Even though this forum is about mid to upper end kitchen redos, for the most part, it's the rare person who will actually be at your price point. And most who are interested in the French ranges are interested in them because of looks rather than performance. (Which if you are looking at them over a Bluestar, maybe fits you as well?) Perhaps you should hook up with an experienced KD who can guide you through the process, It also never hurts to contact the manufacturer's representative to ask your questions directly. Please do continue to share and post your remodel, as we don't get to vicariously share in many at that level. :)

My thought is, what exactly is the question?

Yes, The nice thing with the Gullo is that you can get matching cabinets to have an entire custom island or even the entire kitchen.

Dear Tahoe-Mom, Officine Gullo definitely has an old world "feel" and is also a powerful beast in the kitchen! I have researched ranges for 5 months and with my Tuscan inspired home I fell in love with this company! You can contact Ricardo in Florida as the company is new to the states. It is a family owned business and was started in the late 1800's. I am currently designing my kitchen and I am spoiling myself with this gorgeous range!

Dear Tahoe Mom et.al., I too am researching French style stoves and was hoping you and or someone else might have some more current input. I had very tentatively decided on a Lacanche, which has very positive reviews, but was a bit concerned on oven size(I'm contemplating the Sully 1800 or 2200). By the way Tahoe Mom, you CAN get a griddle-both the add-on pan (works great, you can easily clean it) and a built in one (big up charge, but possible) in case you still love the Lacanche) and the plancha can function as a griddle as well, but perhaps the size you need won't accommodate this feature).
But tell me more about the Officine Gullo. Anybody know oven dimensions? I went to their web-site and have requested a call, but the info was a bit hard to discern (my Italian is limited LOL!). At least they don't charge $1600 for any other color than black!

Thanks for your comments.
Update: I have actually decided to put the range on the feature wall of my kitchen, so I won't be doing the island. I have found that the maker of La Cornue (Purcell Murray) also makes Gaggenau who has a 15 inch griddle that can be incorporated into the La Cornue as an add-on. They have an example of this in their catalog (La Cornue). BTW, I do have a La Canche in a second home that I love. However, you are very limited on the options for the cooktop. The ovens work beautifully (one gas and one convection), and are not too small even though I am used to 30 Thermador wall ovens. I made a 20 lb.Thanksgiving turkey in the Sully without a problem. If La Canche had more options for the cooktop, I would go with it again.
My main question was: does anyone has experience with the Officine Gullo line as they seem to have many configuration options. Also, does anyone have experience with the Gaggenau 15" griddle. Would I be better off with a tempanyaki as a griddle? I like one that is built-in rather than the pan you put over the burners. I want either a single 24" or 2 15" griddles. That is one reason I was considering the Blue Star - I could get the exact configuration I want for the cooktop. I need that flexibility and function in a range with an old world look that will fit the rest of the house.

My wife and I are redoing our kitchen and initially were drawn to the La Cornue ranges and rotisserie oven.They certainly make a beautiful product. But then we saw the Officine Gullo products and fell in love. Their range tops offer many more configurations than does La cornue. We love the built in pasta steamer option and also love the rotisserie oven.It has a front door whereas the La Cornue rotisserie has an open front which concerned us.We went to the showroom in Miami and had a 2&1/2 hour meeting with Ricardo. He showed us the product line. We were very impressed by the workmanship and beauty of all their products . The matching custom cabinetry allows for a seamless classic kitchen. They put together a kitchen plan within 1 week and we are very pleased with it. The prices are comparative to La Cornue. I think we're gonna go for it. I'll keep you posted once we get the final numbers

