I also agonized over my appliance decisions, both during our recently completed kitchen renovation and another one we did at our previous home, about 6 years ago.

Last renovation (6 yrs ago), I felt certain that I wanted the most powerful, simplest all-gas range I could find, in the truest commercial style possible (for the best price, of course)! I chose the DCS all-gas 36" 6 burner range. While I liked the high heat of the range and some of its other features, it gave me many problems, similar to those that have been detailed on this forum.

For our most recent kitchen renovation, I needed a 48" range, and decided to go with the GE Monogram dual fuel. I had somewhat low expectations, or at least, I knew not to get as excited as I was during my prior renovation, only to be let down like last time. I had started to think that all higher end appliances were finnicky and any one of them is bound to have issues. Believe it or not, the GE Monogram has greatly exceeded my expectations and is really wonderfully and surprisingly great.

It has even better burner control from super high high to super low simmer than the DCS. The burners work beautifully and never give me that click, click, clicking during ignition. The burner flame does not go around my small pots, as it did w/the DCS. The gliding racks in the oven are a joy, and the oven (I've used it mostly with the convection feature) roasts and bakes everything evenly and to perfection (in my DCS, this was a problem as things came out unevenly). The only slight negative is that the electric coils for the broiler are not as awesome as the infrared that the DCS used for the broiler, but that doesn't matter much for me because I live in So. Cal, and we grill instead of broil most of the time.

This is just a wonderful piece of equipment, and I'm delighted with how it performs. It was much less expensive than the other high end dual fuel ranges (around $7800), so I feel like it's a bargain for what you get (comparatively) and I don't know why more people who love to cook haven't discovered it. Like you, I wondered why I couldn't find more reports about it before I purchased it.

Please keep in mind that I've only owned it for a little over a month, but I have to report that I really love it so far (and so does my husband and my daughter, who both cook almost as much as I do).

Good luck!

The only thing giving me pause on your list is the Miele plumbed-in coffee machine. Of course, I can't tell you how to spend your money, but that is one expensive machine, plus the cost of the plumbing. And if it breaks, what do you do? If you want to replace it, what do you do? Will another appliance fit in that space? Will the next-generation Miele coffee maker fit in that space? And, there are some amazing countertop coffee makers for a fraction of what that Miele will cost you. (go to website coffeegeek.com for a run-down)

I understand that the Miele built-in coffee maker will add wow factor to your kitchen, and convenience (though I don't think it's particularly inconvenient to use a countertop coffee maker), so I am just giving advice from my practical side.

P.S. I got a little sidetracked telling you how much I like my Monogram range, but I should also mention that the other item on your list that I have is the Sharp microwave drawer, and I like it very much. It performs just fine as a microwave, and although I thought it was odd that it didn't have a carousel to rotate the food while it heats, I found it wasn't necessary. It's very convenient to have it under the island and tucked away in a drawer and my kids love the easy access to it, but still I can't get that excited about it because it doesn't do anything spectacular; it just works well as a microwave.

Thank you both so much for responding.

Susan3733 - Thank you for your review of the Monogram range and microwave drawer. I think that the Monogram might be my best option, and it is nice to hear from someone who is really enjoying it.

Juliet3 - Thank you for your opinion on the Miele coffee maker. We entertain a lot and think that everyone will enjoy it, but it is a huge expense. I am going to search and see if there is an equivalent countertop model.