Most people here follow "Best of Breed" thinking.

Meaning, look at each appliance individually and get what meets your needs/budget for that particular appliance. I think you should think about making sure that the finishes match or at least coordinate.

My kitchen has: 48" sxs fridge, Capital 36" 6 burner range, Viking hood, Fisher & Paykel dishdrawers. And a Kenmore microwave/pizza oven combo.

I think you should go to the appliance forum and get opinions on each individual piece, and like I said, get what fits your lifestyle.

Congrats on geting started. And it sounds like you need that same 750ml wine glass I was talking about earlier.....enjoy the process.

The appliance brands don't matter. Even when the stainless is a slightly different color, that doesn't show when the pieces aren't right next to each other without anything at all in between. The handles might be different, and the controls. Generally, one would look at one's choices critically, and try to get pieces that look nice together, but they certainly don't need to match.

This is where the tricky part comes in. Companies will try to sell you a whole suite by offering discounts, or even free pieces. They make a lot more on the bundle, than they lose on the incentive. With GE and Kenmore you can get sort of kind of good enough on everything. Maybe none the very best you can afford, maybe a piece or two that you'll really dislike, but more or less workable.

If you'd rather have the very best you can afford, you'll have to forgo the incentives, and maybe pay a little more to get just what you want. And if you throw in appearance, that could add a bit more yet. For instance, as far as I know, all Advantium 240V work the same, but I ended up paying several hundred dollars more than the least expensive one, to get the one that was nicest looking with the rest of my kitchen. It was worth it to me.

So the real question is, how much can you afford to spend on the best function, and do you have a little extra to spend on appearance?

I did get all the same brand appliances. I knew I wanted the same brand refrigerator and dishwasher I had in my last house. Love them! However, when it came time to replace my wall oven/microwave I had only 3 choices to meet my needs, one of them being the same brand as my other appliances. I'm glad I did get all the same brand, my kitchen is small and it would be quite noticable if they didn't match. But I agree with Beekeeperswife that an appliance that meets your needs is more important than matching handles. Good luck to you. This forum has a lot of knowledgable people that give great advice. Not to mention, their beautiful kitchens to inspire you.

Ditto from Bee and Plllog.

Thanks! This is really helpful. I am generally of the "Best of Breed thinking" too, so that makes me feel better that I am on a good track.

We do have a little leeway in terms of price to get what best fits our needs, but are trying to be budget conscious at the same time. For example, I really want a french door refrigerator (I love my current one but it's white and a little old) but my only requirement of a dishwasher is that my wine glasses fit. And yes, beekeeperswife, I do need that 750ml glass of wine!

Thank you all so much!

Two additional comments.

Companies will try to sell you a whole suite by offering discounts
This is especially true for home builders which is why, when you walk into model homes, you'll see all one brand appliance. They're building a slew of houses and strike a deal with some appliance manufacturer to supply all the appliances for all the houses. Very economical for the builder.

Secondly, think about it. Have you ever walked into someone's kitchen and thought, "hmmm... how odd that the fridge is Whirlpool and the oven is GE!" Of course not! In general (excluding people who are working on a remodel and are therefore accutely aware of these kinds of things), we just don't notice brand names. We do notice colors and other aesthetics but brand names? Not so much.

So yeah, get the brands that work best for you. Mix and match. I do agree that you need to stay within a particular color scheme and I also agree that unless two appliances are exactly next to each other, differences in shades won't be noticeable. I also have seen mixing of two different colors (black and stainless for example) that works.

So don't tie yourself down by perceived rules. The real rule is that you (kitchen owner) need to be happy with it.

Mix and make sure they don't look stupid together. :)

I did best of breed and regret it. I really really wish they all matched. The stainless does not look the same on any of the three brands that I purchased. Some look warmer and some look cooler. I tried to get them as similar as I could such as considering handle style and stuff and I do love each appliance individually but they don't look that great together IMO. My husband feels the same way :(....hopefully we are the only ones that notice.