Selecting Kitchen Appliances

When thinking about new appliances for your kitchen it’s easy to fall into the trap of beginning the decision process with the detailed features of each product.  While features are certainly important, they have little to do with ensuring that the look of your appliances will enhance the décor of your kitchen.

Instead of concentrating on specific features, take a step back and consider all appliances together as an interdependent whole.   In a truly stunning kitchen, the appliances look like they belong together.  Unfortunately, in some kitchens the appliances look like they were purchased without any thought towards achieving decorative consistency.

It goes without saying that all appliances should have matching finishes; either all stainless, or all black, or all white.  It is less obvious that there are advantages to buying all appliances from the same manufacturer.

Major manufacturers have distinctive logos that appear on all their appliances and generally have finishing touches that are consistent across their product lines.  If you want to add a “WOW” element to your kitchen, consider buying all your appliances from the same manufacturer.  This may seem irrelevant if you are only replacing one appliance or if you are buying one appliance at a time as your budget permits.  However, choosing a manufacturer with a finish look you really like sets the stage for making future purchases from the same line.

When it comes to finishes, stainless is currently the most popular, while white is timeless and will always be around.  Some worry about stainless finishes going the way of the avocado green and harvest gold finishes popular many years ago.  This is not likely to happen as stainless finishes have been used in professional kitchens long before they entered the consumer arena due to their superior functionality.  Scratches in stainless appliances can be repaired and they have no paint to peel allowing the metal undercoat to rust.  In the opinion of most interior decorators, these advantages ensure that stainless steel finishes will always be stylish, even if something new comes along that is seen as more trendy.

Desirable features can be a matter of both personal taste and how you use the appliances, but as a general rule easy access and easy to clean controls are important.  For refrigerators and even ovens, the number of shelves and how easily they can be reconfigured are also important.  Digital controls are the easiest to clean and buying from the same manufacturer will avoid having a red display on one appliance and a blue display on another.

When it comes to buying appliances, don’t automatically assume you will find the best price at a large appliance retailer or a major home improvement center that sells appliances.  While these sources generally have attractive individual prices, they rarely deal in discounts for multiple appliance purchases.  Make sure you check into those old-fashioned, privately owned appliance stores that still exist in many towns.  Many of them will offer volume discounts that may make their prices competitive and perhaps even lower than what you’d find from one of the “big boys.”