So dependent on budget........ I want a Miele dishwasher for sure. They seem to get rave reviews on here and I fell in love when I looked at them in person. Even the higher end one with the cool light when you open the door. The salesman was was rollin g his eyes and talking about how that was so unnecessary (who empties their dishwasher in the dark) but I still got drawn in on how pretty it looked *smiles*.... I've also dreamed of the Electrolux Icon Professional double wall ovens. I don't have room for them and a micro. I was drawn to them because if appearance, then wanted one so badly because of those glide racks!. I searched here and saw positive reviews, so they went on my wish list. I have to admit that because of those racks I didn't bother looking at ovens that didn't have something similar or other brands because I knew they were out of budget. So no advise there. My approach to appliances is this. I ask myself what's most important to ME in my kitchen, One's the dishwasher. I want the convenience they are meant to provide, and they all give you that... but I also want to feel it does a quality job cleaning! I can't tell you how many times I have bits of food stuck to glassware etc. It grosses me out and I end up hand washing a lot. I also need one that holds plenty and is somewhat easy to load. I have had lower to mid priced brands in the past with mediocre results, so I'm willing to pay more for better quality. I am not a gourmet cook, so I would rather not break the bank with fancy features I might never use in an oven or cooktop. The mid-priced gas cooktop we have has always served it's purpose, it's a GE profile series and although the former owner installed it, I know it's not an expensive one. I also have a mid range wall oven/micro combo that works ok. Temp runs on the high side, but once I knew that, I just adjusted my cook time and lowered the temp a bit. If you are a better cook, look for better quality and features you would need/use. What would work better for me is a wall oven, convection micro combo, and I will look into swapping out what I have for that. I think I will be happier in the long run. If money is no object, get whatever you want, Otherwise, think about what's most important to you before you buy. There's plenty of great advise on this forum.

I went with the Bosch line and I am in the final stages of our remodel. I picked up the induction cooktop today and the cabinets get installed starting tomorrow and the rest of appliances by the 9th of Feb. A few things I thought were interesting when I purchased.... Induction - we had gas, but after lurking here for 5+ years, I saw the passion for induction. We purchased a one burner hob and played. Not exactly something equal, but no that you will only get "better" performance from a larger appliance over the hob. I was deadset on the Bosch Benchmark with the bridges, etc. When I actually went to purchase the appliance, the sales person (who has been AWESOME), asked me how many times I actually have used my CI gridle/grill in the past 2 years. That would be maybe 6 times being generous. He asked me if I could turn on two burners (i.e. push the burner button and the setting I want, twice), of course I said yes, and he said let's use the money you would spend on the higher model to upgrade another appliance. Let's go with the lower version of the Induction Cooktop. Which is exactly what I did. We then decided to go with the Steam oven. It will be installed on the 9th, so I don't have any first hand experience, but can't wait to use it. I plan that it will replace our microwave. I have a Plan B, on where to stash a cheap MW, but honestly we use it very little (steam vege, heat water, or reheat food). The steam obviously will do 2 of the 3, and a simple cold/hot water filtration system at the sink replaces the heat water option. My expectation, is for our family of 3, that the steam oven will be my primary oven, but also installing a standard 30" convection oven. I also bought my warming drawer from Craigslist. It was a demo unit. I am putting a drawer front on it, so brand wasn't a big deal, but I saw that in the market there are some that have sides and some that don't have sides. I decided I wanted one without sides. With regards to the fridge, not sure I am much help. We elected to select a 36" fridge (SZ) and a nugget ice maker (Ice-O-Matic) and a hot/cold water dispenser that is filtered. This allows plenty of fridge space and keeps the beverage center away from my prep area. Our freezer space will be in the laundry room,and I think this will work great for our family. Good luck.

cpartist, I just finished looking at your condo on the other thread. Stunning! Your new house plans look and sound amazing too! All of you have certainly convinced me that the guy whose comment started this whole thing is the silly one, not I for looking at appliances from a workability standpoint. Shelayne, speaking of functionality, how do you like your microwave/speed oven? I've rather tentatively decided on a micro/steam oven because I steam veggies nearly every day, but I looked at some micro/speed and was curious as to how the speed oven works? Fori, you make a good point. Not all harvest golds were the same, nor were all avocado greens. Now, unless you can get something really speciality or retro, you're basically choosing amongst black, white, and SS; sometimes bisque. beachem, yes! Craigslist is my friend. I almost never buy anything at full retail price. Everything goes on sale if you're patient. But "gently used" is great, and there are some good deals to be found on Craigslist. Rebunky, you're not so bad yourself! :-) I really appreciate how you and everyone here have been so nice and have taken an interest in my little project. As for the Maytag...don't get me started, lol!

I'd never considered it, but yes. We didn't design or redo this kitchen but my cabinets and appliances are white and so are both our vehicles. Although the color name for my car is 'something pearl' so while white, I can see it in a row of white cars in a parking lot, it's not white-white. I have given thought as to how vehicles would look in the driveway against the color of the house if not put away, I had never thought about how they would look in my kitchen.