If you don't cook, or care about looks more than function, going with all the same manufacturer is the best route. You get a uniform look and usually, you get a rebate.

However, you are not going to find many people on this forum who meet the above description. Most people here cook and use their appliances very frequently, and thus want the best appliance possible in each category that fits their budget. That is not going to happen if you buy everything from the same manufacturer, and that is why you won't find many supporters of packages here.

Salesmen pushing all appliances from the same manufacturer is the oldest trick in the book. It means very little work on their part to spec everything out, and a nice big fat commission for them, not to mention spiffs from the manufacturer, and easily meeting of quotas that manufacturer may set for them to stay on as a dealer the next year. Plus, consumers often hate researching appliances, their eyes glaze over after a few minutes of reading about them. Being able to pull the trigger on a predetermined package is a form of relief for them. It truly is the lazy way out for all parties involved. However a purchase this expensive that you'll have to live with for so many years is not one to take the "shotgun approach" with IMO, even if it may seem boring.

As for your oven question, I'm personally a fan of a range with single wall oven and that's the setup I have. You get one oven at the perfect height, while a double means that for both ovens to be in reach you have to compromise and put both at non-optimal heights. Plus you get one of your ovens under the range hood for messy/smoky/stinky stuff you want to be vented out (generally, wall ovens are not vented out and do not have hoods above them). And if you go gas on the range, you can put in an electric oven and have 1 gas 1 electric oven, and take advantage of the pros/cons of each. The best of both worlds. Also, double ovens have a shared control panel for both ovens. If it dies, none of your ovens work. A range with separate wall oven gives each oven its own set of controls so you'll have a backup if you have issues with one of them.

This post was edited by hvtech42 on Sun, Jan 18, 15 at 23:13

Thanks for the reply.. As for your concern of not staying with one brand.. Its not a matter of being lazy, however after walking into the local appliance store I found that many of the stainless appliances vary in looks from one manufacturer to another.. While I do want an appliance that does the job the best, i also do not think I could stand to have one color stainless sitting next to a separate stainless.. Some came in close, but for the most part I noticed that not only were some of the colors different but even had different patterns.. So while I do want the best for my money, I also would like to have an appealing and uniform look..

I've been in the same dilemma especially while desiging a new home and now kitchen, while getting my wife's buy-in. I'm going for different brands to suit my requirements. I started off by considering a 60" range (6 burners + grill + griddle) with double ovens before my wife was infatuated with the idea of a wall oven. 60" because I wanted grill and griddle. We are moving to the damp Pacific NW and an all-in-one would be great when we can't step out on the deck or walk down to a covered patio at basement level for grilling. Then I commenced looking at 60" gas cooktops and decided on Capital Culinarian Series Rangetop CGRT604BG2 + double wall ovens. While researching on code and installations, I realized gas ranges/cooktops required at least 6" horizontal clearance on each side, in the vertical plane; what this meant is, despite using a 60" hood over a 60" cooking range/cooktop, I'd need a 72" hood aperture. Further discussion with my wife revealed she would be perfectly happy with a 4-burner. Then I commenced looking at 48" cooktops and finally decided on a 48" 4 burner cooktop with 60" hood (plus double wall ovens of course).
Cooktop: Wolf SRT484CG
Hood: Wolf PL582212
Double Ovens: Still on the fence between a standard brand and high end.
Side by side Refrigerator/Freezer: Still researching and trying to decide between various 60" built-ins.

With respect to the stainless steel finishes matching. You will find that often the stainless steel does not match even within the same brand. The manufacturer sources the stainless steel from different sources, or it's a different run from the factory, or made at different factories etc. It is a pipe dream to think you are going to get all the same finish by buying all one brand. Furthermore, no one will care that your finish doesn't match identically. People will see all stainless steel and that is what they will see. Think about other stainless steel finishes in your kitchen. Your toaster for example, or perhaps your faucet, your drawer knobs, or your microwave. Do they all match? If they don't, have you ever noticed or cared?

One more thing to add to Hvtech's excellent post is that by going with all one brand, you have "appliance brand risk". I.e. if one breaks, and you don't like the customer service, you are stuck with that same customer service for all your appliances. Like the stock market, would you put all your savings into one stock? Or would you diversify?

One of the "tricks" of the eye is comparing various units at a store. They are crammed so close together that you notice small differences. Once the appliances are installed in the home, they are spread out with cabinets in between. Any differences will diminish.

You will achieve uniformity of design with your cabinets, flooring, countertops, and paint.

Take the advice of members of this board. You don't want the same appliances from the same brand. You want to get the best product for your requirements balanced with the price you are prepared to pay. This is simply not possible within the same company, or line within a company.

I suggest you have this conversation with your KD. If they are anything more than a cabinet salesmen, they will steer you in the right direction.

So while I do want the best for my money, I also would like to have an appealing and uniform look...

Personally, I think appliances from different manufacturers can look quite appealing together; akchicago and HomeChef59 make excellent points about matching finishes and comparisons at stores. But, you aren't going to get the best for your money and have the uniform look you'd have by buying from all the same manufacturer. Sorry. You have to make a decision between form and function.

