How about using the cabinet fronts on the dishwasher and fridge? You can use any color, and you can save money by purchasing from a scratch and dent sale~dings/dents won't show.

And you can still use the burgundy stove! Is there a sink to match~that's the question. ;o)

GW's email is unreliable. Thought they had it fixed. Maybe not.

I think it depends what color your cabs are (amount of contrast). And how luxurious your kitchen is. Black can look very nice with some cabinetry. White can stick out like a sore thumb. The plastic of the white/black appliances doesn't blend in so well with high-end or natural features like stone (but they have been coming out with those colors in other materials, more high-end looking). The typical ones look ok with a Corian counter, though. Maybe a quartz/resin blend also.

The ss material is more natural looking and can be warm in coloring, too. Also a more subtle presence, color-wise. There are ss appliances that are made to resist the smudges and prints. Not sure how well it works, though. Those smudgy ones wouldn't be something I'd want either. Though black can be a bear that way, also.

Sorry, I don't recall your kitchen if it was in the other thread of the interior.

A burgundy range sounds devine! Does it have ss accents?

I have been looking for panel-ready dishwasher and fridge. I'm definitely a bargain shopper and have been checking out the Sears Outlets every week. :-)

IF I can find those two in panel-ready, would it be okay to go with the micro/convection in black? I want to buy an Advantium, and it's $1000k cheaper in black. I'm wondering if that would be okay, if the oven is the only other appliance color....??

Someone told me that the smudgeless stainless finishes darken with time. He said if I wanted to match the other stainless in the kitchen, it's not the way to go...

Here is a link that might be useful: Burgundy Range

Oh, for pity's sake. People will ALWAYS find something to grouse about if one has to sell. Buy what makes your life easiest...and pleases you. Seriously.

I mean...a burgundy range sounds gorgeous, but fairly "taste-specific." You aren't shying away from that...buy the refrigerator that makes you happy and to heck with the naysayers.

I don't think I could handle fingerprints either.

I think black would be a safer neutral choice but I really like the burgundy and think it could look sharp. If you don't think you'll tire of the color I'd go for it.

I went with white but really wish I would've done black. The white sticks out horrible but besides that, it's prevented me from making some other changes to my kitchen. I actually considerered getting some appliance paint and going to town on the refrigerator and DW and replacing the stove and mic. DH will have a cow because they're new so I left them alone . . for now. :)

You are right mjsee, I am still reeling from the nit-picking over the house we just sold.

Our flooring will be travertine, or a porcelain travertine-look. My counters will be granite, and the cabinets will be a medium-stained warm maple with a glaze. I might throw in a painted, cream glazed island....

What color are your cabs? Where is the micro, and where in relation to the other appliances? I guess the sides of the fridge will be black then, and black controls/accents on the d/w?

I think you could probably get away with a black micro. There's a good bit of black on your range. $1K is one good hunk of change. If you've got stained cabinetry, so lower contrast to the black portions of the appliances, it would probably blend in overall pretty well.

Interested to hear what others think. I think I'd also ask around over on the Kitchens Forum.

Sorry, I'm not much help. Just asking some questions that are important.

That thing is gorgeous!

JOJO, the range is TDF!! I'm not familar w/the Mfg. Like SH said, black can look very luxe, if that's the sort of look you're wanting. Would you get a black sink then? MY DD has all black appliances, and likes them~said she would take them over the stainless, even if there was the option of stainless. I don't know anything re:smudgeless, mine isn't.

Keep checking the Sears outlet~i've purchased from there in the past. If you can save bucks on appliances you can save it for something else like.......a pot faucet, over the stove?? ;o)

I agree, the black can look pretty darn good, and lux. Just depends.

Love the burgungy range! What fun!

My last fridge was smooth faced black. And it was an eye sore (I called it the Big black hole). I discovered that black isn't slimming when it comes to fridges. Then again, I hadn't met the Jenn Air floating glass black fridge yet. Incredibly handsome, but I bet just as finger printy AND shows dust. I ended up with ss for all of my new appliances this time around.....AND HATE IT! Good grief, what a pain in the neck. I've discovered that there is a right and a wrong way to wipe it - otherwise, you end up with swoosh marks. And I managed to scratch the handle with my ring, within one hour of owning it. I'm one step away from covering the darn thing with mactack.....

Don't know if this helps - my cabinets are white and the microwave, stove and fridge are white, but the dishwasher has a black front. My countertop is a green marble like formica. We looked at stone, but we love the green, so we are keeping it. My DH does the cooking. He is a marvelous cook, but sloppy. Stained cabinets would be harder to keep clean, so for us it had to be paint and white.

When recently out shopping for my appliances I came across Oiled Bronze Appliances and I have to say they were pretty stunning, not sure how they rate maintenance wise as far as finger prints etc go, but they were really gorgeous to look at....just my 2 cents!

Wow, I've never seen ORB appliances. I wonder how that would hold up!

Chloesmom, I'm glad to know I'm not the only SS hater. lol! I'll be sure to stick with a panel fridge, and not go black, per your rec.

Squirrel, we must have posted at the same time - I listed my materials in the post above yours. :-) The microwave only shares a wall with the fridge. The other wall (on an L), is where the range, and accompanying wood hood, will be. The dishwasher is in the island.

ORB by Jenn-Air:

Flashback to the '70s???

