Neither. Paneled.

Are you sure you want "old world/Tuscan"? Your American log home sounds fantastic with its hand-hewn logs. The faux "old/world/Tuscan" would be jarring with your American log home, and also, sorry, but the Tuscan look has been dated for quite some time. But maybe we are talking about different things. The old world/Tuscan look means faux peeled plaster on the walls, black ironwork accents, textured wall paint, murals, terra cotta tiles, and painting vines on walls. I know there are people on this forum who could help you design something that fits better with your old log home.

As to the appliances, I agree with Hollysprings about panelling, but be aware that integrated appliances (i.e. where the doors truly disappear) that take panels cost a great deal more. For your oven/range, you could find a vintage range if that appeals to you. Or just concede to some modern touches like a modern oven in your kitchen.

I think stainless would look better. If you Google rustic old world kitchen, they all seem to show stainless.

I have the same questions as Sahmmy - can you post some pictures of the style you mean?

Agree that Tuscan and log home seems an oxymoron. Below a bunch of Tuscan kitchens.

And log home kitchens

I'd say it also depend son the color of your cabinets. Are they natural wood or painted?

I can't seem to find any pictures of exactly what I want. We haven't picked anything out yet. We are still in the planning stage.
I'm thinking copper or steel backsplash behind the stove and a rustic stone tile for the rest of the backsplash. There will be a cabinet above the stove with cabinets on either side that will go all the way down onto the counters to form an "arch" since we can't afford to do the stone alcove by the stove that I really like.

We are also doing a thicker rustic wood slab that shows lots of the grain for the breakfast bar. We are building a 42" high bar. The floor will be medium-dark wide plank old hand scraped, distressed hardwood of some sort.

Most of the cabinets will go to the ceiling, but one wall of cabinets will not go to the ceiling, so that I can display different Tuscan looking things, such as bowls, vases, etc.
We will also be opening up the ceiling and exposing 2 big dark square beams that are hidden by the drywall. There will be a wood ceiling above the beams.

We will also be doing a medium to darkish silestone(quartz)countertop and wrought iron hardware on the cabinets.
We are not doing the peeled plaster with exposed brick, or painted vines etc. Our style is rustic for the rest of the house, but in the kitchen we want a mix of the old "pioneer" style and rustic Tuscan, which actually have a lot of the same elements.

Oh, our cabinets will be stained wood, but I can't decide if we should go with a medium stain with a glaze that looks darker in the "grooves", or a sort of darker stain? I kind of like the "duller" colors that look old. Not really light, but I don't like super dark either. Any suggestions?

This is what I pictured from what you described. Not the kitchy Tuscan that is "dated", more the classic old world rustic. Do these have any of the elements you are wanting?

Another, sorry the pic isn't high quality
{{!gwi}}

I love the cabinet color in both and the stone and wood floors in the one. I see that one has stainless appliances, but I still can't decide if maybe black appliances would work better since they would blend in with the wood and not stick out and be so noticeable like the stainless. I do not like wood panel on the appliances(fridge) as someone mentioned above.

As far as cabinet finish, I think the weathered aged look would look better for the style you are going for.
My only concern would be it sounds like so far everything you want to do is medium to dark and, not seeing the actual space and natural light available, I would worry it would look like a cave.
Dark floor, dark cabinets and dark countertops. What about making one of those elements lighter?

We have quite a bit of light from 3 windows in the kitchen and we will probably look at going with a lighter stone tile backsplash(except by the stove where we want steel or copper). So, as I first asked, Black or stainless appliances? Any opinions??????

Can you do a mix of the two appliance colors? IMO, all that stainless won't create the look you are trying to achieve. I could definitely see a black stove (particularly if you do a more vintage replica look) because that color would be more authentic for the eras you are trying to replicate.

Panel the dishwasher. Fridge is a dilemma.

And, as far as the cabinets, I vote for the more medium color with the darker grooves because they'd look more naturally aged.

