can install formica myself! Hmmm . . .

 

The thing with stainless is that the trend came from commercial kitchens.  There was a brief trend for people who were into cooking to buy these high end commercial ranges.  Very expensive and a big signal of wealth, though they really were nice in some ways for serious cooks.

 

The problem people found was that they didn't fit in that well with a residential kitchen - they were the wrong size, the metal got hot to the touch, that kind of thing.  So they started offering some residential versions of the commercial ranges.

 

Then it really took off as an aspirational thing, and a lot of those people didn't care about the high-end cooking features.  And within a short amount of time, they often didn't even look like a commercial range - they looked like a regular kitchen range with a stainless sticker applied to it.

[Bluegoat]

In my last house I had a wee kitchen, but it was great for cooking in and clean up.  A touch more counter-space would have been nice.  There was a pantry for bulk storage which made it really workable.

 

The one I am in now is a little bigger, actually an ideal size, but so poorly laid out it is just terrible to work in.

 

I like formica/laminate countertops as well.  I think they are some of the best value for money, and in houses of a certain age they are also the most appropriate.  I might avoid them in a Victorian, but in a mid-century house they are perfect.  

 

As far as cutting and hot pots - yes - if the pot is really very hot, it can burn.  If it's less hot, it probably won't.  I'd be more worried about cutting on stone because it would ruin the knives, or they might even slip when you cut.  My personal preference is to have an area of butcher block for prep work.

 

I'm also not crazy about granite in most settings - it can look very dark and cold.  Part of the problem I am sure is that it is so ubiquitous.  And absolutely if you have it you are probably keeping it, even if it is dead ugly and doesn't fit the house, because it is so expensive and heavy.

[samba]

I've had laminate (formica) countertops my whole life. They were in my parent's home and they've always been in the homes we've bought...except for that one rental with tile counters (those were the worst!). It's been ingrained in me to always use a cutting board, hot pads, trivets, etc. When I'm in homes with granite or other hard surfaces I still protect them. I just think "what if?"

 

I don't love my formica counters but I do like the color. I'd like to replace them someday but it's been ten years already and they still look great. They were already in the home so I don't even know how old they are. I also worry about possible breakage on a harder surface.

[RegGuheert]

I know everybody's all gah-gah over sparkling granite counters and gleaming stainless steel, plus acres of islands to make food and entertain. BUT! I have that in my home and seriously, there is something to be said for being able to just pick up a dish cloth, wipe down a 2' space where you made lunch, and go on with your life.

But don't you miss the warmth provided by the nuclear radiation from your granite countertop? :001_smile:

[Guest]

The idea of cutting on a countertop or putting a hot pot down without a trivet. What? Just, no. NNNNNNOOOOOOOOO! I swear, the thought is making my anxiety level go up.

[KungFuPanda]

I think there's a little confusion because Formica is a company. They make laminate, but they also make engineered solid-surface counters. Formica USED to mean laminate, but now it can be either and that's confusing when you've used the brand name to mean laminate all these years.

 

I don't think I have it in me to cut on anything but a cutting board or butcher block. I'd either fear for the counters or my knives. I don't even cut on my glass cutting board that covers a narrow counter.

Edited August 22, 2017 by KungFuPanda

[Guest]

But don't you miss the warmth provided by the nuclear radiation from your granite countertop? :001_smile:

Is that why my goldfish grew an extra eyeball?

[Guest]

The thing with stainless is that the trend came from commercial kitchens. There was a brief trend for people who were into cooking to buy these high end commercial ranges. Very expensive and a big signal of wealth, though they really were nice in some ways for serious cooks.

 

The problem people found was that they didn't fit in that well with a residential kitchen - they were the wrong size, the metal got hot to the touch, that kind of thing. So they started offering some residential versions of the commercial ranges.

 

Then it really took off as an aspirational thing, and a lot of those people didn't care about the high-end cooking features. And within a short amount of time, they often didn't even look like a commercial range - they looked like a regular kitchen range with a stainless sticker applied to it.

Yes, exactly. I even hear this on House Hunters sometimes..."Yes, I want a gourmet kitchen, with a big, six-burner range...no, I really don't cook at all, that's just the look I want..."

[Carol in Cal.]

Yes, exactly. I even hear this on House Hunters sometimes..."Yes, I want a gourmet kitchen, with a big, six-burner range...no, I really don't cook at all, that's just the look I want..."

There was a book that came out 20 years ago that highlighted this trend.  I think it was The Time Bind by Arlie Hochschild.

 

It talked about how people are always buying things that they don't need to get ready to do something that they don't actually end up doing, like buying fancy stoves or 4WD vehicles and then never cooking at home or going on vacation--because work takes all their time.  I remember reading it and thinking that it was unbelievably true, at least around here.

