The 'in' thing? I really didn't know ovens were subject to trend... Function is what counts, and your preference in your own kitchen, of course.

I had ranges all my life (and they sure weren't anything I'd consider trendy!), and now I have a dbl wall oven. I like it much better. I love the drawers to hold my pots and pans under the rangetop. I love that I can put things in and out of the oven without stooping so low, and that I'm not standing in front of a hot oven door while I tend the stovetop. I love that I can see into the oven from almost anywhere in the kitchen to see how things are doing in, at least, the top oven. I love that one of my kids can bake while I cook at the stove and we're not in each other's way. I love that we can bake bread or dessert in one oven while part of dinner roasts or bakes in the other. I love that I can roast 2 oven fulls of chicken at once for dinner, rather than doing 2 shifts and having some get cold while the 2nd batch finishes.

Whether it was 'in' or not never, ever occurred to me. There are some very up to date and wonderful kitchens posted here all the time with dbl ovens. A dbl oven can keep things warm, but a warming drawer can't bake or broil. I know that warming drawers are a little more focused than that, but I still wouldn't trade a whole oven for one. Get what you want, not what the cabinet guy says is popular. Where does he get his information?

I agree, your cabinet guy knows not of which he speaks! There are a few very important things to consider besides "trends" when deciding between cooking configurations. If you have a small kitchen, you will definitely sacrifice counter space to have wall oven(s). Also, if you want to broil in your oven, one located directly under your cooktop and hood fan will more effectively extract any smoke and smellies. Are these considerations compelling enough to forego the "easy reach" of accessing a wall oven?

Do an honest evaluation of your cooking habits, and your preferred layouts, and YOU make the decision, not the cab guy,

I think that if the rest of your house is a showcase of cutting edge design, and you are planning on selling it in the next month, it might make sense to go with whatever you are seeing in "NEST" or "AD" or "TOWN and COUNTRY".

Better yet - call up the editorial staff at one of those mags and ask them what will be the "hot" thing three months from now so that you can make sure you have the right appliance.

Otherwise - trust yourself. Ask for opinions certainly but don't let anyone ever talk you into something that you don't want or like.

Me - I would never think about living with just one oven again. A double wall oven was the key appliance in our planning and a big part of the reason that we ended up with the layout we have. ( That and a horkin' big island ).

Who knows what design trends will be "in a few years". Fashion is fickle. What's in this year might be totally out in a couple of years.

The one thing that always remains in fashion is quality. If you're concerned about resale value, go with the best quality you can afford.

Personally, after years of having ranges, I now have a cooktop and an eye-level wall oven with warming drawer below. I'd never go back to ovens below waist height. Being able to see what's going on in the oven without getting down on my knees is a huge improvement. Then again, I'm of an age where AARP is actively soliciting me as a member -- which may have something to do with my point of view.

That being said, you should go with whatever appeals to you. If whatever you do is more than a couple of years old when you decide to sell, any potential buyer won't be thinking in terms of what's there. They'll be thinking about how they can remodel to suit their desires. The only time it makes sense to think in terms of resale value is when you're remodeling IMMEDIATELY before putting the place up for sale.

The style of your house may help you decide. I feel as though our black 48" range is a good fit for our old farmhouse. I love it and have no trouble seeing into the oven---the line of site is good when I take a step back.

Since there are really only 2 choices (that I know of)--wall ovens or range, you can't go wrong. The pendulum will swing back and forth. Since wall ovens have been very popular for a while now I think there is probably more interest in ranges than there had been 5 years ago. Which means in another 5 or 10 years the ranges will become ho hum and the wall ovens will be all the rage again. Neither will ever be out or dated. Either you'll be "in" or "ahead of your time/cutting edge" depending on where the pendulum happens to be in its swing.

Each set up has its pluses and minuses. Go with what YOU want and don't try to second guess what others will want because probably half the people viewing your house will prefer wall ovens and the other half will prefer ranges.

