I have the same color scheme, basically, and I used stainless appliances. That said, my "stainless" oven is mostly black-appearing windows and the induction cooktop is also black ceram. I think black could be lovely. Does black have fewer fingerprint issues? Also, aren't there some stainless finishes that purport to resist fingerprints?

I have a friend with a lovely kitchen, very dark cherry cabs, dark black-green granite. She used black appliances, and it is very elegant. Except the frig, which is absolutely enormous - at least 48" if not wider. That she made stainless because she thought that huge expanse of black might be too much.

I use Easy Off Stainless Cleaner, which is one of those oily ones. I like it. Someone on here swears by an alcohol and water spray, and I think that sounds like great idea.

Also note that an article on Houzz this week said that if you are planning to sell your house, you'll most likely sell to someone younger, and the younger generation practically insists on stainless. I'm not asserting the truth of this, just quoting.

Pledge Furniture Polish. Just the plain stuff in the brown and yellow can. Wash with Dawn first to remove all of the old oil based products that attract dirt. Then spray on the Pledge and wipe with a microfiber cloth. All you need to do during the week is a swipe with the microfiber and then reapply once a week. It will shed most fingerprints. Water spots are another matter, especially if you have hard water. The only cure for that is to dry any drips and don't let them form spots.

Me, me! I swear by the alcohol-water spray! :-)

I cleaned off all the oily residue from my previously used SS cleaner/polish spray, and started using the alcohol-water spray exclusively. Haven't looked back! Got my friends hooked on it, too. Cleaning and spot-cleaning my SS appliances is as easy as can be.

Sorry, cat mom, I couldn't remember who it was - glad you spotted it. Do you use a microfiber cloth with the spray?

I had weird spots on my SS dishwasher after using a traditional SS cleaner/polish for a few months so I switched to a vinegar/water spray and microfibre cloth. I love it - no streaks, and it's cheap.

Also, Sarah Richardson recently used white appliances from Ikea in a kitchen makeover. The episode was called "Baker's Kitchen." The appliances looked great, and not at all what I would have expected. Maybe it's easier to find attractive appliances in a non-SS finish today??

I have cherry cabinets and went with black appliances for the ovens and the induction cooktop. I used cabinet fronts on the DW and fridge.

Miele Cleantouch SS dishwasher. Its super easy to clean and doesn't get spots!

Paneled fridge :)

Well I think most of you told me what I already knew...stainless is probably the way to go. I did like your black appliances, Annie on the smaller appliances but think I would tire rapidly of a massive black fridge. I really do like the look of my 4 ss appliances right now.

Paneled fridge and Miele dishwasher excellent ideas but too rich for my modest budget. My son is a Whirlpool employee so I get an amazing deal on all their brands which I think includes Maytag and Kitchen Aid now so I need to stick to those families.

I am going to try out your SS cleaning tips on my current appliances and see if I can find the magic one for me...how much alcohol to how much water?

You could go unconventional:

Here is a link that might be useful: Dream about copper