42 inch fridge, gas cooktop no stove under neath. I guess by high performing I mean that will handle a lot of wear and tear well. We love to cook and bake and so something that would hold up over time.

Why gas and not induction?

I would recommend spending some time reading Houzz's Appliances board then come back with more specific questions. There is a wealth of info in that section and much discussion already exists.

You may want to re-examine your budget. A stainless SZ 42" will be like $13K installed after taxes alone....

High end appliances alone will have their lemons. We just moved in and the SZ we bought the freezer section doesn't work and the Bluestar range (apparently) needs a new regulator. Add to the fact that we haven't learned how to work the Meile CSO, we've back to using the microwave even with $25-30K in appliances... lol!

SZ is replacing the entire fridge. BS on the other hand I'm a little disappointed with their CS. A lot of hoops to jump through, blaming the plumber, before they agreed to send out a regulator.

You don’t need them all to be one brand. If, e.g., you have your heart set on the SZ, you can buy your cooktop and double ovens from a more moderately priced company.

Dont forget the hood. People seem to overlook the hood when they budget. I don’t understand why. Or, they are OK with spending $10k on a range but want the cheapest hood they can find. That never works out well.

Decide what features and styles you want, that suit your personal style and use. Do you want more than 4 burners on your stove? Are you sure you want gas, or have you considered induction? Do you want a freestanding or built in fridge? Do you want both to be electric ovens, or include a combo-steam oven? You didn't mention a dishwasher -- do you want to include one of those too? Do you want a French door opening oven? A French door fridge?

I'd suggest you first look at the functions you need and want, then worry about brands.

Consider a wall oven plus induction cooktop. There's a number of advantages. No bending over, when the oven door is open, it takes up less space, Induction is far more efficient and keeps the kitchen cooler. Induction is also easier to clean, heats up much faster, and no harmful gas fumes. Having two appliances rather than one means that should one break, you can still use the other. Also you can get the best of both. A range is a multi-purpose appliance, and so one part will be inferior to the other because they have to keep within a price range. For my $15K, I got:

-. Bluestar electric wall oven

- Wolf induction cooktop

- Rachiele 42" copper sink

- Miele dishwasher

- Vent a Hood

With the change:

Tabeco baking table

KoMo XL Plus grain mill

Ankarsrum mixer

I did not replace the refrigerator during the remodel.