Kitchen appliances have come a long way aesthetically since the bulky avocado green refrigerators of the past. But even today’s sleek, stylish appliances can disrupt and distract from the design of the kitchen. In response, the use of concealed appliances has emerged as a hot trend in luxury kitchen design.

Concealed appliances, sometimes also called hidden appliances, are a great way to give your kitchen an uncluttered, streamlined appearance. Hiding the appliances creates the illusion of space, making the kitchen seem larger than it actually is. This design is a great option for open kitchen designs where the kitchen is easily visible from other rooms or is part of a larger, inclusive living area. With the appliances concealed, the kitchen looks less utilitarian and more like an extension of your living room.

There are a couple of ways you can incorporate concealed appliances into your kitchen design. The first is to use appliances that have been fitted with panels that look like the kitchen cabinetry. Many appliance manufacturers are offering various appliances that are constructed with faux veneer that mimics kitchen cabinetry. Most cabinet installation companies can also make custom panels that match your existing cabinetry but this is only an option for appliances that have been manufactured for these additions. These appliances are still visible but blend in nicely. Refrigerator drawers, dishwasher drawers, and warming drawers all work well with this technique.

If you want your appliances to be completely concealed, you can enclose them behind doors that match your cabinets. According-style doors or wall-sized sliding doors will let you keep your appliances tucked neatly out of site when they’re not in use. This method will let you conceal a portion or an entire wall of appliances if you wish. You can also opt to go with large doors much like pantry doors or armoire-style doors to conceal individual appliances, such as the refrigerator. In any case, enclosing your appliances will require using custom cabinetry design.

If you’re only looking for a way to conceal smaller, countertop appliances, you can have an appliance garage incorporated into your cabinet design. An appliance garage is a nook or spot where you can store appliances like coffee makers, blenders, toasters, and so forth. The garage includes outlets so the appliances can be plugged in and ready to use with a door or doors that close and keep them out of sight when they’re not in use.