If you MUST with a package, I certainly think that some manufacturers come closer to "best at everything" than others, and in my opinion those are the ones to buy packages from. It's hard to make any suggestions, for packages or separate appliances, without knowing what you even want to buy. Some manufacturers are good at some types of refrigerators, but not so good at others, for example. Post back with a list of the type and size of each appliance you want, and your budget.

Some brands of ranges like BlueStar, Capital, and American don't even make refrigerators or DWs.

I would never have a range. In an ideal world, I would pick a rangetop and separate ovens. Each component can be picked for best based on your needs. You could arrange the ovens side by side if you have the space. Also if one component fails you don't have to replace the whole thing. In my case my oven in my Wolf DF range oven is almost unusable and Wolf will not give a fixed amount to repair and only guarantee the new part a year. The problem is a known repetitive issue. Now the whole thing has to be replaced. It was 4.5 yrs old when I discovered the issue.

Keep an open mind. As I can't personally understand picking form over function, I see many who do. Chances are in 3-5 years something will need to be replaced. Going forward you will not have matching appliances. So why not start that way and get what meets your functional needs now and choose the best product for each category?

Form:
Lets take a look at what is the most important appliance you are going to put in your kitchen........ Start from there and build a selection from that one brand. Rebates galore in this category. Manufactures feed off of this category.

Function:
If every appliance is important to you in your kitchen, then lets see what it is that you want in each. Spend money where it is important, save where it is not important. Take your mind off of rebates and remember there is no such thing as a free lunch. Manufactures are aware that they have weak categories and want to snag you with rebates sometimes.

Value:
Only you can determine value.

I would never have a range. In an ideal world, I would pick a rangetop and separate ovens. Each component can be picked for best based on your needs. You could arrange the ovens side by side if you have the space. Also if one component fails you don't have to replace the whole thing.

One could make the same argument against double ovens. If a control part fails you're out all your ovens. If one oven fails and can't be repaired you have to replace both. If you had a rangetop and Wolf double ovens instead of a Wolf dual fuel range and separate single wall oven, the double ovens chipped and Wolf treated you like they are now, you wouldn't have had a backup and wouldn't have been able to make it this long without replacing. I think in terms of the risk of combining multiple appliances into one, it's 6 of one half dozen of the other for those configurations if someone wants/needs 2 ovens.

I do agree with you that 2 side by side wall ovens and a rangetop is the best configuration because everything is separate, and it is ergonomically ideal. However, few are willing to give up the money and space that setup requires.

This post was edited by hvtech42 on Mon, Jan 19, 15 at 15:52

Before I started looking at appliances, I thought I wanted all the same brand. Then I did my research and interviewed friends who live in multi million dollar homes and they have all different appliances.

We ended up with electrolux cooking (lower oven/upper micro & convection) and gas cooktop, frigidaire columns and a Bosch dishwasher. The finishes are slightly different. No one would notice or care.

All of one brand screams package deal. I was able to get an $800 rebate from electrolux while purchasing other brands to meet my needs for other appliances.

Again I appreciate all of the replies.. And to answer your question Hvtech42 I will supply what we are looking for.. This is our "setup" that we have in mind...

Refrigerator:
- 36" wide, counter depth refrigerator

Oven:
- 30" wide slide in gas range
- 30" wide wall oven

Microwave:
- Built in microwave (Will go above the single wall oven)

Dishwasher:
- 24 inch dishwasher

I am looking for all appliances to be in stainless steel and am trying to keep everything under 10k...

Just got the Bosch Benchmark range, microhood, and dishwasher. Love them so far.

My wife and I are renovating our kitchen and we're facing the same design question. I think the correct answer is that it depends on how you plan to use the kitchen and what type of space limitations you have.

In our case, this is how I look at it:

Although I would prefer a range and separate wall oven, I don't think this would work well for us. When my wife and I are cooking together, one is often trying to get into the oven while the other is cooking on the stovetop. Aside from this, I would like at least a 36" range, as I really want to grill indoors and not freeze outside in the dead of winter. But a 36" oven would be overkill for us. We'd never use all that space and would be spending unnecessary time and money heating an oversized oven. We could always go up to 48" and forego the wall oven, but I think an 18" oven would be too small for most dishes we make. Finally, I'd really like to have the Bluestar burners for stovetop cooking and grilling. I might be able to convince my wife to get a Bluestar rangetop (it's not a given), but there's no way she'd agree to a Bluestar range, as any oven that doesn't have self-clean is a non-starter for her.

I'd also like to have a steam oven if possible and we don't have enough space for side-by-side ovens. So our plan at the moment is to get a 36" rangetop with grill, along with stacked ovens. The big disadvantage I see with this approach is that the range hood won't be much help dissipating heat and odors coming from the ovens.

I haven't taken my wife to see appliances yet, but based on the models I've seen and the research I've done, I'm leaning towards a Bluestar Platinum rangetop, and a Wolf steam oven stacked over a Wolf M Series (I was originally leaning towards the E, but other GW members convinced me that the M would have less chance of porcelain chipping). I'm pretty sure my wife will be agreeable to the Wolf ovens, but I might not be able to convince her to get the Bluestar rangetop. If she insists on sealed burners, then we'll probably go with Wolf for that as well.

