APPLIANCES PLANNING For many people, the kitchen is the most important room in the home. Culinary functionality of kitchen appliances combined with magnificent design aesthetics are key elements in creating your dream kitchen.

The size and style of the appliances you select will influence the shape and design of your kitchen, so this will be an important first conversation with your designer. Choosing your appliances is an important first step in the design process. These decisions effect plumbing and electrical plan decisions as well. Consider your budget and lifestyle when selecting appliances. When researching your appliances (See our “Client Resources” tab for direct links to manufacturers), you may want to read the Consumer Reports Appliance Reviews as well.

Examining the wide array of different characteristics can help you evaluate your kitchen appliance options for both professional grade and standard grade appliances. Be sure to consider the following: Your Budget, Appliance Size, Aesthetic Design, Color and/or Integrated Panel Options, Maintenance and Ease of Cleaning, Energy Efficiency, Consumer Reviews, Ventilation Requirements, and Warrantees.

We are often asked the difference between standard and professional appliances. Pro appliances are pricier but tend to be more durable and powerful, and they are designed beautifully. For serious cooks, heavy entertainers, or large families, they are a good choice. There are also many options in standard appliances, which also get the job done. The investment you make is a personal decision based on lifestyle, budget, and taste.

A frequently asked question is "What brands of appliances does Kitchen Designs sell?" We are dealers of numerous appliance manufacturers, both built-in and free-standing, please refer to the products page in the client resources section of the website for a list of these manufacturers and brands. We highly recommend clients purchase their appliance package through us for several reasons. We offer highly competitive and often the lowest prices available for your appliances. We do not view appliances as a profit center, we view it as an added-value service of our business. We do it because it's a win-win. It's a win for both of us because we take the responsibility off of you, we give you the lowest price, and we control the ordering, timing, and delivery of the product. We also know that there will be no last-minute substitutions of a product that somehow don't get communicated to us that could potentially cause problems with the sizing or the installation.

Another frequently asked question is "How do I select my appliances within my budget?" We encourage you to go shopping to determine the quality and the features of what you're looking for so you can help yourself establish a budget. Once you have established a general category you want to be in, we can help you refine your final choices based on our knowledge of those appliances. We can give you a good comparable that might be a better choice, or fill you in on our customer feedback and tell you what previous clients like or don't like about features of the appliances they selected. Because there is such a broad range in price, we like to send you out there to get an idea first. Do you want a Fisher Paykel $900 refrigerator, a Kitchen Aid $3,000 refrigerator, or a SubZero $7,000 refrigerator? ... You need to determine how much money you want to allocate and what features are important to you.

Further Reading:

Kitchen Budget, Click Here