Finally, make sure you don't get glossy countertops because that will defeat what you are trying to do.

Between black and stainless, I prefer stainless because black shows dirt / dust more easily and IMO looks somewhat cheaper. However, many appliances nowadays have both black and stainless in them. It's just a matter of which color dominates.

Here are two of my favorite rustic kitchens:

[Rustic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/rustic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2111) by Buffalo Architects & Designers Murphy & Co. Design

[Rustic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/rustic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2111) by Emmaus Kitchen & Bath Remodelers Jarrett Design, LLC

The overall darkness of the planned elements does make me wonder if the soft gleam of SS wouldn't be welcome. Even though you have windows, light doesn't come in at night. If you use a SS panel behind the stove, it will all fit in to a rustic look IMO.

i vote for stainless. i don't care for black. it does seem more "cheap" to me like someone above mentioned (no offense to anyone, to each thier own) but also looks more plastic to me. i like someone's idea of a more vintage looking stove. maybe even those colored bertazzoni?

I still vote stainless, though I think a vintage looking black stove would definitely tie in with the rustic look.

I would love a vintage/antique stove from Elmira or Heartland, but unfortunately, we have a budget and cannot afford to spend $5,000 or more for a stove. Does anyone have black appliances and are happy with them?

not a fan of black appliances, show lint/dirt/drips and tend to look cheap, especially the fridge....

me, personally, i would panel the fridge and dishwasher..if not the fridge, then Definitely the DW...much cleaner look and will blend seamlessly with base cabs (DW)

SS is b***ch to keep clean and nice looking.... i know some say its not a problem, but other have many problems with it not looking streaked....Miele has easy to care for SS on their products...other brands - not so much.....

I've had black appliances and didn't like the look. An exception would be a higher end stove, but it sounds like that's out of your budget. I can relate. :)

I don't think stainless is all that awful to keep looking good. Stoves do take more drips and splashes, but if you use the handles on your fridge and DW, they don't get all funky.

I think stainless will not only brighten a space with a lot of dark finishes, but they are rather neutral and can be placed amid a lot of styles without causing too much of a stir.

"There will be a cabinet above the stove"

I am hoping you meant that there will be a hood enclosed by cabinetry. An actual cabinet above the stove is a serious fire hazard.

If you meant a hood, I think a better choice in keeping with your old log home is a rustic hood, perhaps in copper, or in stainless steel with bands and/or rivets. In reading your posts, it comes across that you are putting together a hodgepodge of several styles that fight with the style of your home, rather than harmonize with it. I am not trying to be offensive; kitchen renovations cost a lot, and it would be a shame for you to end up with something that in the end doesn't work aesthetically.

I have never craved stainless in my kitchen and balked when DH wanted a SS fridge in our facelifted kitchen. The one we got is not even a low shine one, but I actually like it now. The new location blocks light from my slider but the ss bounc4s the light around and also helps the fridge seem lessy loom y in that space.

I said all that to say that it sounds like your kitchen could benefit from the light qualities of stainless. THAT said I woould not think they all needed to be stainless.

I'm not sure if I like the look of stainless appliances(at least for my style). Plus, fingerprints and smudges really show and are very hard to get rid of and I've heard it can rust.

I was thinking a kitchenaid French door refrigerator, since I've heard Kitchenaid is a better brand, but the black is the shiny black, which can show fingerprints and dirt and scratches very easily, especially with magnets(which I use for photos).

We have an old textured white top freezer fridge now, which doesn't show fingerprints and it doesn't show drips, spots etc, unless you really look at it, is very easy to wipe clean and doesn't scratch.

I would have liked to get something other than white that would blend in more and work better with our style, but with everything I know about the shiny black and stainless, I don't know what to do. I wish Kitchenaid had the textured black, which I assume doesn't scratch? and I assume cleans up as easily as the textured white?(even though some people say it looks very dated).