Hi rxmitch! I also was able to visit the Miami Officine Gullo showroom while on a trip to the East Coast (I'm on the West Coast-nothing here yet, but I've heard plans are in the works for a showroom out here!). Ricardo was amazingly kind and met us on his day off (I felt so guilty!!)-the only time during our very brief visit that I could meet with him.
I'm also totally smitten with the pasta steamer option (it seems to do several things which is great!) as well as the plancha and french top. The company offers to help with our kitchen design plan, which I'm hoping to be able to do as soon as we settle on exactly where our new kitchen will be in the remodel plans (grr...sigh..).
rxmitch, which type of stove/range are you looking at? I'm probably going to get the Pro line, as the burners on the other model seem rather small for what I need, and the depth is better, but the DH isn't super keen on the fact that the Pro line has burners that either are always on or that you have to light to use (the user has either option).
One of my big concerns is that the pictures show ovens with pretty window doors, but I was told that these weren't available here. At the price they ask, I want to know why, since these are custom made stoves.
Second, I had asked about a light inside the oven and was told over the phone that that could happen, but when I came to the showroom, it seemed like this was a no-go. Was this your experience? Aside from this, the stoves were WAY better made and easier to clean (stuff can go in the dishwasher!) than a La Cornue, and the ovens came in many sizes , colors, and configurations. They were gorgeous and functional beyond belief, and built like tanks. It's my understanding that they make wooden as well as metal cabinets.
On a side note, the Fhiaba refrigerators that they sell are also amazing-I had the chance to see them in person while in New York. Not sure if the "branded" Officine Gullo version is way more expensive, but the "regular" version comes in a little less than a Sub Zero. The convert freezer to frig function is pretty cool, as is the stainless interior.Anybody else have one of these? I'd love some input.

I'd bet the light has to do with either their UL rating not including the oven light or that they have access to only lights that are compatible with euro electricity.

They don't offer induction burners here either, altho they have it as an option on their italian versions. I'd bet that is the same issue - engineered for euro standards but not compatible with US standards.

Pretty sure the glass in oven doors have to do with US consumer product safety requirements. The US sorta of requires triple glass in oven doors with the outer layer (facing the room) in safety glass and the inner layers to insulate the outer layer from shattering. I think it makes the entire door thicker and they may need significant design changes to offer the glass.

PS - I am surely not in this price bracket, but I hope somebody publishes pictures of the actual ranges installed. And writes a cooking review.

Dear bmorepanic, How smart you are! You may have hit the nail on the head! The salesperson said that it was because their ovens are designed to "put things in and cook exactly, sealed"(sort of paraphrasing here). That didn't make a ton of sense to me, as I'm always fiddling with recipes, trying to dehydrate fruits and veggies of assorted thicknesses that don't come out "exactly", and so forth. In short, I cook by feel and experimentation, as well as the usual timed stuff, so having to use a flashlight to view my food's progress seems a bit ridiculous.
I'll make it a point to get more details next time I talk with the salesperson. The ovens ARE amazing and beautiful, but I'm feeling frustrated that for the price of a car (and not a cheapie car either!) that I can't get exactly what my heart desires.
It's my understanding that this is the problem with many of the french style stoves. Anybody have any suggestions? I'm practically selling my soul for the stove of my dreams, so I have to get it right.

HI - my parents and Julia Child had a LaCornue range and a rotisserie. They introduced cabinets a few years ago and a lot of other beautiful things. It's a real work horse in the kitchen. If it's good enough for Julia Child (and my mom's cooking it's good enough for me). :)

Dear Tahoe Mom et al, especially the poster that was going for the Officine Gullo for sure: how did it all turn out??!! I've now finalized most of my remodel plans and am in the shopping seriously for appliances phase. Officine Gullo made the short list-how did iot work out for any of you? oh please post! I need to pick! hugs, laura

According to a 2001 interview published in Food and Wine, Julia Child did own a la Cornue in paris. It was a 1940's version as was the later Garland.

Gullo in London is very badly run. Miami much better.

I recently purchased a complete Officine Gullo kitchen for one of my projects and can I say both me and my clients fall in love with it a little bit more everyday? Yes sure, we first went to them because of to their look, but once we learned more about their almost infinite customization options, the power of their burners & ovens is pretty much impossible to keep comparing them to anybody else. They helped me from beginning to end with the design decisions & installation. My clients are thrilled and they love entertaining in their new kitchen. I can not wait to do another project with them and hopefully my own kitchen soon :)