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The Editor :
December 2006
Do All Appliances Have to Match?
Question: "My wife
and I are about to pull the trigger on a new double oven, 30" gas cooktop and new microhood. We recently bought a new KitchenAid
dishwasher and refrigerator. We chose white because we have a
19-month-old son and didn't want to constantly clean his fingerprints.
We are torn on the new items. We both like the look of stainless and
would prefer to have the stainless double oven. I think that is the only
item we should do in stainless and have all other items in white. I hate
the idea of cleaning a stainless cooktop, and the microhood above it
should match. My wife thinks we should either go all stainless and
convert the face of the dishwasher or go all white. It's not world war
over here, but we are divided. Do all appliances have to match?"
White and stainless steel appliances can be
used
in the same kitchen.
Answer: No, all appliances don't have to match. But do they
usually? Yes. Most people just aren't comfortable mixing colors and
finishes without the help of a designer. And if they try something a
little different and then decide they don't like it, repainting the
walls or replacing window treatments is cheaper than buying new
appliances.
If you're up for bucking the norm, white and stainless steel are both
neutral colors, so you don't have to worry about them clashing.
What you should keep in mind is that when one appliance doesn't match
the others, it stands out. You can use this to your advantage and create
a strong focal point: Designers often do this with the cooking area by
choosing a gourmet range or artistic hood with a different style, color
or finish. Few kitchens, however, use the double oven as a focal point.
Bold color makes this
kitchen range a focal point.
"I wouldn't really call attention to the double oven," says Jayme
Neumann. An interior designer by training, she is currently the sales
and promotions manager for Whirlpool Corporation, KitchenAid's parent
company. "If it was a refrigerator or a range/hood, range/vent
combination, I would. The oven doesn't make as much of a statement."
While Neumann says it's "perfectly acceptable" to use a combination of
white and stainless appliances, for most kitchens she doesn't recommend
having just one appliance differ from the rest.
"Depending on where the oven is situated, I'd probably go all white,"
she advises. "It might look funny to just have one appliance be
stainless—like it's an old one or they're replacing their appliances
just one piece at a time."
If the oven is placed away from other appliances in the kitchen,
however, and if it's not set into cabinetry, Neumann suggests that
painting that wall an accent color—in combination with the stainless
steel finish—could create more of an architectural statement.
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