Hi Marthavila and Bufflotina. Thank you so much for your advice. I went out yesterday to pick up the following: Quooker faucet/Tap - bought for E699/about $750. Its the polished chrome basic design one. No more kettle. These , and their insinkerator cousin (which produces hot but not boiling water) and a similar ZipHydro are everywhere. The fact that this produces BOILING water makes it the best I think. You turn the tap on (child safety on this one - not on some of the other brands - that why I chose quooker) and TADA!! Boiling water comes out all bubbly and spluttery. Its going to save me a whole lot of time. I boil the kettle once an hour. I can make tea without a kettle. In case you're wondering what I'm talking about please see: http://www.quooker.com/07_uk/site.html (the one I got is the "basic" model PRO3 VaQ- it was on sale and would normally cost at least 1000 dollars/ 899 euro. Here is a review: http://honestcooking.com/2011/04/12/testing-the-quooker/. Garbage disposal - I got a viking one - they were on sale at a good price for Europe. VCFW750 Viking 3/4 HP Continuous Feed Food Waste Disposer was E450/$550 (I know its really really expensive here but the hassle of changing plugs and electrics for such a small item isnt worth it so I bought here instead of US). This is for my prep sink in the island. I'm going to get an insinkerator model 1HP one for my sink beside the dishwasher. I got the Viking one for the prep sink because I love the viking logo on the rim - it just looks nice. I am afraid of Viking products since I saw one of their fridge freezers recently in a showrrom here. It was actually rusting in the freezer compartment - and its only about two years old. Either the dealers abused it or its a bad product. But this is a small item so ......fingers crossed it works ok. I've been picking up bargains for the past few months: I have the following: BlancoMaster-S Baby Faucet/Tap http://www.tapsaver.co.uk/tap_1506.asp which is gorgeous in real life and the professional spray is really forceful cos I have a good pressurised water system. I think its called a Blanco Gourmet Professional in the US. I didnt like the full sized Blancomaster - Its too big - about three foot high and it would dominate the kitchen. This one has all the pro features and function and blends in. However it means my other faucets/taps have to be polished chrome. I was going to go for polished nickel but...... the Blancomaster baby was picked up half price - E350 ($420) so it was an absolute steal so i dont mind. Polished chrome is ok. I've also got a blanco tap/faucet with pro spray for my utility room see: http://www.blanco.co.uk/products/tap/blancotubetwist I picked it up for E200 /$270 last week. Again half price or less. Gaggenau: 24"Combi-Steam and convection Oven http://www.gaggenau.com/GB_en/products/product-detail.do?contentId=08bc3306-c804-4796-983e-58cb2b13f810&family=SteamOven - bought for E2000 ($2700). Ok I paid the full price (not like me at all) but I HAD to have it. They TOLD me that it was 700 euro off but when I got home and checked the price I could have gotten it anywhere for that. But I wanted it and was overcome by impulse and had to have it. Cant wait to crank it up once the kitchen is in (about 8 weeks from now) Gaggenau Coffee Maker http://www.gaggenau.com/US_en/products/coffeemakers-overview/product-detail.do?contentId=3f015e54-a127-4cc9-959f-9d8d2af07820&family=Coffeemaker. I LOVE IT. I picked it up ex display for E500 (about 600 dollars). The price makes the coffee taste sweeter! (having said that the way you put the coffee and water in is a little bit of a nuisance. If I hadnt picked this up for a song I would have gone for the Miele one which has much more convenient way to fill etc) I have had a good look at the Falcon rangecookers. YOU WERE RIGHT. The cooktop is the same as the La Cornufe but the burners arent brass and the grid of iron is enamelled whereas the la cornufe is not I think. The La Cornufe grid (what is the name of that - escapes me right now so i'm calling it a grid) is not shiny whereas the Falcon one is shiny black. Anyhow they are THE SAME SHAPE. Clearly from the same designer and same machine. The door hinges on the falcon are identical to the La cornufe. But the Falcon doesnt have the easy clean system