Things to know when selecting appliances for your next renovation.

Kitchen appliances occupy a unique space in home design, where technical specifications meet deeply personal preferences. These decisions blend objective performance metrics with cooking styles, and lived experiences. We help clients wade through the myriad of options to develop an appliance package that meets their needs, budget, and design goals. 

The Art of Mixing Brands

Our clients often ask whether they need to match all their appliances – and the answer is flat – no.  There is no harm in your dishwasher being a different brand from your stove and refrigerator. While technical requirements don’t demand brand matching, there are compelling reasons to consider sticking to a single brand: package deals can offer significant savings, unified finishes create visual harmony, and a single warranty service simplifies maintenance. Yet we often find ourselves mixing brands for clients who have fallen in love with specific features from different manufacturers. After all, your kitchen should work for you, not the other way around—if you love Gaggenau’s oven but prefer Meilie dishwashers, we’ll create a design that embraces both.

Cooktop or Range?

In luxury kitchens, the separate cooktop and wall oven configuration offer advantages over the classic range and oven combo. A cooktop alone creates clean, unbroken counter lines without gaps or awkward caulk lines. This can go a long way to making the kitchen feel clean and well crafted. In addition, wall ovens can be positioned at any height, eliminating the need to bend down to check the roast, while multiple ovens can be placed wherever they serve you best. This flexibility allows the kitchen to adapt to your needs rather than forcing you to adapt to tradition.

The Induction Revolution

The debate between fire and magnetic field is oddly heated and can ignites passionate discussion among our clients, with gas cooking carrying the weight of tradition—the visible flame, the familiar control, the visceral connection to cooking. Yet induction brings unprecedented precision, speed, and safety to the kitchen. Your water boils in half the time while the cooktop stays cool to the touch, and no gas emissions affect your indoor air quality. Some models even disappear completely under your countertop. New codes may make the decision for you, as gas is being phased out of the building industry.  You may not not necessarily have to choose between, as can design hybrid kitchens that combine a primary induction cooktop with a gas burner or two, offering the best of both worlds when the recipe calls for flame.

Whatever your preference – we are here to help you understand your options. 

Integration: The New Standard

We believe that integrated appliances are almost always the superior option. The once-popular exposed stainless steel refrigerator is being replaced by seamless integration in modern luxury kitchens. Built-in refrigerators and freezers blend into cabinetry for a clean, sophisticated look, rather than the farmhouse style of protruding appliances. While this integrated approach is a greater investment, it adds lasting style and functional value to high-end homes.

Premium Brand Guide

Gaggenau: Pure Precision

At the summit of luxury appliances stands Gaggenau, the chosen partner of the Michelin Guide, bringing restaurant-grade precision into the home kitchen. Their understated aesthetic conceals engineering excellence that justifies the premium price, while their legendary 36-inch wall oven has become a touchstone for serious cooks. For clients who demand the absolute best, Gaggenau delivers without compromise.

Wolf/Sub-Zero: Evolution Required

The iconic red knob has become perhaps too familiar, its presence expected rather than exciting. While Wolf continues to make quality products, their signature look has lost its freshness. We guide clients toward their alternative finishes for a more contemporary approach. For Sub-Zero, the Design series offers welcome improvements with tighter tolerances and eliminates the awkward top access panel that characterized earlier models. These remain good products, but they’re no longer the automatic choice they once were.

Fisher & Paykel: Minimalist Mastery

Fisher & Paykel exemplifies luxury minimalism refined to its essence, where clean lines and simple forms speak quietly but confidently of quality. Their cooling units excel in offering size options not available from other brands, while every detail serves the whole without drawing attention to itself—the very definition of sophisticated design.

Miele: Reliable Luxury

Positioned just below the top tier in price, Miele matches its more expensive rivals in reliability and innovation. Their thoughtful combination of German engineering and practical luxury has earned them a reputation for consistent excellence in both performance and design.

Bertazzoni: Italian Elegance

Bertazzoni demonstrates that luxury need not command astronomical prices. Their gas ranges and cooktops capture Italian elegance through carefully considered details that build upon each other to create something greater than their parts. They’ve mastered the delicate art of delivering sophistication without the stratospheric pricing of their ultra-premium competitors.

PITT: Custom Innovation

Though less widely known, PITT has revolutionized cooktop design by offering unprecedented freedom in burner placement. By allowing each burner to be positioned exactly where desired, rather than confined to a predetermined grid, they enable the creation of truly unique cooking spaces that reflect the individual habits and preferences of their owners.

The Heart of the Matter

Kitchen appliances fundamentally shape how we live, cook, and gather in our homes. While brands matter, their true value lies in how seamlessly they serve your lifestyle. Whether you’re drawn to Gaggenau’s precision, PITT’s flexibility, or a thoughtful combination of manufacturers, the right choice is the one that enhances your daily routine.

Remember that while trends may fade, quality and functionality endure. Choose appliances that will support your cooking style for years to come, knowing that true luxury in a kitchen reveals itself not in brand names, but in how naturally it disappears into the rhythm of your life, supporting the way you cook, live, and eat.