Buying an appliance package for your kitchen is not a straightforward as you may think. Sure, most packages include the essentials – a spacious fridge, a powerful range, and an efficient dishwasher that will all serve their purposes well enough. However, there are plenty of other considerations such as style coordination, space considerations, harmonized functionality, and so much more that can make your next kitchen appliance package the best decision you’ve ever made – if you know what to look for.
At Appliance Palace, we want you to be certain that the appliances you choose will live up to your expectations before you buy them. So we’ve picked our experts’ brains to learn everything our customers should know about purchasing a kitchen package before browsing our vast inventory of high-quality appliances. That way, you’ll be able to quickly and efficiently narrow down your search to the features and functions you need – or didn’t know that you needed.
Why Should I Buy a Kitchen Package?
Renovating a kitchen can be a time-consuming, costly, and stressful job. Kitchen packages provide you with pre-assembled appliance combinations that alleviate some of that stress in numerous ways.
- Gifts, Rebates, and Other Savings: Most high-end appliance manufacturers and their retailers will offer financial incentives for purchasing individual appliances as part of a package set. This can include cash rebates in the thousands, gift cards towards future purchases, free cookware sets, and even free major appliances from select luxury brands.
- Unified Kitchen Aesthetic: Retailers will often bundle appliances of a similar make to match one another’s appearances to visually harmonize. We break this down further in “Harmonizing Your Package with Cabinetry” and “Choosing Appliances That Harmonize with Each Another” below.
- Increased Home Resale Value: If you’re renovating a home for resale, an entire suite of new appliances can jump your asking price by a few thousand dollars when you consider buyers’ psychology. Even if your cabinetry is not brand new, modern stainless steel appliances can make the space feel refreshed without gutting the entire kitchen.
Consider Your Space
Not every package is a fit for every kitchen. You have to consider what is possible for the kitchen area you are working with. For instance, a galley kitchen would not be very accommodating to a gigantic fridge column set, no matter how badly you may want one. Let’s go through some basic considerations to ensure the package you choose won’t give you any unexpected problems.
Opt for Standard Sizes
Most appliances are designed to fit a set of standard cutout sizes (24”, 30”, 36”, etc.) to ensure they are easily replaceable without major modifications to your surrounding kitchen layout. However, certain high-end brands may offer, for instance, an unconventional 40” range that requires a larger cutout to be made in your countertops. Once it needs to be replaced, you may have very limited options that will fit neatly in your space without wide, unsightly gaps. We recommend sticking to appliances that match standard measurements to avoid this issue if your heart is not set on alternate sizes.
Slimline vs. High Capacity
Think through your average day and how you intend to use your appliances. Do you like to cook in bulk? You should consider a high-capacity range to cut down on cooking time. Living the bachelor life? A narrow 24” refrigerator may be all you need for your weekly groceries. Would you prefer to have a dishwasher, but only for small loads? Save cabinet space and water usage with a drawer dishwasher that can do run a true half load cycle!
How you use your appliances will be just as important as how they look. Oversized units will needlessly run up your energy costs when using them. On the flip side, undersized units will force you to play Tetris every time you need to find space for a tray of food or a bottle of milk. Take stock of how you utilize space in the appliances you currently own before deciding on an optimal width for every piece in your ideal kitchen package.
Freestanding Flexibility vs. Built-In Cohesion
Appliances are installed in one of two ways: freestanding and built-in. Freestanding installation types allow you to place an appliance anywhere in your kitchen with the proper electrical hookups. Their simpler and more easily replaceable designs make them a more affordable option for most consumers. On the flip side, built-in types enable a seamless kitchen aesthetic thanks to their gapless designs. These can require professional carpentry, plumbing, and electrician services to install. Since they are a permanent part of your kitchen, built-in appliances are constructed with premium-grade components to ensure longevity exceeding the lifespan of freestanding units, which is why they run at a higher price point.
If you frequently remodel your kitchen, freestanding units may be the best option thanks to their affordability. However, if you intend for your appliances to be long-lasting fixtures in your home, built-in units are worth the additional investment.
Door Opening Direction and Clearance
Regardless of what appliance configurations you prefer, ensure the space around your unit will not inhibit its usability. Narrow walkways may not allow a dishwasher’s door to drop down fully, and an adjacent wall can prevent your fridge’s door from opening all the way to the side, just to cite two common problems. If you’re working with a tighter kitchen space, opt for drawer style appliances. Drawer microwaves and dishwashers, for instance, have slide-out designs that open from the top, allowing you to easily load and unload them from their sides.