whereby you take out the sides and top of the oven. However the Falcon does have the additional grill. So I am decided. The Falcon retails for about E5000/$6000. THe La Cornufe for about E6200/7500. I have been offered one ex display for less than the Falcon retail price. Its ok that the hinges etc are the same. Its ok that its not a real La Cornufe (who was I kidding at that price). I like it. I am going to go and buy it and I'm going to pick up a neff or miele or siemens 24 inch induction cooktop(hob) to go to the left of it and I'll get a 24 inch butchers block for the other side of it. It'll look good. I'll get a nice pot filler tap and some fired earth tiles (http://www.firedearth.com/)for behind it and I will be set. I will still have a look at the Mercury but from the pics i've seen its the wrong look. I saw a really nice Fisher & Paykel three door (french door) fridge freezer yesterday. http://fisherpaykel.com/product/refrigeration/refrigerators/index.cfm?productuid=A11C44C2-EAF3-81BC-9B6A6087173AA8A9 Only 2K as opposed to 8-10K for the Miele.http://www.appliancist.com/refrigerators/miele-refrigeration-line-mastercool-control-system.html (You think the Miele looks good in these pictures. You ought to see it in real life. It is lovely. THe F&P is a good bit smaller but so is the price.... I am torn. I saw a Miele dishwasher ex display a little while ago. Based on the almost unanimous good opnion of same on here I think I will just go and buy it. Hope its still there. Thanks so much for your help. I had another look at the Aga Legacys/rangemaster induction cooktops yesterday and decided definitely that they are too cheap looking for my new kitchen. The induction top is surrounded by rubbery looking plastic stuff. I don't know what material it is...I only know its unattractive. The falcon and ilve (called brittania in UK called Ilve in US and Ireland) ones have steel surrounds around the induction tops which are much nicer, and stop spills falling onto the floor. I did check out a Bertazzoni but they are a little lightweight compared to their rival Wolf so it was a no. So Hopefully by this time tomorrow I shall be a proud La Cornufe owner. See pics of product here: http://www.thestylishhouse.net/2009/04/in-my-dreams.html I have a laundry room upstairs and i have bosch washer and dryer for there. i fancy putting another washer/dryer into mmy utility room for towels and dishcloths etc. i've been offered a kupperbusch integrated w/d and i'm thinking i'll take it. I still need fridge freezer - I love the Miele but it super pricey microwave Probably Gaggenau Warming drawer - probably gaggenau winecooler: something small and unobtrusive. Its not the look I want really i might integrate one into a nook in the dining room. small dishwasher for island (a little drawer one) refrigerated drawers for fresh meat. my husband keeps mixing raw and cooked meats in the fridge so i'm buying drawers for the meat now and keeping the big fridge raw meat free! faucet/tap for island - I'll have to go with blanco to make everything match. The polished chrome quooker will be beside it. prep sink for island - I wanted the kohler http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?from=thumb&frm=null&module=Kitchen+Sinks&item=337202&prod_num=6588§ion=1&category=5&resultPage=0--1543372007 but i mightgo for the Shaws of Darwen model which is half the price with all of the good looks. See: - http://www.shawsofdarwen.com/classic-sinks/10-round-sink.html Its the undermounted I like. I will get a shaws of Darwen 36 inch (900cms) double for my kitchen and 36 inch (900cms) single for my utility room. A 36 inch wide single sink will be able to accommodate my bbq burners and grills which is what I need. http://www.shawsofdarwen.com/6-classic-sinks I had been stuck on the franke big one made for villeroy & boch http://www.appliance-world.co.uk/Franke_VBK771_Belfast+Sink.html but in my kitchen that might be a dirt gatherer. Too many nooks and crannies. What do you think? I'll be back with photos of kitchen space soon. Dippy P.s. My flooring is from Mandarin Stone - the Jerusalem grey gold Ramon see http://www.mandarinstone.com/products/limestone/classic_jerusalem_ramon_tumbled It is beautiful. I have no regrets whatsoever. Even my Mother in law likes it. Its a first.