 

But there is definitely something to be said for being prepared for anything you carve out the time to try.

[Guest]

There was a book that came out 20 years ago that highlighted this trend. I think it was The Time Bind by Arlie Hochschild.

 

It talked about how people are always buying things that they don't need to get ready to do something that they don't actually end up doing, like buying fancy stoves or 4WD vehicles and then never cooking at home or going on vacation--because work takes all their time. I remember reading it and thinking that it was unbelievably true, at least around here.

 

But there is definitely something to be said for being prepared for anything you carve out the time to try.

Interesting. There's also something called the theory of "maximum use". So, if you buy an SUV, even though your kids are now gown and moved out, because you think maybe you will need it to take grandkids somewhere or maybe you'll take up breeding foxhounds and will need the space, you are succumbing to maximum use theory. This is also the concept behind which it seems like every single House Hunters International guest wants a 2-bedroom, so they have a spare for all the visitors they anticipate. Realistically, most of them should just save the money, get a 1-bedroom and, if they really feel they must contribute when visitors come, they can throw some of the money they have saved into an Air B&B rental for their guest. 😊

[Guest]

I don't need stainless steel, and I don't really care about granite.

 

But man, I could really use more SPACE in my kitchen. After accounting for the microwave, since there is no space above the stove, and then all the small appliances that I do use, since there is no island or pantry space to store those, I really do only have have 2ft of space. Just making up a batch of waffles uses every inch I have.

Yes, truly, counter space is nice. I did not mean that it wasn't; I realize it does sound that way in my OP.

[Carol in Cal.]

I don't need stainless steel, and I don't really care about granite.

 

But man, I could really use more SPACE in my kitchen.  After accounting for the microwave, since there is no space above the stove, and then all the small appliances that I do use, since there is no island or pantry space to store those, I really do only have have 2ft of space.  Just making up a batch of waffles uses every inch I have. 

Have you seen those bottom cabinets that have shelves for heavy appliances that elevator up to counter height and then lock in place?  If I were redoing a kitchen, I would definitely put my food processor and my mixer on those.  They are heavy enough that if I have to move them around by hand, I wouldn't use them much.  

 

But I keep other small appliances in upper cabinets, because I like to keep my counters more clear.  The only things that stay out are the toaster, the two mentioned above (and these are always pushed to the back of the counters so there is room to work in front of them) and unfortunately the coffee grinder, which does have a 'put away' spot but is used at least daily so it tends to stay out.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Carol in Cal.

[Bluegoat]

I don't need stainless steel, and I don't really care about granite.

 

But man, I could really use more SPACE in my kitchen.  After accounting for the microwave, since there is no space above the stove, and then all the small appliances that I do use, since there is no island or pantry space to store those, I really do only have have 2ft of space.  Just making up a batch of waffles uses every inch I have. 

 

I have the same problem, and in the end I decided that maybe I didn't need a microwave.  There was a small adjustment period, but now I probably wouldn't bother even if I did have the space.  For a while I had a toaster oven but I got rid of that too.

 

You could try putting it in a closet for a few months and see if you want it back.

[heartlikealion]

Our formica countertops have stains that will probably never come out. I think one is from tea. I don't like how a "clean" countertop here looks dirty. And the wood under is rotted and falling apart. I don't know if we can get the stuff replaced.

 

But if your formica is holding up well, that's cool.

[cintinative]

Our formica countertops have stains that will probably never come out. I think one is from tea. I don't like how a "clean" countertop here looks dirty. And the wood under is rotted and falling apart. I don't know if we can get the stuff replaced.

 

But if your formica is holding up well, that's cool.

 

This may not help if you are dealing with rot, but stain-wise I have found that Bar Keeper's Friend (the powder stuff) is fantastic at removing stains from even old formica. Unfortunately if you have a  burn stain it won't touch that, but it's great for a lot of other food/cleaner/spill stains.

[Guest]

Have you seen those bottom cabinets that have shelves for heavy appliances that elevator up to counter height and then lock in place? If I were redoing a kitchen, I would definitely put my food processor and my mixer on those. They are heavy enough that if I have to move them around by hand, I wouldn't use them much.

 

But I keep other small appliances in upper cabinets, because I like to keep my counters more clear. The only things that stay out are the toaster, the two mentioned above (and these are always pushed to the back of the counters so there is room to work in front of them) and unfortunately the coffee grinder, which does have a 'put away' spot but is used at least daily so it tends to stay out.

My MIL had one of those in her kitchen for her stand mixer. It swung up from a bottom cabinet and then locked in place. However, she most often used a smaller mixer kept on the countertop. I'm not sure why she didn't seem to really like or use the swing-up stand mixer.