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: The End of SS Appliances Article

That orb is real nice.

My mom's old house still has one of those brown fridges from I'm not sure what decade. It's quite old.

The ORB looks really nice but I don't think it is catching on. I remember coppertone in the 60's and 70's and liked it much better the the harvest gold or avocado.

With medium tone cabinets I think black would look very nice.

I have stainless wall ovens and cook top. The fridge and dishwasher have cabinet fronts on them. The cook top is gas and has a black top on it. I find the SS very easy to keep clean, but that black top is a bear. I'm constantly trying to keep the smudges and splatters off.

Those colored appliances are very pretty, but I'd hate to have to replace just one piece when it dies 10 years down the road.

jojogirl11,

I have medium oak cabinetry, with darker countertops and have black appliances - the Kenmore Elite series. Though I think they look nice, they show all the dust, water spots and smudge easily. Sometimes I just wished I had gone white.

I'm with those that say go with whatever makes you happy. I think bottom line, there isn't a perfect solution, anything you chose will require maintenance.

Good luck!

It doesn't sound like retro will work based on your decor, but there are always the fun color appliances from Big Chill and Northstar (Elmira Stove Works)

I really want a light blue fridge and am willing to wait for it. Just hoping our fridge doesn't die too quickly.

Like lafonda ranch, I have mostly stainless with a black cook top.

That black is far worse to maintain than anything else. From grease to water spots, it's a nightmare finish.

I'm burned out on stainless steel myself - the house I grew up in (built in the mid-1960s) had a S/S oven and cooktop, the first kitchen renovation I planned way back in 1991 had a stainless cooktop, they've become ubiquitous. But there are other choices if you look around enough.

The burgundy range looks great. For a matching fridge, maybe something from AGA who makes the appliances in this picture:

{{!gwi}}

or if you like a '50s vibe, maybe an Italian SMEG fridge (although this perhaps a bit too bright, but still cool looking:)
{{!gwi}}

There are companies that make colored panels for fridges and dishwashers, such as Frigo Design, which builds panels custom-shaped for panel-accepting refrigerators and freezers from the major manufacturers, complete with icemaker cutout.

For the dishwasher, nearly every brand has several machines that are designed to accept 3/4" thickness panels that cover the entire front (or all but the top few inches if you want a visible display). The most common panel to use is one that matches the surrounding cabinetry, but some people order or fabricate a colored panel that matches their stove.

I don't know all the companies making colored appliances but they're out there, generally off the beaten path. Microwaves in that color include everything from this basic Emerson:

Oddly, washers and dryers seem to be made in every shade of the spectrum nowadays. Colors like metal-flake candy-apple red that a few years ago would be deemed appropriate only for a custom '32 Ford roadster are finding their way to the laundry room. Why not the kitchen?

For me ss is the only way to go with mid dark to dark cabinets, it adds sparkle to the kitchen and breaks up all that darkness. I dont believe it will ever go out of style, just as white or black havent. I dont have four children but do have a messy husband, so I have been using Zep commercial, ss cleaner and polish. It really helps to repel finger prints and it is very easy to use, doesnt streak like many other polishes do. I certainly wouldnt do all appliances in burgandy but the range would look amazing with the ss fridge and microwave. The one item I would cover with cabinetry is the dishwasher, especially if the island will have a furniture look. I wish I would have done that.

Just looking at my ss fridge, which happens to be somewhat clean at the moment. Roseabby has a good point, ss does add sparkle (I have a small, kitchen with very dark cabs). I still find the fridge esp to be a pain (and this is coming from someone who has a glass kitchen table), maybe it is bec the finger prints are soooo obvious, no matter the colour of the fridge, due to the height and the size of fridges? I was wiping off my granite counter and thought, gee, that burgundy range would look so good with this granite (Crema Bordeaux). Sigh.

My countertop (pre backsplash):

Oh my, I love that granite!! Thanks for posting the picture.

I bought a stainless/black Advantium 120 today, so now I have a black/stainless piece that could potentially take me either way - stainless or black. I'm still looking for that paneled fridge, but they are just so pricey!

I noticed in the showroom that ss varies in colour - or perhaps brushing seems to be a better term. My fridge is a Kitchenaid and is heavily brushed. Some appliances were just like a mirror. I also think that what makes a fridge (or appliances in general) a pain to clean is the handle - interupts the side to side wiping (with the grain) needed in stainless. But a glass finish could be wiped in any direction. Have you looked at the Jenn Air floating glass? Any smooth finish may be more difficult to keep clean looking though....In my first house's kitchen, I had Kenmore appliances in a bisque finish. Smooth faced bisque. LOVEd IT and seriously regret selling them with the house (had no idea that I'd not be able to find smooth faced bisque in a freezer on the bottom style).

I've also noticed that the ss varies in my different appliances. My dishwasher is an LG and seems to not only mark more easily, but be harder to clean up.

Wow, I love the colored appliances, hadn't seen those before. Buyer specific, yes, but like the colored washer/dryers we're seeing, maybe it's the next trend too.

I agree black appliances can look very nice, but Parma is so right about it's upkeep. It's a nightmare to maintain and unless you have a large kitchen and the right cabinetry it can make spaces look smaller. The top section of our SSL stove is black and a nightmare to keep clean, it shows EVERYTHING.