I think I share aesthetic DNA with a lot of the posters on this thread. Love the French look; prefer colored appliances with SS/nickel/brass/etc. trim over all SS. My house is a 125 y.o. "second empire" style, which I feel deserves some sort of hat tip, if not slavish devotion to old-looking stuff. To me this means avoiding visible electronics, and overtly modern lines. OTOH, anything simple, chunky, roundish, using materials that have been around for at least a hundred years, works fine. We will be remodeling our kitchen soon, but as my current (awful, unmentionable) range just died, I will be replacing it somewhat ahead of schedule. A few months ago I went crazy over online picture of an AGA legacy. Later I met one in person, and was underwhelmed. Crushed, actually. The oven doors and knobs just didn't feel solid. Kind of reminded me of a very adorable "Easy Bake" oven. Interestingly, the same showroom had the pricier AGA 6-4 cooker, also duel-fuel (not the true cooker that the name would imply), and I was shocked at how different it felt - super solid heavy cast iron doors with integrated hinges and latches, although the knobs were the same. The Cornufe was there as well. The doors felt more solid than the legacy, as did the knobs, but like the 6-4 it was a bit out of my price range. And then there was... ... the small oven thing. I tried to tell myself this didn't matter, was actually an advantage, less energy to heat up, etc. And I really DO want to be able to cook two things at different temps simultaneously. But among my friends who actually cook, virtually all said I'd sooner or later regret not having a regular-size oven. (Wall oven/s not an option for me.) Not sure how the Lacanche stacks up in terms of oven size. It's probably my favorite looks-wise. Their owners seem to really cherish them. But to me it only makes sense to spend that much on a range if it's going to hold some sort of visual dominion over the rest of the kitchen. My range will only be seen head-on from the fridge wall; not from the kitchen entrance or kitchen table or any other rooms, so I'd rather put my aesthetic eggs in other baskets... Which has brought me back to the pro-styles. My husband eliminated Bluestar because of the open burners. He thought we were too lax in our cleaning habits to prevent that drip plate from turning into a smelly, scary disaster. I think we're about to settle on American, most likely black (with SS trim), in a 30" AG, which has an unusually large oven, and pretty good burner capacity (2 @ 17K btu, 140 degree simmer). We plan to get a countertop toaster/confection oven combo to accomodate our second/small oven needs. Or maybe a microwave/convection oven combo that we will hide somewhere. We are looking into a modern aire PS26 range hood in black with SS trim. One cool think about American is that you can swap out the color down the road. So if our upcoming remodel screams for a different color, say, fire engine red, we won't be stuck with the black. (The hood is another matter... hmm...) The color kits are about 250-300 bucks, I think, and require a pretty handy, if not professional, person to make the switch. I'll worry about that if and when it comes to it... Good luck on your search, susied3, and everybody else (including me). Let's keep each other posted.

Indeed weissman, that's all. However, some choose to take it otherwise. Dealers are trusted for selling and marketing. Caveat emptor. There is a huge range of opinion in the industry as well as a huge range of advice on this forum in many areas. For me, that's its strength. Some of us know and trust more than than one dealer and have access to more than one opinion. Dealers have different opinions. Not everyone agrees on brands, except mostly about Wolf and SZ. And, of course, they tend to like and believe in what they can sell. DUH. That said, everyone hopes to find a great, affordable range that really does it for those who want high output open burners.If the Culinarian turns out to be all it's said to be that's terrific. However, that doesn't negate the value of sealed burner ranges or make them inferior as is often stated here. It depends on the design and personal preference. Let's not forget that Surgit Kalsi, who now makes Capital ranges, made DCS ranges -- famous for excellent sealer burners -- which were very highly regarded throughout the entire industry. I believe several people on this forum still have DCS ranges and adore them. It depends on what someone wants and hopefully there will be independent thought and close examination -- as amcook did. We're not smurfs. Some of us like to see it before we believe it. That's not hatoraid. It's common sense.

Agree with eleena. In my bathroom, I can't get the cleaner for the tile on the mirror, or the faucet cleaner on the floor, or the floor cleaner on the faucet. You can't clean the whole thing without a damn spreadsheet. Teasing aside, having a simple cleaning service is not an upper class thing, at least not for two-job households. However, the reality is, having an intelligent, reliable cleaning person is an upper-class luxury, unless you happen to be lucky. I would love to have a touchup every week or two. However, I remember what the cleaning people did at my mom's place when she got sick and couldn't do it all herself. Each week, something new was broken, scratched, stained or missing. She couldn't afford to supplement the housekeeper's income by running out and buying new carpets or collectibles or lamps on a weekly basis--which is precisely what you are doing if you allow someone to break something in your house without paying for it. She lucked out for a while with an old Italian lady who cleaned like she did, but for the most part they were more trouble and money than they were worth. Now, if you can afford real staff, then you can get into human resources techniques. But if you can't, then you're not the employer, just a customer, and you take what you get.

I have been doing some thinking and had a few chuckles while reading this thread. I originally bought my small home after my divorce. (About 1300 ft2.) It was cute from the outside, but needed ALOT of TLC. I knew I had my work cut out for me, but it was a lot better than a huge mortgage, or worse, rent. I love listening to those who cherish their small homes. I originally thought my home was just the right size. Then with the addition of a husband, step daughter and a new baby, it's still just the right size. I had to adjust what I needed vs. what I was used to. Leaving behind a large home gave me a chance to grow. When I moved in, I had no counterspace- none and used a shipping crate for a workspace. Oh, how my visitors laughed when they noticed what was under that table cloth. I do now, too. The fact that I could still whip up a great meal changed their tune. It took me a while, but I realized. It's not what space you have, it's what you do with it that counts. I made a sitting room downstairs into my bedroom, with the addition of barn style doors. Thanks to DH. It took us a while, and a "working on what needed it worst got it first" mentality, but we got our room gutted, insulated and drywalled. Painted too, but the trim had to wait. The roof had some ideas of its own about getting attention. I am constantly amazed at what you can do with so little. Not just space, but money too. I have learned that having smaller space, less stuff, and little money means more. More time with my kids and DH, more freedom to do what I want, and more choices. I love my little cottage. I wouldn't trade it for a bigger house or the stuff it takes to fill it. Bigger is not better, nor does it make you happier.