Hi... . Sorry for the length, but if you are considering an Electrolux purchase, I hope you take the time to read this. Let me start by saying I don't usually write detailed posts/reviews. I generally leave a comment if I really LOVE a product, but I have to be pushed beyond reason to leave a negative comment. Having said, that, we built a new home in 2010, and I pestered my husband to spend the extra cash to get the entire suite of Electrolux appliances. When we built our first home, about 12 years ago, we purchased the Frigidaire Gallery series. He wanted to stick with that brand, as they were rock solid appliances, and we had no issues with them at all. How I wish I had listened to him. I will start with the double wall oven. I was using the top oven only from September of 2010 to Thanksgiving (no particular reason, I just didn't cook any big dinners) and I thought it was awfully noisy. There was a loud convection sound that never went away, even when the oven reached the set temperature. I just figured...OK its loud, but I'll have to live with it. I wasn't about to rip out a newly installed oven because it was noisy. Plus I absolutely LOVED those easy glide racks! I did expect an adjustment period, so when I burned the first few things, I sort of wrote it off as an oops...maybe this oven just cooks faster than my old one. After burning EVERY dish I made, I stuck 3 different thermometers in there and found it was 30-50 degrees above the set temp. And still extremely loud. So when I finally got around to using the lower oven, I found that after reaching proper temperature, the sound went off. And the thermometer that I put in the lower oven was pretty close to the set temperature. Apparently, the top oven has been stuck in the convection mode since day one...which explains why it is so loud. By this time, all of the racks had lost their nice smooth coat (I assume from cooking constantly in convection) and that lovely smooth glide feature (that partially sold me on the oven) were shot...completely shot. The bearings don't work and I actually have to tug, side to side, to get the racks out. I asked for new racks in addition to whatever repairs were necessary. The bottom oven racks were still OK. The cook top: We have the 36" hybrid cook top, and after a few months, it would suddenly stop working, flashing an F error code. If I let is sit for anywhere from a few hours to a day, it would start working again. But I never know when it will simply shut down. That puts a serious hamper on cooking on the holidays. I called the company, and was told that code indicated an internal problem with the "mother board", and that it would need to be replaced. The refrigerator (while it is nice and roomy) has not made ice after the first 8 months, and the water has never come out cold. It's barely room temperature. The handles on the drawers in the freezer have fallen off, and the draws frequently get stuck. My freezer is spotless...nothing to gum up the glides. Several of the small plastic shelf brackets have snapped off. The final straw? This morning, the microwave, one of only two only appliances that I have not yet had a problem with, just quit all together. I checked the breaker, and the outlet. No problems there. Just dead. I have had two separate electricians here to make sure the wiring was not faulty, given all of the issues, and the wiring is fine. The microwave stove and oven are all on dedicated circuits. Now we get to the so called "Electrolux "Support". I called to report the problems. I won't include the microwave, as it is outside the "warranty" period, but it's still only a year and a half old. The dishwasher is insanely quiet and still working well, so no complaints about that one item. I called to report the problems with the refrigerator, cook top and oven when they were maybe 9 or 10 months old. At that point the cook top was not working at all. They said they would send one person each for each appliance. Now, being a working mom, I can't take three days off to wait for three separate servicemen. That was ridiculous. So, after several more phone calls, they found someone nearby, and claimed he would be out with two weeks. Two weeks? Without a stove? That is really a long time to wait with 2 kids under the age of 6. But I didn't really have any say in the matter, and no amount of begging and pleading on my part helped. Of course, no one called or showed up. About 6 calls and 3 months later, an authorized serviceman from All American Appliance, out of Monroe, CT arrived. He looked at each appliance and determined that cook top and the oven needed new computers, and he was going to order some parts for the fridge. He claimed it could take two weeks for the parts to arrive. I waited three, figuring he must be busy. I called his office about 4 times over the next week. Only after I called Electrolux did he finally return my call. He was very apologetic and basically said my order had "slipped through the cracks", and he had forgotten to place it all together. I was frustrated, but mistakes happen, and I tend to be pretty easy going and patient. So I agreed to wait for the parts and his call. He claimed he was going