36" is considered "high end" but I'm not sure I get the point. I really like to cook and never find that I need more than 4 burners. (I've even seen a very "gourmet" restaurant that only had a 2-burner stove for its 6 tables.) A rangetop with 4 good burners (15,000+ BTU) is plenty. I can fit a large oblong dutch oven or large pasta pot, have two covered pots and still have room to saute.

I'm thinking my next kitchen will have a traditional 30" range with gas oven and an electric wall oven. I might be tempted to go 36" on the range just to get the larger oven for roasting, otherwise I'll stick with a 30".

Build what you like and what you think you will use. That said, the 36" could help you at resale time because your buyer might be trophy hunting for a show kitchen, not a cooking kitchen.

Note: I've had a 36" with a griddle in one house, and I currently have a 36" with a grill . In both cases I never really used more than the 4 burners. The griddle, especially, was a waste of space given the work required for clean-up. The grill would be nice if I lived in an apartment but since I have a backyard grill there is really no point.

For a high end kitchen definitively I would put a 36" range. Do you need a 48" refrigerator? I think you should look for overall balance and good brand names. My list would consist of double wall ovens, a wine refrigerator in the kitchen even if you have a wine cellar planned, a 42" sub zero bottom freezer, french door refrigerator built in and panel ready so you can put the same wood finish as the rest of the cabinets, and I could go on and on but I think this is good for now :-)

I agree with notadumbblond on the bluestar issue. However, one should also consider the choices in such an important investment for resale value.