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Critique of appliance plan?

K Liu
9 years ago

Hi, I'm new posting here. I've been looking all around as we plan our new house (under construction).

I have 3 boys (all under 10 right now) and a husband...so thinking ahead to 4 men in the house!

I have a pretty large kitchen and this is what I'm considering...

Lacanche sully range (thinking of blue)...this is my dream range. Well...mostly. My husband won't go for the price of a real La Cornue :)

Miele wall ovens...combi steam, speed oven, warming drawer (s). We definitely use our warming drawer, so will have one or two no matter what.

Integrated 36 in Subzero all fridge and all freezer units (possibly 30 in freezer)

2 Miele dishwashers (not sure which yet)

Subzero RF/F drawers in coffee/beverage center

So...1...I really need a lot of fridge and freezer space living with all these boys :) Does it make sense to do it this way? My interior designer seems to have a huge aversion to the big fridge/freezer and wants to split into drawers in different areas, but that seems like a pain to me...what do you think?

How about the brand? Few choices for these huge fridge/freezers but is a different one more reliable or useful? Certainly not averse if it's a little less expensive ;)

Does the number of ovens seem crazy? I'm honestly not a big cook (too busy with 3 athletic kids in the house), but do like to entertain and then end up with a few cooks in the kitchen and I enjoy cooking when I have time. So when we cook, we really cook. And when we don't...it's quiet.

We have 2 sinks...thinking like a prep sink and a cleanup sink generally. Would you put one DW near each sink or put them both in the island with the cleanup sink?

We are definitely going with a special/unique look for our area. Leaning towards a European/french country fusion type of home.

Thanks for any help :) I'm open to any and all suggestions/criticisms/etc :)

Comments (6)

  • hvtech42
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My interior designer seems to have a huge aversion to the big fridge/freezer and wants to split into drawers in different areas, but that seems like a pain to me...what do you think?

    Have you asked why they feel this way? That sounds like a pain to me as well. I'd never be able to find anything!

    Whether it's too many ovens or not really depends on you... Steam ovens and (to a lesser degree) speed ovens have learning curves. Are you going to have the time/interest to read the documentation/cookbooks carefully and do some experimentation to ensure that you take full advantage of these tools? I ask because most people I know would not have the time and energy to do that, especially if they're busy. It would be a shame to spend all that money for something that sits unused, or used for only its most basic functions (which could be obtained from other appliances). However, if you're adventurous and think you'd appreciate the versatility of all these ovens... go for it!

    Otherwise... All the appliances you listed are pretty much top quality picks in their respective categories. Clearly you did your research.

  • plllog
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ask your interior designer how much she cooks every day and how many people she's feeding. Splitting into drawers in different areas makes as little sense as you think it does. I couldn't fit the 36" units, so have 30" Miele columns plus a 24" drawer fridge. I wanted the drawers in the prep area anyway, and it works as planned for having prep items where I want them, and serving the stove (e.g., butter). It also serves when I'm serving hordes as main storage. I sometimes have to rearrange everything depending on its state of preparedness and container. The prep area is just around the corner of a small island from the main fridge, so it's not a big issue, but it makes no sense to do it if you have room for a big fridge.

    Point of use does make sense for auxiliary fridges if they improve access, traffic patterns, etc. Some people have the breakfast room away from the kitchen, and it makes sense to put orange juice, milk, snacks, butter, jam, coffee fixings, etc., at point of use. Others have a snack center with a small fridge in the family room, with fruit, sodas, beer, maybe sandwich trays pre-made before poker or something.

    Plenty, like me, have prep drawers. When I'm putting away vegetables, the roots, and ones that need to be prepped and cooked go in the drawers. The salad veg, fruit, etc., go in the main fridge. Some people have drawers in a coffee center or bar. Some have a small fridge in the master. Lots of people have them in their outdoor kitchens.

    Refrigeration is great!! It's one of the best preservatives out there. But can you imagine having drawers in the breakfast room, master, bar, outdoor bar, and game room, and sending the kids running between them all, shouting to them, "I know I bought more milk than this!! Find it!! Find it!! Or there will be no cake for anybody!!"

    Secondary refrigeration belongs where it will add to your enjoyment of the home, not where it'll make you nuts. People don't even like having to open two doors on a French door fridge! Even if you had a bunch of drawer fridges all in your kitchen, why would you want to be opening them all looking for something?

    A lot of designers want to do what looks cool rather than what works best. Yours may just think having a bunch of drawers would be cool, and it would look better than having a big tall blob of coolers (you can separate the fridge and freezer if you want to limit that part). You have a generous enough budget that the designer may be pushing for it just because you have sufficient money to do it.