I am much happier with my range than I was with the wall ovens/cooktop. I am short, so the area above the oven was Siberia (plus it had a duct pipe in it that made even more useless), and I never used the drawer below the oven. By just changing the layout on one wall from wall ovens plus cooktop to range, I've ended up with a bigger oven and vastly more space. That's just my opinion, and Rhome and the others have some very good reasons for their opinions.

I am getting rid of my range and putting getting a separate oven.

To me a continuous counter and not need to worry about crumbs and spills between the range and counter is a good thing. Whatever the trend is, I think most people can enjoy that.

Another one for "ranges all my life, now cooktop + double wall ovens...never looking back!"

For all the reasons RHome410 stated...

As to a Warming Drawer (is that what you mean by "Warming Tray"?)...unless your oven is quite close to your cooktop/range, don't put it under the oven. The majority of people here who actually use their warming drawers are those who put them near the cooktop/range. You don't want to have to walk across the kitchen to get to it...it should be convenient to the cooktop/range. Mine is right next to my cooktop. It looks nice to be stacked w/an oven & MW, but it's usually not very functional.

Range lover here because I like having the broiler under my vent hood when I broil something like fish.

I've had both. I prefer wall ovens but I never broil. Used to burn garlic toast under a broiler on a regular basis but have since switched to using the Pizza Pizzaz for making garlic toast....I digress....

Reasons to prefer wall oven--no stooping/ easy access/ easier to wipe up the incidental bubble over the day after you put it thru the clean cycle... Seamless continual counter surface--Don't have to drag the range out (and mar up the floor) to clean the ick that collects down the sides of the cab & cooker.

The old (primary) reason for separate units was so you could have gas burners & an electric oven. Mute point w/ the intro of dual fuel ranges.

Another reason--If only the oven is problematic & costs more to repair than it's worth, replacing just the oven should cost less than having to buy a whole new range. Problem with that is finding one that will fit in the space.

Reason to go w/ range--Costs less than separate units. Also, aesthetics if you're going for a period look....although I'll argue that wall ovens go back (at least) to the colonial oven in the fireplace wall. ;)

Another reason to go with the range is the cost of cabinetry & the need for an 'oven cabinet' with a split setup.

While more costly I assume, I have seen two single wall ovens placed side-by-side under a counter. This allowed for an open counter, but this doesn't eliminate the bending down issue.

Your kitchen is just that - YOUR kitchen. Get what you need to cook for you and your family.

Most of the pros & cons have been covered above -

I really wanted cooktop & 1 wall oven in our kit reno -
But when we tried to work that config in our design I lost too much precious counter space and the cost of the cabintery to house wall oven & below cooktop prohibited us from doing so.

As above, it's your kitchen - take into acct
- Size of kit : is their room for this config - does it allow enough counter room where needed -*in my design I would have lost counter to left of cooktop
- The way you cook : will you utilize 2 ovens
- Cabinetry - below cooktop & to house wall ovens

Good luck

Look, I've been a kitchen design junkie for decades, and that's the first I have ever heard of wall ovens vs ranges being a 'trend'. That's nuts. What's next? The refrigerator? "The trend now is about root cellers and buying fresh. Fridge drawers and a wine cooler is the thing." (Hmmm. I might like that actually...)

The oven choice is all about your space and your cooking preferences.

We've always had very small kitchens and we've always had ranges. But every time I cook in a kitchen with a wall oven it's so nice that I go back home and look for something I've overlooked in the design that would allow room for a wall oven. So far I've been unsuccessful :-(

Wow, alot of opinions. And after reading them I've made up my mind. I am going to ignore the cabinet guy's opinions (except for cabinet related stuff) and get a double wall oven. I have a medium sized kitchen and I am putting in an island so I think it will work out space-wise. I have a wall oven now and like it just fine. THANKS!

Celticmom,
According to the New York Times, Root cellars are the in thing in the Northeast! Who knew?
As others have said, the way you use your kitchen should dictate what you put in it. I personally love wall ovens and will never use a range. I hate bending over and I love my Gaggenau too much to not use it. I am no where near the age of AARP membership but I still don't like bending.

Good luck!