Thanks for the great responses. I think part of my problem is that while I am a good book learner, I'm mostly a very tactile person and have to touch things to know if I want them. TEEDUP1 -- Yeah, I know I'm fussing, but I'm unfortunately stuck with myself in this process. It's the same thing buying a car. I want to know how it looks, feels and works or I'm not happy, order to my specifications, and then drive 'em forever. But any of them will get you from here to there. And I use all the features they list in the back of the book so do want to check them all out. My budget will pretty much let me get what I want. I waited years until I felt like I could do that. The way I've been accomplishing things for years is telling my mother that I'll make sit down dinner for the whole family (yep, the infamous 25 lb. turkey) but that it's at her house because the kitchen at mine is too impossible to cook in. And I've been doing a lot of cold lunches, pot lucks, and one hots. But I'm accustomed to cooking and entertaining with a 36" SubZero and a large Gaggenau convection oven, and haven't found anything I like better. I did look. So I'm really not just starting at the top without knowing what I'm doing. And I've been using a Mr. Induction as much as possible since I first read about induction here and am sold on that too. The reason for choosing Diva is the white and the three hob unit IF it actually has an 11". The Gaggenau is an alternative if the Diva doesn't do it, or if I decide to get the teppan yaki and Gagg gas and want them all to match (matching isn't big on my list). I read about the Gagg freezer online and thought it sounded good instead of just automatically choosing SubZero to match the fridge. So here I am :) I'm usually looking for boil/sear or simmer on a cooktop--not much between--and I need a big hob for the stockpot, canning pot, etc. For the gas I don't really need fancy, though I do want a good simmer, since I'm likely to use induction more, but I want to find what's most useful to me. There also aren't all that many 2 burners; the only other ones at Universal are Kuppersbusch, DeLonghi and Miele, and I don't like them as well. A decider I just figured out could be cleaning. The Wolf has sealed burners with caps, with the dual valve simmer. Considering I'm going to be abusing it with drippy vegetables, that's a good thing! The smaller Gagg has sealed burners, but I don't think it has the competitive simmer. JILLYPIE -- Many thanks for the feedback on the Gagg Steam. I have searched back on the threads and know people like 'em. And *I* know I wanted the large Gaggenau oven because I love using my mother's. The combi steam just seems so much easier than using a bain marie, a bag, etc. How long did it take you to learn to take advantage of it? Also, why would you choose the Thermador over SubZero fridge? Yeah, on the salespeople. I kept challenging them on their information and pinned them down on what they did and didn't know. You're so right about GWers knowing more :) That's why I started here with my research, and read all the brochures and users' manuals online before I talked to them :) Re DW's, all of them allow you to use rinse aid, and I used to use Jet Dry, but it ran out and I didn't notice any difference...except that I can sometimes taste the Jet Dry on the glasses. I figure why bother if the dishes are as clean without it? Same as the Seventh Generation detergent. James had bad luck with it in the Miele. It made grit. But it hurts my skin to touch Cascade and I can touch Seventh Generation. And the dishes come out all sparkly! IGLOOCHIC -- Thanks for the recommendation on the KA. I've been happy with the Whirlpool which came with my house. I'll keep looking for a top KA to look at. I hope I like the racks! BTW, I love your real stove too :) When I first joined this forum I started lusting for it. But I've always preferred cooking with wall ovens and a cooktop. And after a week or two of research, and seeing the Cornu, Lacanche, Aga, Molteni and Bertazzoni in person (didn't have to fly, thank goodness--one of the advantages of So. Cal.), I finally decided that no matter how beautiful they were, they just aren't me. Is a big green egg a Weber? I'm not happy grilling outside when it's dark and/or cold (I know my cold is your warmish, but I still shiver). But even with a good hood I question how much I'd use an indoor grill. I think I really would use the teppan yaki, but I keep thinking I have a good griddle and while it's not the same I really don't need the teppan yaki. I really don't. It's a toy. But such a useful one :)

I could spend a ton of money on my remodel, but I am a cheapskate so I'm looking for the cheapest way to get my dream kitchen. We will probably be in this middle class condo till we die, so I'm trying not to cheap out in a way that I will regret. Where I plan to spend is for a powerful 36" 6 burner rangetop. On my short list are Capital Culinarian and GE Monogram. I currently have a 20yo Kitchenaid with open burners. The two with 12K btu I routinely wish were more powerful. I am ready to pay the premium for the rangetop vs the cooktop because of the extra space....I like to cook with big pans. For a hood, I probably don't want to spend too much on looks. We upgraded the useless noise box to a 600 cfm about 7 years ago, and I might just paint it stainless. But I will probably get a new one with better lighting, more cfm now available, baffle filters, and stainless housing. I don't want to spend a lot on a dishwasher, but I do want paneled one. I have used DWs of all price points that worked fine getting dishes clean. I'm not too picky about them. I'd like it to be quieter than our current 20 yo Whirlpool. But I sure hope it will clean as well as this old one, which cleans and dries GREAT even with the dry cycle off, without rinse aid. I'm looking for deals on KA or maybe Bosch or a used Miele on Craigslist. My other splurges will probably be for ovens....I'd like a Wolf L or maybe Electrolux Icon single oven plus a Monogram Advantium. The microwave has to be built in because our kitchen already has this, and I don't want to downgrade..plus there is little counter space. Or current MW is underpowered with no turntable, so I definitely want improvement there. I'd like an oven with a dehydrate mode so maybe we can get rid of the bulky dehydrator my husband uses to make jerky (best jerky ever). I am looking on craigslist for both of these items. The fridge is a dilemma. I love the build quality of SZ, and the true counter depth. I looked at a 736 tci on craigslist....I would love the look. But the interior was so bare bones! One tiny shallow drawer. Not as good a setup as our current fridge. No ice maker in that SZ for some reason. There was also mildew. My dream fridge would be 36" bottom freezer CD paneled integrated, great build quality for all shelves and drawers, icemaker no dispenser, and filtered water in the fridge. Alas, this either does not exist or if it does, costs a fortune. We actually really like our GE Profile bottom freezer. Shelves are great, drawers are much better than most of the lower end. We bought it about 5 years ago used for 300 bucks. So right now I plan to have panels fabricated for it, and add an ice maker for 100 bucks. I will recess it into the wall which will give me a nearly flush sightline. So I'm planning to spend more for the cooking appliances, especially since they will be fitted and built in to cabinetry and/or countertop, thus more difficult to swap later. Notice I'm trying to save by buying used, or through outlets/scratch and dent places. We've bought things used from private parties before and been very happy. We got our fridge about 5 years ago, and an LG dryer a month ago. Each was 2 years old and looked nearly new, so we got $3300 of appliances for $650. I will admit it is a hassle moving them, especially the fridge, so we earned some of our savings there!

