We have 2 Miele Excella dishwashers, one on each side of our sink.

As you can see, they are flush with the rest of our cabinetry. Miele has a light that shines upward when in operation, & this appears as a red glow between the door & countertop. I really worried about not being able to see the controls, but our previous DWs didn't give us much feedback, and it just hasn't been an issue. Because we have 2, we do "mark" the one in use with a dishtowel so family members know which one to open without having to look for the glow, since our Mieles are so quiet. You can set the DW to beep when finished.

gizmo - those look great, and there really is no depth difference! Do you know the size of your panels? Were they 5/8 inch panels?

There's panel ready and panel ready. Some are meant to look like dishwashers but have your decor instead of factory chosen. Other's are "integrated" like Gizmonike's. Some are half way between.

The merely built in ones can have doors which are flush with the cabinetry, or which protrude slightly, depending on the design and installation.

All integrated ones are supposed to be flush with the cabinetry, and if they aren't then there is a problem with the installation.

There are spec sheets and installation instructions online (pdf's) for most of the major names at their websites. Some of the online merchants have them as well. They make it easy to learn what all is involved in the installation even if the actual work will be done by pros.

bump

I'm thinking of a fully integrated DW that has a wood cabinet face installed on the front, to blend in with the cabs.

Anyone else have any info on panel ready DWs?

Thanks:)

I recently installed a panel-ready (or is it integrated?) FP dish drawer DW. Haven't gotten around to the remodel yet so went panelless for a while, but finally decided I needed real handles as this remodel is being a bit slow. We installed $2 Ikea cabinet doors on it and if the rest of my kitchen were also $2 Ikea cabinets, you'd never know where the DW was.

You DO need proper installation of the DW as well as the panels to make the DW fit in, but when it's in, it's in and you'll be happy. (Drawers do require a tiny control panel on the front, but normal DWs can have the entire control panel concealed.)

Overlay cabinets are easier to get an integrated look than inset, but nothing a good cabinet installer can't handle.

We got a Thermador one (made by Bosch, but a lot less expensive) and are very happy with it!

{{!gwi}}

Thanks - rochelle, can you tell me the mfr # of the Thermador? Thanks!

anyone else? bump!

The link below points to the Thermador page for the dishwasher we got.

We're happy with it overall. It was significantly less expensive than the roughly equivalent Bosch. We weren't particularly picky about the interior features, we were really going for the integrated look and ease of use.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermador integrated dishwasher

I've got a Miele and it looks great. I have the kind where the control panel is stainless and the rest is cabinet. Its totally flush with the other cabinets - if it didn't have the control panel it would look like any other cabinet. They even included spacers and such so you could be sure to line up the panels with your others.

One thing you might not think about is you DO need the toekick to be cut seperate for your dishwasher... if you used one continuous toekick you would not be able to get your dishwasher out if it needed repair. Don't worry - it doesn't look bad :) (I'll have pictures up in the next couple weeks.. just putting in some final trim peices etc)

I have a Kitchen Aid DW with a panel that matchs the cabinets that needs to be replaced. Do I have to buy another Kitchen Aid DW or can I use my existing panel on another DW brand.