LOL! I hope you'll forgive me for teasing you. :) I can't help laughing at your question, Chipshot. Mine is still in the initial planning stages and I was thinking as I put dinner last night into the not-very-functional old oven that I really want a proper oven which allows one to plan how long it takes to cook a chicken :) At the same time, I've been thinking that tile is really the most functional countertop, and that if I get the fridge with drawers maybe I can live without the separate fridge drawers.

So here you are, the one who has actually installed Pyrolave asking about overkill :) (If it weren't for the price and the send through the canal from France thing I'd order Pyrolave immediately.) If you're worried that the pretty ovens are just more function than your family cooks with, think about how happy the caterer will be when you have a big party!! (The best chef at my mother's caterer always chooses to do her parties because he likes her Gaggenau.) And pretty is good :) So long as the ovens really do appear as a jewel in their visible location they'll be earning their keep :)

Our subzero freezer drawers were overkill. I like them, they fit into an odd undercounter/understairway recess in the butler's pantry off the kitchen, and they were a steal on eBay, but they freeze food just like the Kenmore standup freezers. Wedging them in there, however, allowed us to have a subzero 36" all-refrigerator, which was NOT overkill.

Tease all you want, plllog. Maybe I should take a picture of the kitchen I've been using for the past 4½ years so it can be compared to the one we had and the one we're creating. We never expected to stay were we've been for so long, but I suppose the same is true for many who have built and/or renovated.

We're forgoing Pyrolave this time around. We would have poached it from the other house had island sizing been consistent. Oh well, we're happy with what we're getting.

One appliance we couldn't see spending a lot of money for was the warming drawer. $1,600 for a Wolf? There are double wall ovens available for less. And there are things I don't like about the new model. A KitchenAid for a lot less than half that price seemed more reasonable.

Well, heck, a warming drawer is a pretty darned simple device. What you're paying for with the Wolf is matching your other Wolf. So why not get the Kitchen Aid with the integrated panel front instead if you like the device better?

Even though I don't know the details, I know there was a heartbreaking backstory about the house with the Pyrolave. (I keep telling myself that I don't need Pyrolave. I don't need Pyrolave...) I just figured that it was an indication that you could spend $500 on looks :) I'd love to see your pics if you care to post :)

BTW, remember the induction tea cart? I just saw on the Cooktek site where they're offering buffet warmers underneath the granite. There's an inset "trivet" which indicates where the unit is. And an LED. That's not a full fledged cooking unit, but it's a step in the right direction :) There are probably heat shock issues with doing too much power with granite, but soapstone? Pyrolave? Ooo, la la!

Basically a builder built us a moldy house, didn't stand behind it, and the legal system failed to provide the recourse it promised.

If only the difference were as little as $500!

Below are pictures of the kitchen with Pyrolave and the kitchen we've been using for the past 4½ years. Which would you prefer?

OUCH!! Thanks for the pix, especially of the beautiful, lost kitchen with the Pyrolave.

Are you redoing the current kitchen, or are you building again? It's so sad, because the current kitchen looks usable, and full of warm family memories, but it's so not what you built :( I'm so sorry!

I'm sorry if I confused you. It is a confusing situation. The current kitchen is in a rented house where we have been living. We purchased another house and are redoing its kitchen. As you can see below, at this point it needs just about everything.

That looks like it is going to be a great space! Keep us up to date with pics.

Not confused so much as incomplete but now I get it :) What I was trying to say is that while the rental is obviously not a showplace, it looks like a nice place for a family. It has that warm vibe. :)

Re the new space, gotta love a kitchen that starts with the chandeliers!! Did you decide on a warming drawer? I'm planning on going with the Miele (paneled) because of the open sides. I need the open sides :)

What a story. Hopefully the house you're working on now will have a happy ending.

We remodeled a somewhat contemporary home built in the late 1950's and are very happy with our choices.

Dishwasher - kept 5 year old Kitchenaid from our old kitchen. It is stainless so fits in with the new appliances. Still works fine. We're happy with it and glad we didn't spend money on an upgrade.

Refrigerator - Subzero 742. Got a floor model from our builder at a very good price. The main reason we were considering Subzero was that the coils are on top and are easy to clean. We have shelties and in the old kitchen I was always pulling out the refrigerator to clean the coils. Now they're in an area where they don't collect all dog hair and all I've got to do is climb up on a stepladder to clean them. Would make the same choice again.