Ask your interior designer how much she cooks every day and how many people she's feeding. Splitting into drawers in different areas makes as little sense as you think it does. I couldn't fit the 36" units, so have 30" Miele columns plus a 24" drawer fridge. I wanted the drawers in the prep area anyway, and it works as planned for having prep items where I want them, and serving the stove (e.g., butter). It also serves when I'm serving hordes as main storage. I sometimes have to rearrange everything depending on its state of preparedness and container. The prep area is just around the corner of a small island from the main fridge, so it's not a big issue, but it makes no sense to do it if you have room for a big fridge. Point of use does make sense for auxiliary fridges if they improve access, traffic patterns, etc. Some people have the breakfast room away from the kitchen, and it makes sense to put orange juice, milk, snacks, butter, jam, coffee fixings, etc., at point of use. Others have a snack center with a small fridge in the family room, with fruit, sodas, beer, maybe sandwich trays pre-made before poker or something. Plenty, like me, have prep drawers. When I'm putting away vegetables, the roots, and ones that need to be prepped and cooked go in the drawers. The salad veg, fruit, etc., go in the main fridge. Some people have drawers in a coffee center or bar. Some have a small fridge in the master. Lots of people have them in their outdoor kitchens. Refrigeration is great!! It's one of the best preservatives out there. But can you imagine having drawers in the breakfast room, master, bar, outdoor bar, and game room, and sending the kids running between them all, shouting to them, "I know I bought more milk than this!! Find it!! Find it!! Or there will be no cake for anybody!!" Secondary refrigeration belongs where it will add to your enjoyment of the home, not where it'll make you nuts. People don't even like having to open two doors on a French door fridge! Even if you had a bunch of drawer fridges all in your kitchen, why would you want to be opening them all looking for something? A lot of designers want to do what looks cool rather than what works best. Yours may just think having a bunch of drawers would be cool, and it would look better than having a big tall blob of coolers (you can separate the fridge and freezer if you want to limit that part). You have a generous enough budget that the designer may be pushing for it just because you have sufficient money to do it. Stick to your guns. When your boys are older, I hope you'll have an overflow fridge in the garage too. Boys eat! SubZero is great. I think Miele is just as good for integrated, and I like the way the hinges work to make them open wide. Perlick is a good competitor for drawers. I have a combi-steam (Gaggenau), speed oven (Advantium) and warming drawer (panelled!). When I entertain, they, and my full sized oven (Gagg 30") are all in use, as are 3-4 burners. It's true that there is a learning curve on the speed oven, but start with some easy recipes and learn what works, and you'll be really glad when you have 45 min. at home between carpool and baseball practice, and your children are grey with hunger. Re the Cornue, a Chateau takes up a lot of real estate, and you still are limited by what will fit in the vaulted oven. The Sully has the two full sized ovens, right? Those will be very useful for cookies for school/scouts, big roasts and big parties, etc. If it's the smaller ovens, I'd advise you to look again and see about getting a big oven. You probably don't need four small ovens, though you could probably split anything too big and do half in each if the range has small ones. :) Organization advice from friends with two dishwashers--put them together. Best is either side of the clean up sink. Good is both on one side, or even one to the side and one behind across the aisle (so long as the doors don't hit each other). Lots of people have tried point of use, but there really is no such thing. Saying this is for pots and prep and that is for tableware is fine in theory, but doesn't actually work out in use, and having them separated means a lot of running back and forth trying to fit this and that, or put things back in their supposed to go place. OTOH, it's useful to have a little dish soap at the prep sink so you can clean a knife or prep bowl without taking it to the clean up sink. That's for when you're cleaning and then using again. If you do your kitchen right, and if the work flow is well thought out, you'll find it's much easier to cook. I highly recommend posting in the Kitchens forum and seeing if you can get some help with the floorplan. If you don't get a good response, bump your post and/or post again. Designers are notoriously bad at kitchens, and the Kitchens forum is good.