Is this a good way of looking at it? I'd appreciate any suggestions that others might have.

Others beat me to it, but my first thought was, "Unless you have your appliances lined up side by side in the kitchen, there will be no noticeable difference in the finishes."

I have a GE Cafe range (I implore you DO NOT buy one - long story which I won't repeat here), a GE Cafe refrigerator (it was a gift), Kitchen Aid dishwasher, Zephyr Typhoon Vent Hood, and LG microwave. I have no idea if they match or not. They are spaced out all over the kitchen.

Grease trap

I have a BS 36" range with grill and a 24" Miele speed oven. I use the speed oven for most of my oven needs but the big oven comes in handy when I am feeding a crowd.

A couple of things to note. First, while I am a diehard BS fan, there are critics. However, almost all of the criticism is directed at the oven, not the burners. Personally, I love the oven. However, many people say that the BS rangetop plus wall ovens is the real dream team. I cannot see any reason not to go with the BS rangetop.

Second, the grill is nice but it won't get as hot as an outdoor grill. It is a fine substitute, in my view, but it is not as screaming hot as it might be. The back is hotter than the front so I switch the food around sometimes. I let it preheat for 20 minutes and can do a very nice ribeye.I think the newer grill might be hotter.

Here's a Bosch package for you:

B22CT80SNS CD FD fridge (made by Whirlpool) $3000

HGI8054UC 800 series gas slide in $2100

HBLP451RUC or HBLP451LUC side swing Benchmark wall oven $2900

SHX7PT55UC 800 Plus Dishwasher $1300

Built in Panasonic microwave and trim kit $400

Total $9700

Keep in mind that the prices I listed above are MSRP, so they will be cheaper in real life (except for the Benchmark wall oven which is price controlled). Then you factor in rebates and the total goes down even more. So you should be paying much less than $9700. Or, you could upgrade the gas range and/or dishwasher to higher end ones and still come in at or under your budget.

Despite my general dislike of packages, I think this one is pretty good. Bosch is one of the few manufacturers that is pretty competent in most areas, and main area they aren't as competent (freestanding refrigeration) they wisely outsourced in this case. The appliances I listed above are either top of the line (refrigerator, wall oven), or close to it (range, dishwasher).

This post was edited by hvtech42 on Mon, Jan 19, 15 at 21:49

jason- we too were slightly concerned about stainless not matching. this pics is of our 3 different brands in ss. honestly even in person you can't see a difference in the finish. they are an LG frig ( had a repair within 8 months so i am down on lg) a ge stove and a whirlpool otr micro.
go with the best rated brand that appeals and don't worry about matching.

whirlpool dishwasher in the pic? I have to say you probably balanced form, function and got a great value.

You need to also factor ventilation into your budget. It's often almost as costly as the cooking componenets. Especially if you need make-up air. And you probably will.

You need to also factor ventilation into your budget. It's often almost as costly as the cooking componenets. Especially if you need make-up air. And you probably will.

A simple undercabinet hood should do the job just fine for nowhere near the cost of the range. A standard 30" range shouldn't need a powerful enough hood for makeup air to enter the equation.

jdoenumber2- yes, whirlpool dw but it is leftover and white! the non-matching bugs my husband and i would like to eventually replace it with a bosch. i do not like how my particular whirlpool cleans (have given up on washing silverware or pans) but spending $800-$1000 on a dw is just not a priority.

Even a simple under cabinet hood can pull enough CFM's to trigger MUA requirements. In the OP's highly regulated location, it's sure to be an issue. What it shouldn't be is a surprise issue and expenditure. Learn about it now, in the planning stages.

As you know, a good quality UC hood isn't the $ 150 choice at the box store either. Especially since the OP appears to remain unconvinced by the arguments for best in class vs. same brand for all. That will up the costs for the ventilation to go name brand. And it doesn't even have a line item in the budget.

This is not a high power range, just a standard gas slide in. A 350 CFM hood will be fine and shouldn't need makeup air. If he wants to overcomplicate things with an unnecessarily powerful hood, he can do that as well though he may need to downgrade some of the other appliances to fit it in the budget.. A lot of basic range hoods installed out there aren't even 200 CFM anyway, and they can do fine if ducted right. For most people 350 CFM will be an upgrade, and much better than the ubiquitous 300 CFM OTR microwaves.

Of course a $150 hood isn't going to be the best quality option, but there are plenty of affordable options between that and the thousands of dollars you imply it will cost.

Posted by hvtech42 (My Page) on Mon, Jan 19, 15 at 15:51
"I would never have a range. In an ideal world, I would pick a rangetop and separate ovens. Each component can be picked for best based on your needs. You could arrange the ovens side by side if you have the space. Also if one component fails you don't have to replace the whole thing."
One could make the same argument against double ovens.
______
Agree and that is what I mean by separate ovens. You could also make one a speed or steam oven if you wanted to.