I should add that I'm talking about undercounter appliances in both cases. The only combo full size units I've seen (which we could put in the butler's pantry / wet bar) are very expensive. Thx!

I dont have a set budget but am thinking mid range. This is where I was, a couple years ago. Should my appliances match brands? Where is the best place to buy from? Because different appliances with the same brand name can be of widely varying quality, I was not concerned about matching brands -- only color. Some here will undoubtedly scorn this recommendation, but I took Consumer Reports' recommendations into consideration. Thus far, every appliance I've purchased which was highly-rated there has more than lived up to its reputation. After I read their recommendations, I then went to websites like Best Buy, Lowe's, Home Depot, and Sears so I could read reviews there from people who had purchased the appliances I was considering. Those were very helpful to me. I also talked to local independent dealers and appliance repairmen -- all people whom I or close relatives have known for decades, people I knew I could trust. This took about 6 months, and I have been very pleased with the appliances I purchased.

We had lg appliances in our last new build and I would never buy anything lg again strictly because of the customer service. Our stove wasn’t working right and it toke months before they ever made it right and that was with me calling daily. We had a stove in our brand new house that only half the burners worked it was ridiculous. I vowed to never buy lg after that.

Her big splurge, the BlueStar platinum 48... I love our Bluestar. It's an amazing range. Would absolutely buy it again in a heart beat. But a 48" Platinum would be unlikely to be anything I'd normally recommend. That model is all about looks and not really that great for functionality. I understand about splurging. But if I spend all that money, I'd want it to actually be something I like to use. The 25kBTU Platinum burners are fun (we have one of those in our range), but the 22kBTU burners of the RNB are very similar; if this is the only reason for the Platinum, then it doesn't really justify the much higher cost. The griddle on the RNB is IMHO a better design. Can't comment on the grill, but I personally don't think an in-door grill is a great option anyway. The fancy oven burners in the Platinum are great for faster pre-heating, but are overall a more questionable design than the more traditional burners in the RNB. A 48" range is much less ergonomic than a rangetop plus wall ovens. The venting requirements for a 48" range are crazy. You need somewhere on the order of 2000 CFM, which means a loud expensive vent hood, a very complex make-up-air system, and no upper cabinets. Unlike a 30" range, a 48" range doesn't have spacers in-between the burners. So, you will need to put the grill or griddle in the center between the burners. Otherwise, your burners are too close together and you can't ever use big pots. But with the grill/griddle in the center, you have to always walk a long distance left-to-right when using more than one pot. Alternatively, you can decide for eight burners and no grill/griddle, but I have yet to hear of anybody who can actually keep all eight burners in active use. Again, a more reasonably sized rangetop and wall ovens work better; the wall ovens can be used for simmering much more evenly than any hobs. We have four hobs and three ovens in our kitchen. I use all three ovens every so often. But I can't remember the last time I used more than two hobs. I wouldn't have any idea what to do with eight of them.