Tammy,
How exciting! I just finished this same project. 1-As tempting as it is to make your purchases based on the finish, it's really important to do your homework on the appliances and their features. Be prepared to read negative reviews on just about everything. Look for people who love their appliances and that'll reallly help. You'll likely find that one brand works best for your needs for the range, another brand for the fridge, another yet for the dishwasher. This forum is a great start and there are plenty of mid priced appliances that you'll be happy with. 2-If you're shopping at Lowe's you'll get the best guidance from their Appliance Specialist. Don't be shy about asking to speak to him/her. Have fun with the process, Tammy!

I know that side-by-side refrigerators are not particularly popular at the moment - as you make your way through the forum posts on this topic you'll find dozens of reasons why. We've had a FD 36'' model in our house for the 17 years we've lived here, and it was far from new when we moved in! We have a growing family of four (2 growing 'up', 2 growing 'out'!), and it has more than met our needs.

A full door style will never work for us because we have a galley kitchen. When we get 'round to replacing it we may go to a French door style because I like the idea of crispers that are not right down at the bottom.

Otherwise, we've been very happy.