Oven - Wolf single oven 30 inch. We were leaning toward a lesser brand double oven. Once we bought the Subzero, we felt that given our local market and the Subzero we should go with the Wolf. Installed the oven at counter height with pull out drawers for baking pans below and tray storage above. My mom who lives with us has back problems and doesn't bend easily. We all love the Wolf oven and it gets a lot of use. I didn't think we'd use all the bells and whistles but we do. We're happy with just the single oven. It gets a ton of use and lots of the time it's for a large crowd. We have never once wondered if we made the wrong choice but DH insists if we'd chosen something else, we'd wonder what the Wolf would have been like.

After touring a few kitchens with warming drawers that were mostly being used for towel storage, we decided we didn't need one. Have a small portable microwave/convection/broiler/toaster oven in a cabinet that meets our needs.

Thermador Induction Cooktop. We are very pleased with it and it does what we expect it to do. Wolf was not available at the time we purchased and other brands we considered were not available locally. Sure we could have imported or had shipped from further away but we felt Thermador would meet our needs and it does.

Be careful with pyrolave for islands. Pyrolave is what I would pretty much consider the "ultimate" material for counter tops. The only issue I have with pyrolave is that its limited (by the manufacturer in France) of how wide they will construct a piece. So, with islands you're looking at a seamed piece for anything above about 48" or so (which all islands are). You can get creative with the seam with colors, designs, weaves, whatever but unfortunately its still there. .

Nothing against pyrolave in any other way - just be careful and keep that under consideration for anyone ordering pyrolave on pieces wider than what it can handle without seaming.

Yup. Our island used three pieces of the stuff, and there was a seam.

Anthem, I had to chuckle at your "ultimate" comment and believe I understand why you put it in quotation marks. If I had a dollar for every material for which I have heard or read that claim made... While Pyrolave certainly seems to "win" the price war, stainless steel, various quartz materials, terrazzo, and crystallized glass (I'm sure there are others) all have their proponents who believe them capable and deserving of vying for the title.

I think everyone should decide for themself what their ultimate is. Our new house will use a variety of countertop materials. I'm glad that no two rooms will use the same material/color. I'm also glad that once again our kitchen's island and perimeter will use two different colors (possibly also two different materials). Finally, I must add that I'm looking forward to not having to look at slabs anymore.

Well, but... Chipshot, you didn't tell us what you will be using!

BTW, did I mention that that blue is my fave?

Check out the hidden induction! It's meant for keep warm (up to 80-190 F degrees)

plllog, I'd love to tell you what we will be using, but I don't know myself. Right now the plan is to use blue Caesarstone on the island and white Caesarstone around the perimeter (the house we built had a white Corian perimeter to go with the blue Pyrolave). However, we recently saw a product called Mini Crystal (a crystallized form of glass) that we may use instead if its cost is comparable to that of the Caesarstone.

I suppose I should list our appliances, if only to keep this thread more or less on topic.

Sub-Zero 632 Refrigerator
Whirlpool GX5SHDXTQ Refrigerator (in laundry room)
Miele G2630SCi Excella Dishwasher
Best by Broan WP29M424SB Hood
Best by Broan ILB11 Inline Blower
Whirlpool WFW9400SW Washer
Whirlpool WED9400SW Dryer
Wolf RT364C Rangetop
Wolf DO30U/S Ovens
KitchenAid KEWS105PA Warming Drawer
GE 220V Advantium

Moose, here's a picture of the kitchen the previous owners left us (of course they took their rooster, houseplants, and flat-panel TV). My wife must have liked the house a lot to see through that yellow, which she dislikes as much as plllog likes that blue.

as we all know the kitchen is the heart of the home and the appliances are the heart of the kitchen.buy the best appliances you can and chest the rest ie cabinets,counters,etc and I am not involved in the sale of any product.

I had started another thread, possibly before this one, about some friends who have topnotch appliances and never cook on them. Well, that's their choice, so no skin off my back. Last night we visited some other friends who also have a beautiful new kitchen and also never cook. This time it struck me as odd because the mom is really into healthy eating, and I would think she'd have more control if she cooked rather than eating take-out almost constantly. I think some people just go with whatever their designer and/or builder selects, so long as it's within budget. I'm happy to report we've been giving all our appliance a pretty good workout.