    Stick to your guns. When your boys are older, I hope you'll have an overflow fridge in the garage too. Boys eat!

    SubZero is great. I think Miele is just as good for integrated, and I like the way the hinges work to make them open wide. Perlick is a good competitor for drawers.

    I have a combi-steam (Gaggenau), speed oven (Advantium) and warming drawer (panelled!). When I entertain, they, and my full sized oven (Gagg 30") are all in use, as are 3-4 burners. It's true that there is a learning curve on the speed oven, but start with some easy recipes and learn what works, and you'll be really glad when you have 45 min. at home between carpool and baseball practice, and your children are grey with hunger. Re the Cornue, a Chateau takes up a lot of real estate, and you still are limited by what will fit in the vaulted oven. The Sully has the two full sized ovens, right? Those will be very useful for cookies for school/scouts, big roasts and big parties, etc. If it's the smaller ovens, I'd advise you to look again and see about getting a big oven. You probably don't need four small ovens, though you could probably split anything too big and do half in each if the range has small ones. :)

    Organization advice from friends with two dishwashers--put them together. Best is either side of the clean up sink. Good is both on one side, or even one to the side and one behind across the aisle (so long as the doors don't hit each other). Lots of people have tried point of use, but there really is no such thing. Saying this is for pots and prep and that is for tableware is fine in theory, but doesn't actually work out in use, and having them separated means a lot of running back and forth trying to fit this and that, or put things back in their supposed to go place.

    OTOH, it's useful to have a little dish soap at the prep sink so you can clean a knife or prep bowl without taking it to the clean up sink. That's for when you're cleaning and then using again.

    If you do your kitchen right, and if the work flow is well thought out, you'll find it's much easier to cook. I highly recommend posting in the Kitchens forum and seeing if you can get some help with the floorplan. If you don't get a good response, bump your post and/or post again. Designers are notoriously bad at kitchens, and the Kitchens forum is good.

  • Pinebaron
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A second full size deep kitchen refrigerator is a must for us, since we entertain a lot. In our new home design I'm architecting, I agreed to place the second conventional full size side by side refrigerator (currently in our garage) at the far end of the new home pantry since the garage will be at the other extreme end of the home. Kitchen will have counter depth refrigeration.

  • HomeChef59
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You have engaged an interior designer. You need to query them about their kitchen experience. You may get a great looking kitchen that does not function well. Good kitchen design is a specific craft. Post your preliminary plans in the kitchen forum. You will get great feedback from both professionals and home owners with a wide range of experience.

    If you decide on a warming drawer, place it right below the counter. Don't put it in the bottom of a stack of ovens. You won't use it. Don't split up the dishwashers. Keep them near the clean up area.

    I'm a big proponent of generous pantries. Extra refrigeration and freezer storage works well in pantries. It's cost effective, too. Subzero is wonderful.

    Even the highest budget designs involve compromise.

  • rococogurl
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our DD had those big all-fridge, all freezer SZ unites and really needed them with 3 under 7 and entertaining large groups. Those look to be a great choice. You might have some savings with Miele units also excellent, worth a look.

    Those plus a set of fridge drawers in beverage area should work. I might consider another set of fridge drawers somewhere in a prep space but I would not give up the big frig-freezer units. Your deco is wrong (and likely doesn't cook). It would be a big mistake.

    With a Sully plus warming drawers, speed and steam ovens it looks to me like you're set. Nice plan, fully loaded.

  • PRO
    Deck The Halls
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I also have a big family and entertain often. Both my husband and I love to cook, we cook most meals from scratch every week. Most of our children also enjoy cooking or baking. I originally thought I needed 3-4 ovens. But, after mentally going through what we cook on a daily basis, I realized we use our stove much more than the ovens. So for me, a large range was more important than a lot of ovens.

    I am also going with a Lacanche range. I've ordered the Cluny 1400 that includes a warming drawer because this range will give me the extra burners and range space that I will use daily. I will also use the warming drawer frequently as a slow cooker, in addition to using it to keep food warm. I like how the smaller ovens heat and cook food and from my experience cook better than the American stoves I've had in my kitchens.

    The Sully is a great range, I also considered it with a warming oven. But, due to the size, there were some issues with the range hood and fan requirements that caused me to go with the smaller unit.

    I did a lot of research on this site and others to come up with my list of preferred appliances. I started the process wanting certain appliance brands, but have learned that some of them didn't the positive reviews or ratings that I had expected.