Looks are a matter of personal opinion so you're strictly on your own there. You shouldn't let anybody tell you what "looks best"; your opinion is the only one that matters. Nobody I know has problems with denting their appliances, so that's not really an issue. That leaves maintenance. White is probably the easiest finish to maintain, stainless is on the opposite end of the scale - I've never seen a thread here about "how the heck do I clean my white appliance" but a quick search should turn up plenty threads on how to clean stainless. One thing to watch for with white, though: white cooktops often come with gray grates, which look sharp up until you use them. The ideal combination from a maintenance standpoint (in my opinion, of course) would be a white cooktop and black grates.

We bought the house we are in now almost three years ago-and it had white cabinets, white appliances and cream laminate counters. VERY WHITE....we too had to buy a fridge and I couldn't decide if it was okay to buy SS and went with white so it would "match" the others. Now we have replaced the counters and ALL the appliances with SS. I wish I would have just purchased the SS fridge I wanted from the start-I think it is certainly okay to mix them-and if you buy the white knowing you plan to eventually replace the other ones you may regret it-I did immediately. Now my almost 3 year old fridge is in the garage-which is fine...and I do love having it there-but would have saved me $2500 to just get the SS to begin with.

OK, I feel it is time to share what others can't see unless being in person or having close up pictures taken so everyone understands why I may need other changes eventually. I put accessories around the laminate sides up the wall to block the fact that my beautiful new gas range has nothing behind it. I feel my kitchen looks nice now and I am proud of the changes that I have made but in person some things still bother me about my kitchen. For instance, the 20 year old hollow veneered oak cabinet doors over the particle board/plywood frame needs to be refinished or have the doors replaced with new hinges since mine are worn out and some have rust on them. The doors are the type that are the half type of doors so the frame shows in between the doors so the frame must also be stained or painted to match. I am still wondering if I can paint them and add new hinges and new door knobs or if I can change out the doors or if I have to replace the cheap cabinets that the builder put into my home that cost so much. The counter is not in bad shape for being 20 years old and made of laminate but has some chips on the sides and a few scratches on the counter that do not bother me that much since most of the counter is in decent shape. The counter is a happy bright color that I always liked until I changed my appliances. My linoleum floors are in poor shape with deep cuts and a major rip by the sliding door from the extra locking bar that broke and kept falling on the floor. The bar finally ripped the floor a few years ago until I hired someone to give me a new locking bar. I did add the red rug and I was keeping a red tea pot on the range until I changed the range. I can put the red teapot back on the range. I also feel my kitchen needs some color but I am not sure what do do. If I paint the walls, then it will be more noticeable that the laminate counters go up the side of the walls but the gas range has no backguard. Unless I only paint the top of the walls above the cabinets and add a back splash behind the range? Here is a link that might be useful: Here is a link that might be useful: Worn 20 Year Old Kitchen Cabinets & Damaged 20 Year Old Linoleum Floors

OK I have been there and I can relate. So take my advice in the spirit in which it's intended, which is kind. Get over it and embrace stainless for the neutral material that it is. Honestly. I belabored it and put off replacing appliances, or insisted on white, only to realize it's no big deal. Get good looking stainless and you will forget about it in no time, I promise you! The thing with white is that it's not going to match your other whites anyway. And even if it does, guess what--it's going to change in a few years and you'll be like me staring at white cabinets next to a white dishwasher and wondering in my head "which one of you discolored?" The SS bothered me at first, especially fingerprints. But if you choose attractive ones, I almost guarantee you'll be happier than if you went through all the trouble to go with white. Panels are nice, if you can afford them, but really the lower-end brands that advertise "panel ready" products are disappointing at best. A cabinetmaker that I know tells me they're simply not designed for a good-looking panel installation. Share some pics of what you've got, and maybe people can help you out. In a small kitchen, I'd choose appliances (especially the fridge) with the fewest bells and whistles on the surface. Ice dispensers and curved fronts are really distracting. Go for low-profile, streamlined stainless and you'll be surprised how much it just disappears. I do totally understand your dilemma, but I think you'll be just fine ;-)