I've seen photos of white fridges with stainless steel handles that may look better than one with white handles. I know you can buy different handles(stainless or black) to make it look more vintage, but how would it look? Anyone know a quality French door fridge with the textured black or have an opinion on a white fridge with stainless or black handles? Of course, I'd love to get a vintage fridge, but not in the budget, nor would wood panel be in our budget(plus I couldn't put magnets on it).

You can buy all sorts of handles for appliances these days. I just installed these pulls in my kitchen on my cabinets and drawers. But they make huge ones for appliances, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Refined rustic appliance pulls

So, knowing about the problems with shiny black and stainless, should I go with white(with black or stainless handles) or would it not look right & should I just go with black or stainless and deal with fingerprints, scratches etc? What do you think?

Hello Kathy462,

A couple of thoughts.

1. If you wish to adorn the front of your new refrigerator with photographs and other magnetic decor, then SS is out of the picture. End of dilemma.

2. Textured appliances don't look dated. They look frugal and practical.

3. Don't do "special" handles. Let the appliance be who it was born to be.

4. Beauty takes work. The right styling brush - or appliance surface cleaner - can make it quicker and easier. But if you're air-dry only....don't get the Farrah Fawcet cut.

5. GW-ers tend to be over-thinkers. It's why we're here. Most of us have learned, time and time again, that.....

6. You will love what you choose. Or learn to. :)

GE makes slate appliances now. I'm not a fan of stainless, but I do like these. No fingerprint problems, either.
Perhaps worth a look.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: GE Slate

Ok, I totally agree with you tag singer, but still don't know what to do. I guess I'm looking for actual suggestions, to see what others would go with.(Taking magnets out of the equation). Stainless, shiny black, textured black, white or white with different handles - keeping my style in mind and maintenance of it. :)

Is it true that stainless can rust????

I know about the GE slate appliances, which I originally wanted, but after seeing a lot of bad reviews about GE French door refrigerators and knowing someone that has one with 2 cracked door bins and very little storage in the fridge, I'm no longer interested in them. I don't know about the slate, but I've heard that any "fake" stainless can scratch easily.

Those slate appliances are pretty cool...but why can't they just make a finish in that color, like the "old-fashioned" fridge but in eminently neutral colors. "Bisque" is sort of that way, but couldn't they do a normal finish in a neutral, blend-in kind of color?

I really did not want a SS fridge, it was DH who made the call on that one. but if they had a super-neutral color on a "normal" fridge I would have been all over that.

Those slate appliances are pretty cool...but why can't they just make a finish in that color, like the "old-fashioned" fridge but in eminently neutral colors. "Bisque" is sort of that way, but couldn't they do a normal finish in a neutral, blend-in kind of color?

I really did not want a SS fridge, it was DH who made the call on that one. but if they had a super-neutral color on a "normal" fridge I would have been all over that.

``Is it true that stainless can rust????``

True stainless steel shouldn't rust. My SimpleHuman trash can is claimed to be stainless, but the inside of the lid started to rust after about a year. Husband was not happy about that.

So, any opinions on what I should actually get?

I think SS would look great in the type of kitchen it sounds like you are going for. Good luck!

stainless

You can use magnets on some stainless--my frigidaire will hold magnets.

How much the finish shows fingerprints and smudges and how it is to clean varies. My frigidaire refrigerator and range don't show fingerprints badly and are super easy to clean--quick wipe down with a damp rag gets the looking pristine again. My Bosch dishwasher is a whole different story. So if keeping the appliances looking clean is your concern, it is possible to get stainless that is easy--easier than the old textured white appliances I have had in the past.

If you just want a vote, I'd go stainless. I don't love stainless (we have it because I do love induction cooking and at our price point, stainless is the only option). But my mom has black appliances and I really dislike how they seem to loom and suck the light out of what is a fairly big space.

Stainless. Use Sheila Shine and it's nothing to keep clean and shiny.