to order my parts and he would be back to our house in two or three weeks. Again, a month later, I called the office several times. The woman at the office remembered me, and told me she was doing to give Dave a call, as he was not in the office. I waited a few days and called her back. She claimed she had no record of his visit, and he didn't remember ever coming here. Turns out the service man "Dave" that had come out initially is the owner of the company. No order, no parts, she has suddenly never heard of me. I called Electrolux, absolutely fuming at this point. They said they were having difficulty finding someone authorized in my area. I filed a report with Electrolux about the "authorized" repair company that had been giving me the run around. Basically, they don't want to bothered repairing the appliances, and I told Electrolux as much. I refused to waste any more time with this guy Dave from All American. I asked that Electrolux find a reputable repair man and get this taken care of. I told the rep that I have had to buy a rice cooker, and one of those plug-in cook tops to make meals when I have a $2000 cook-top sitting there, useless! It's been over a year now that I have been trying to get these issues resolved. Then, the Electrolux rep told me that, since it has been more than a year, the warranty has expired. WHAT???? I just about lost it right there, but I calmly and firmly explained that No, I initiated a service claim well within the warranty period, and due to the incompetence of both the repair company and Electrolux, I have been waiting for repairs for more than a year. They retracted that statement pretty quickly, and said they would get a different company to come out. Electrolux called a few days later with another company. A new rep left the name and number of All American Appliance!!! I'm not sure what I am going to do now. I most definitely am NOT calling All American Appliance again, so I can waste another 9 months??? The idea of having to get an attorney to get new appliances just makes me feel...tired. I could send this post to the CEO, but really, is he going to care? I'm just one person. I'm a nurse, so customer satisfaction is my number one priority, even though it's not likely I will ever see the same patient again. They should take note. I would love any suggestions/ideas on what I should do next. If 30+ hours of phone calls (and I'm not kidding) haven't resolved it, should I resign myself to getting an attorney? I don't have another ten grand to shell out to replace all of my appliances...and now that I have taken the time to write this post, I have a good mind to copy and post it everywhere I can think of!

The cabinet hardware doesn't have to match the stainless. What style is your kitchen? A picture would help with suggestions. If you use knobs on the cabinet doors, it should not look like metal overload. Depending on the style, even pulls on the doors may be fine too. We have a traditional kitchen with stainless appliances. I used antique nickel hardware. It's still in the silvery color, but muted, and the shape is not sleek, so doesn't look anything like the appliances. This is the first kitchen I've ever had with cabinet hardware. We've always had finger-pull cabinets before, and I won't ever have them again if I can help it. I love the hardware. It's so much easier to use than grabbing the cabinet door/drawer.

OP, "The majority votes no glaze, so I feel more confident in NOT using the glaze. What about other cabinets in the home? The laundry, bathrooms.. no glaze or do you mix?" Most "nays" dislike it for a couple primary reasons (looks dirty, outdated) (btw, I still like glaze in some kitchens), and if that's why you aren't using it, then I recommend you not glaze elsewhere either.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I met with the foreman earlier in the week. Yep, not a lot of storage. When I asked if there was any easy way to do this, he said he could build the steps as usual and then let me look at them to see if it would be helpful to have just the middle step tread hinge. Because the steps will be 45” wide, there will need to be support in the middle, so it will be two compartments...maybe even less useful than I’d imagined. So...I think you are all right... Thank you! BTW, in terms of style, I talked to my architect. He said that yes, people most commonly people do concrete, poured when we pour the foundation and garage floor. That didn’t happen. Option 2: redwood. Option 3: something nicer, with painted risers (painted-grade plywood?). Then nice treads. what do you think of this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stairtek-1-in-x-11-5-in-x-48-in-Unfinished-White-Oak-Tread-BTWO1148/202019913 FWIW, my home has new white oak flooring. Directly inside this garage door is the little hallway/mudroom leading to the adjoining powder room. Both of those are tile (a 12x12, sandcolor tile). For consistency, my architect said that same tile could be used and obviously would wear well. I’m a little hestitant since it seems like so much work and is so permananet. So I am leaning towards to the wood treads. What do you think? Thanks for your help!