Steeling the Spotlight: Our New Stainless Steel Range
Ah, stainless steel appliances. Some love them, some hate them but it’s undeniable that everybody wants them. Yes, finger print marks on the stainless steel makes me a little nutty, especially since I have little ones who are constantly touching, or even kissing, the appliances. (In reference to the pic below, if the fact that this child is my mini-me wasn’t enough to prove she’s mine, her early appreciation for good design should be!)
At any rate, we went with stainless steel again for this house. Mostly because I do really like how they look AND they are the right choice for increasing the value of your home. If we’re going to go through the torture of a kitchen renovation then we’re going to do it right! Basically, they don’t bother me nearly enough to go with black or even white appliances.
I really loved our Frigidaire appliances in our last house. We never had a single problem with them in 3 years and they looked amazing. My aunt even selected them for her kitchen and she agrees they are a great line of appliances. I was all set to order them again, with the only difference being a counter depth refrigerator (I elaborate more on why I went with a counter-depth in a later post), and then I saw the new GE Cafe line that my parent’s ordered for their beach house.
Oooh, that set of appliances is a work of art I tell ya. They look slightly more industrial while still fitting in perfectly to the look and feel of a residential kitchen. They made both Pavlo and myself drool with envy (especially that 18″ hood, most companies don’t make them that large) and seriously question going with the Frigidaire line yet again (plus, that would have broken my new rule to take more risks!)
So, with a single look at the GE Cafe line, we were on the hunt for new appliances. Yes, the easy answer would have been to just get the Cafe appliances we loooved, however, those would have broken the budget. We found a few other manufacturers who had lines that we really liked (Jenn Air, GE profile and Bosch to name a few), but there was always something about at least one of the appliances in a line that bothered us. Then one day I came across this beauty of a range and, once again, Pavlo and I were sold.
Did it have a coordinating 18″ hood? Yes!
Was it expensive? Yes. Was it more expensive then GE Cafe? No, but darn close to it! The only “problem” was that this European company (Eurochef) specialized in ranges and stove tops so I couldn’t get a matching dishwasher, refrigerator or microwave. I’m usually a fan of having all of the appliances match exactly, but I think that’s just an O.C.D. tendency and what I really think matters is that they have the same finish and coordinate (not necessarily match) in style. With that change in mindset I ordered the range and went searching for other coordinating appliances.
Oh, and I should mention that the price ended up even better then I originally thought because Eurochef was just introducing the new version of the range so their previous model was on sale making it much more affordable. This made it even easier to say “no thanks” to the GE Cafe line, the difference in price grew by several hundred dollars with this little switch up by the company. And it really was a little switch up. There were only a couple of changes made and they were so minor (like a different style handle) that we didn’t think it was worth spending $500 more so we went with the one that was “so last year.” It was the one we really liked and saw to begin with anyways!
The NEW model:
And the “old” model/our range:
In our minds this range really steals the spotlight from the other appliances, and they’re actually pretty amazing themselves! Since I’ve already gone on and on about our new toy I guess it’s only fair that the other appliances get a post dedicated to their beauty. Be back soon to post on those!
I’m one who loves SS in other people’s houses, but hate it in mine. Who decided SS was a must have? I still like white. Despite that, your stove looks beautiful!
I know! The way they mark up really makes me insane. Maybe someday the trend will change. I know they already sell appliances with a metallic appearance that doesn’t show any finger print marks, they aren’t as shiny as SS though. Despite the fact that it will probably be cleaned a million times a day, I am excited about the stove!
Steph, you are right about the appliances. They don’t have to be the same make, but should have the same finish and style. Most buyers won’t notice if they are different brands, as long as they seem to “go together”. Love the choice and the range hood is cool!
Yeah, I’ve come to terms that having the same make is just my personal preference…and a safe choice. I think most people would agree that a kitchen that has appliances with mixed finishes is a little bit of an eyesore. Then again, I’m so particular in that way that my kids carseats even match! 🙂