Do appliances have to match?

[eks6426]

Do appliances need to match? Here''s my situation. I have a relatively new KitchenAid fridge that I love. I also have a newer dishwasher (gift from parents) that is good. Both are bisquit colored. I''m wondering if it would look odd if I got a stainless range? There just aren''t that many range choices in bisquit.

The fridge is in a section of my kitchen off by itself. The dishwasher would be fairly close to the range. I could look into getting a cabinet style panel for the dishwasher when I redo my kitchen.

I''m liking some of the dual fuel options like KitchenAid KDSS907SSS. They only come in stainless.

If I should match the biscuit color, then I''d probably go with all gas KitchenAid KGSS907SBT. I can get an employee discount for KitchenAid or Whirlpool so that''s why I''m looking at these.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I like matching appliances (if not the same brand at least the same finish/style handles). Have you been to GardenWeb yet? I think you will find that website VERY useful for your kitchen remodel. I think the only think that *might* work mixing with stainless is black appliances.

 

[iluvcarats]

I agree with Tacori. They don''t have to be the same brand, but I think(IMO) that they should be the same finish. When we were redoing our kitchen I fell in love with Viking because they have great colors. I picked a merlot color for everything. Well, we had immediate problems with the first AND second refridgerator (under warranty) and my son swung open the third (current) and broke off the lever on the bottom that keeps it from hitting the granite counter so now it is dented

The stove has been seviced 5 times in 2 years. The dishwasher is OK (gets the dishers sort of clean) But, my point is, I''d pick it all again because I just loved it. If this is your final kitchen renovation, get what you love so that you don''t want to redo it in a year. Just my .02

 

[neatfreak]

I think it depends on the layout of the kitchen and whether all the appliances are visible from the same angles, etc. But in theory I like them all to be the same color or at least coordinating (i.e., I like stainless with black).

 

[Tacori E-ring]

iluv, funny...we just got a new microwave hood (samsung even though our other stuff is jenn-air). I chose it BECAUSE the handle matched my other stuff (our appliances are all stainless) and actually was disappointed the CLOCK color is different. Yes, I am *that* crazy. Haha. I got over it though. Sorry to hear about your appliance problems!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

*Absolutely* all appliances should be the same color! When DH and I bought some new appliances for our last home, we did buy different brands (depending upon Consumer Report's reviews), but we choose all white. Say you plan to sell your home at some point. . .having different finishes will make your kitchen look unbalanced. That may turn someone off to the home.

ETA - I wonder how much longer stainless finishes will be in style. My realtor said they are already becoming a bit dated. Is she correct? Will they be the avocado colored fridges of the future?

 

[iluvcarats]

Date: 11/13/2008 11:02:45 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring
iluv, funny...we just got a new microwave hood (samsung even though our other stuff is jenn-air). I chose it BECAUSE the handle matched my other stuff (our appliances are all stainless) and actually was disappointed the CLOCK color is different. Yes, I am *that* crazy. Haha. I got over it though. Sorry to hear about your appliance problems!

I''m like that too! Even if my appliances are a little tempermental.....they do look great! What color is the handle?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 11/14/2008 5:15:45 PM
Author: iluvcarats

Date: 11/13/2008 11:02:45 AM

Author: Tacori E-ring

iluv, funny...we just got a new microwave hood (samsung even though our other stuff is jenn-air). I chose it BECAUSE the handle matched my other stuff (our appliances are all stainless) and actually was disappointed the CLOCK color is different. Yes, I am *that* crazy. Haha. I got over it though. Sorry to hear about your appliance problems!

I''m like that too! Even if my appliances are a little tempermental.....they do look great! What color is the handle?

My handle on my ovens (jenn-air) and microwave (samsung) are stainless and straight (no curve) More modern to me plus they match my stainless steel handles on my cabs (which I am totally in love with). The clock color on the jenn-air is green. The clock on the microwave is blue.

I would prefer if they were the same color. OH well! You have to make choices

 

[tenfour]

do whatever looks nice to you!! i''ve seen some mixes that look nice. for example, a bosch oven in black look really nice with stainless.

that said, all of my appliances match. i really like (and purchased) the kitchenaid architect series.

 

[rainwood]

Whether your appliances should have the same finish depends in part on how long you intend to stay in the house. If you plan to be there long-term (as in the useful life of the appliances which is probably something like 10 years), get whatever makes you happy because you will have had to replace them again before you sell your house. If you''re planning to sell within that 10-year time frame, you should probably go with matching finishes because that''s what a lot of buyers will expect.

In my kitchen, I have a stainless cooktop and a white refrigerator and a dishwasher that has a panel that matches my cabinets. It all looks fine and I''m not planning to move anytime soon so it would have been crazy to match them just to match them. I love my white refrigerator because it isn''t a great big stainless box. The giant stainless fridges remind me of a morgue (I don''t want my kitchen to look like CSI) plus the fingerprints on a stainless refrigerator would drive me crazy. But that''s me. If I were planning to sell, I would have bought differently.

 

[Elmorton]

We bought all our appliances to match the dishwasher (which was the only thing in our kitchen). Everything is "stainless look" but the "look" is slightly different for each piece. Together, they look fine.

Here''s my thought on the fridge/dishwasher stove dilemma...what are the other colors in your kitchen? If you have a biscuit fridge and dishwasher, but your counters are dark, your cabinets are a darker finish, and you''ve got silver or black hardware thoughout, I don''t think it would look that odd to do a stainless stove. Yes, the resale thing is right (ever time DH and I walked into a house with mis-matched appliances, the first thing we talked about was replacing them), but if you plan to live there for awhile, who cares?

This all said, my in-laws have a gorgeous kitchen, and I think their fridge and dishwasher are white and the range (a slide in) is dark. their kitchen is basically an L with an island in the middle - the fridge is at the bottom of the L (the _ part) and the dishwasher is in the far corner at the top of the L. They have charcoaly counters and darker wood cabinets...so the range blends in in black, whereas it would really throw off the look of the kitchen if it were white. I say go for it