One good argument (other than price and space constraints) I've heard (and impressed me enough to remember) to have the oven under the burners is that if you use the in-oven broiler it is under your vent hood.

Good point.

One argument I thought of for separates is that one person can access the oven (basting the bird, etc) without interrupting the other person who is trying to keep up w/ pans on the burners. Also that a higher-mounted oven might be easier to access (although, maybe prefer to handle hot, heavy things when they are low rather than high).

Have used both through many moves .
Much prefer wall oven and separate cooktop .
Gas cooktop is best for all round cooking .
Electric oven better for baking - more even heat distribution .
Oven at eye level is much more ergonomic and important
with increasing age .
Have you seen the half ovens ?
Perfect for someone who does not need a full size oven .

Good question and some think I thought long and hard about when we replaced our appliances (the first time) 10 years ago. Here's what I came up with:

Advantages of separate cooktop/rangetop and oven is that, as you said, you can get best of class. Good oven brand is not necessarily a good cooking surface brand. Also, if you want dual fuel, I think you might actually find the cost to be the same if not lower. Some other things include oven height which, if you bake a lot and/or have a bad back, this might be critical. Selection of oven features is usually better with wall ovens which. Most range ovens don't come with the fancy computerized controls that wall ovens have standard. Just depends if that matters to you.

Strangely enough, options for cooktop/rangetop tend to be more limited with separates. With a full range, there's a wide variety of optional tops that are often unavailable with either a rangetop or a cooktop. Most companies today do offer a full complement of rangtop options that parallels their ranges but 10 years ago, that was not the case. For cooktops (drop-in), forget it! Options go down drastically especially for gas. Electric (radiant or induction) are an exception to this rule. They tend to offer more options if anything in the cooktop format.

Advantages to an integrated range can be extrapolated form above but there is also the added convenience of a single unit. This can be either a pro or a con for servicing. I've heard dual fuel ranges are a bear to service due to access and the combination of plumbing and electronics in one unit. All gas units tend to be very easy to service since there are very few complex parts. Installation is also easier with a range. Fitting a wall oven so that it looks integrated might take some cabinet work and must meet certain space requirements. Range sizes tend to be more standard than wall oven dimensions. Some wall ovens require more depth or height than others for the same width so a 24" or 30" wall oven won't necessarily replace an existing oven of the same advertised size. Plus a range that sticks out an inch or two won't look too bad but can't have that with a wall oven. When we replaced our wall oven, we barely made the depth but had to increase the opening height a bit. Luckily, woodworking is a hobby of mine so I was able to refit things without too much trouble by taking away some of the cabinet space underneath. Our installer simply said cabinet work was not his thing and we'd have to hire a carpenter or cabinetry guy to do it.

The venting advantage to an integrated range is one that I had not heard before but certainly very valid.

Venting for my broiler, especially fish is why I selected to stay with a range. Yes you do have to bend and maybe step out the way if someone wants to do something in the oven. But I will step out the way or bend vs smelling the fish for the rest of the evening. Of course that is just me, others it might not matter and the convenience of a wall oven is more important.

Other than broiling, if I had room for separates I would do it without thinking about it. I would much rather have an eye-level oven than something below the cooktop.

There's also the aesthetics. A gorgeous range can be a focal point, the "hearth" so to speak, of a kitchen. A separate cooktop/wall oven arrangement just doesn't have that kind of appearance.

If you have, for example, a Lacanche range (assuming you have the budget for one), it is so darn gorgeous that you likely cannot imagine having a cooktop/wall oven instead. On the other hand, if you plan on buying a mid-level or low-level range, then the aesthetics are not an issue, and it becomes a decision of countertop space/cabinet space, and the other pros/cons listed on this thread.

Ochidluvr's Kitchen in FKB

Momto4Kids' Kitchen in FKB

I am also wrestling with this problem. I currently have separate wall ovens and a downdraft cooktop that isn't working. Whatever I cook in the wall ovens can be smelled all over the house, as there is no venting.

My new kitchen will have a large overhead vent hood with a range. Unfortunately, I want induction cooking, so I am ver limited, unlesss I decide to sell a car to finance a Viking or Diva range. The Kenmore has this horrible control panel sticking up that looks low-end and something I am really trying to avoid.

The venting of odors from the oven is paramount in my decision to go for a range rather than a cooktop/oven.

in your case, think about an induction top and a wall oven underneath.

I'm a roaster not a baker, so I prefer a range to cooktop/oven. I'm very happy roasting in a gas oven, so a very simple all-gas range is good for me. I have a relatively small kitchen, so a range also leaves me with more counter space (unless I were to put an oven under the counter). LIke other posters, I like to vent the oven (especially when broiling). Many dishes I make involve searing on a burner and then cooking in an oven, which a range makes simple. I have 3 small kids, so I don't want to be crossing the kitchen with hot stuff.

It's my totally subjective impression, which could be wrong, that the complaints here about Bluestar seem to focus more on the ovens than the tops, especially since a lot of the burner complaints seem to revolve around an ignitor issue that's seemingly simple to fix. Google some of the threads here, and see if that's your impression, too. If so, splitting the cooktop/ovens might be one way to go.

I do have to say, I don't totally agree with the idea that a cooktop can't be a focal point. It's true that you can make a cooktop, especially an induction cooktop, completely disappear in the kitchen if you want to. On the other hand, look at Erikanh's kitchen, with the dramatic steel hood and marble backsplash: You have no doubt where the cooking power sits in that kitchen. I've also seen kitchens where a cabinet bump-out around the cooktop, in a different color than the rest of the run, creates the impression of a big range without the cost.

Marcolo (and others), sorry to be tangential but can you help me understand how to use these forums better?

- How can I find a particular member's posts? So for example if I wanted to look through Erikanh's past posts to find the discussion about her kitchen that you mentioned.

- How can I contact a particular member offline? Is there a messaging function? I've wanted to ask guadalupe something (about her Bluestar salamander) but cannot figure out how to send her a message.

I did recently find the FKB blog, I am learning my way around a little bit. But GW doesn't seem to use any of the common forum software (vBulletin, etc) so I'm still kind of groping in the dark.