When I went to the appliance store the saleswoman said with certain brands she would recommend all the same if you are going with stainless. Frigidaire was one of those because their finish is different. Otherwise she didn't think it was necessary other than for the range and over the range microwave if you are doing that. She suggested looking at handle styles and how close the appliances will be to each other.

We were going to have a couple different brands but Kitchenaid had some great rebates so we ended up with all Kitchenaid. Unfortunately I won't be able to get delivery on all until sometime in July.

I like the looks of the Frigidaire Gallery Line but they didn't have the refrig style we needed. One of the plumbers said to stay away from Frigidaire dishwashers but that might be their basic line and not the gallery line. We currently have a VERY OLD Frigidaire refrig and range that were with the house when we bought it. Both have worked well but unfortunately I don't think new appliances are built to the same standards. I don't have my consumer reports handy but I could look in there if you want me to.

Buy the best performing appliance by brand that you can afford. There is no such thing as consistent quality/performance of each appliance of one brand. Here are past threads on this topic, which contains much useful information. Good luck on your quest!

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0414074722576.html

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1013523511177.html

I drove myself crazy for a few months on this very issue. I purchased a frigidaire stove and microwave first not realizing that frigidaire has a slight darker SS and also their handles in the gallery series have a bit of shine to them that others do not. I got a great deal on a fridge of the same brand but when it came to a dishwasher that is when I started to really stress. Frigidaire's DW's are junk. I read countless reviews and it seemed most people had problems. I finally decided on Bosch and although the handle is different, the SS is a pretty good match. I wish Frigidaires DW's were junk but I wasn't about to go for looks over performance. Whats the point in buying an appliance that matches to only have it fail a year later? I asked my mother if she noticed the difference and she thought I was nuts lol. It didnt even occur to her that my DW was a different brand. I think as long as the grain of the stainless steel goes in the same direction and is close in color, most will not even notice but you. =)

I think it can be a very good idea to do the "all from one." If the 1 or 2 appliances most important to you are from one manufacturer, the rest of the pieces you may need are probably good enough. The benefits of significant savings, consistency of look/operation and additional incentives, e.g. extended warranties, can be considerable. I think a more important consideration is availability and quality of service in your area. If there's a good, local service option for the brand in your area, go for it. I did.

Personally I think the "one brand" thing is pure nonsense dreamed up by some loony real estate agent.
I buy what is best for each appliance.

You should get what you like, what suits your needs and what fits your budget. There is no reason not to get everything one brand if you like the look and are satisfied with the preformance. On the other hand, there is no need to get the same brand if you think a particular model of another vendor is a better choice for you. Personally, we got several of the same brand because we liked features, price, and liked the handles and thought they all looked good together. On the other hand we got a different brand of cooktop. No handles to worry about and the other brand was more high end and well known for cooktops.

The only people who buy "suites" are cheap builders and people who don't cook. People that USE their kitchen for it's intended purpose want the best performing tool for the job at hand, and that especially goes for their appliances. If that means having 5 different brands for each appliance, then that's what a cook will choose to do.

The best reason I can see for all one brand purchases are the discounts (sometimes considerable) that come when you buy a suite of one brand. I have seen Bosche, Thermador and GE with these types of sales recently. However, each brand has its strong items and weaker items and when you go all one brand you buy both good and bad together.
I have gone the 'best (for me and budget) in each category' and tried to buy primarily from one location to get a package discount. I don't think I have two items the same! (The list is Gaggenau, Kitchen Aid, Miele, Bluestar, Panasonic, Fisher Paykel, Kobe)
Caspian

About the only reason to buy all the same brand is if you are offered a tremendous discount for a "package" buy or you are OCD about matching. Otherwise, get the best appliance you can afford for the task at hand. NO manufacturer makes the best of everything when it comes to the variety of chores one faces in a kitchen. I would prefer to have the better performing appliance over the one with the matching trim and nameplate. This is not to say that decoration and color aren't important - they are of course - but not at the expense of being forced into paying for a dishwasher that will not wash or an oven that will not bake evenly.

Better off to take the time to research and identify the good performers in each category of appliance, the ones that fit your needs the best, THEN, start thinking about how they will look together and fine-tune your choices.

"The only people who buy "suites" are cheap builders and people who don't cook"

Hmmmm...sounds pretty extreme. I know lots of not-cheap builders who put in Wolf/SZ and Thermador packages, many of them for customers who actually use the stuff and cook.