Harmonizing Your Package with Cabinetry
Part of creating a unified kitchen aesthetic is ensuring your appliances do not simply match one another, but also the surrounding cabinetry they are framed by. Here are some considerations to help you decide which appliance packages are best suited for the interplay of design elements in your home.
- Material Accents: Kitchen cabinets have knobs and handles that can come in a variety of materials that harmonize with different appliance finish types. If you have metallic knobs, stainless steel appliances would coordinate well. Matte hardware in neutral colors, as another example, could be paired with appliances in slate gray, matte white, or matte black finishes.
- Hardware Shape: In addition to materials, hardware shape can also be a harmonizing element with your appliances. Thin cabinet grips can pair well with appliances that have slimline door handles or no handles at all. Long, tubular, polished drawer handles will go nicely with pro-style appliances and their large metallic grips.
- Glass Tones: Cabinetry can have glass windows that differ in shading from the darker glass on ovens, microwaves, and even some refrigerator doors. When picking your appliances, compare their glass shades to the ones in your kitchen so they do not excessively contrast one another.
- Panel Ready Integration: Luxury-grade refrigerators, dishwashers, beverage centers, ice makers, and other major appliances often have “panel ready” options. “Panel ready” refers to equipping the exterior of these appliances with custom panels that match surrounding cabinetry. This lets you integrate them seamlessly into your kitchen and make it feel less like a workspace. You can also have custom appliance handles that match your cabinets and drawers’ hardware!
Choosing Appliances That Harmonize with Each Other
When choosing a set of appliances to bundle, it is important to consider both how they look and how they function together to ensure their harmony is not just what we like to call “finish-deep.” Here are some key indicators that your appliance combinations will work well together.
Appliances with the Same Trim Options
Select luxury brands like ILVE and Café equip each of their appliances’ finish options with a custom trim for their handles, knobs, and door frames. Not only does this coordinate the look of your appliances with one another, but it can also harmonize their appearance with cabinet hardware, even if their primary finish colors contrast.
Appliances from the Same Brand and Series
One of the easiest ways to ensure your bundled appliances will harmonize with one another is to buy them all from the same brand. Manufacturers will ensure their kitchen suites have similar shapes, finishes, handle styles, and control displays amongst other design elements by default. Oftentimes, manufacturers will also create a unique set of SKUs most often referred to as a “Collection” or “Series.” These will have a premium design element(s) that distinguishes them from the rest of the brands’ offerings, and it is recommended that they be bought together instead of mixed with standard appliances from the brand.
Appliances That Functionally Harmonize
The way your appliances execute their intended functions in coordination with one another will also dramatically affect your satisfaction after purchase. For instance, a range hood should always match or exceed the width of a cooktop to ensure efficient air capture. Going further, cooktops and range hoods from certain brands can even communicate via Bluetooth to adjust extraction speeds based on the heat output of your burners! Synchronized operation can not only make your daily chores easier – it can also save you money on your utility bills by not overworking your appliances.
Appliances That Connect Over Wi-Fi
The introduction of Wi-Fi connectivity to the appliance market has become one of the greatest benefits for multitaskers, regardless of whether that multitasking is by choice or simply a hectic schedule. When you bundle smart appliances, you unlock a whole new assortment of use applications, including:
- Voice control through smart home managers like Amazon Alexa or Google Nest.
- Remote operation capabilities that let you activate or deactivate appliances from your smartphone (ex. preheating your oven on your way home from the store).
- Update downloads that future-proof your older appliances with the functions and programs of newer models.
- Smartphone notifications that alert you when a program is finished running.
Maintenance and Care for Your Kitchen Package
Modern appliances come with many features and functions that can extend their longevity after purchase. Here are some common perks you may want to have in your kitchen appliance package to ensure your complete satisfaction.
- Fingerprint and Smudge Resistant Finishes: Search for packages from brands that have finishes with special properties that resist dirt, grime, and staining from everyday use. Appliances with these protective coating need no more than a microfiber cloth to wipes away smudges – no harsh chemical required.
- Self-Cleaning Modes: Select major appliances like ranges have self-cleaning modes that can efficiently preserve the integrity of their inner compartments without tedious scrubbing. This allows you to clean them more often and extend their lifespan with less hassle.
- Remote Diagnostics: Smart appliances often have remote diagnostic capabilities which allow the manufacturer to communicate directly with the appliance over Wi-Fi to troubleshoot issues. If the issue is solved on their end, you could save yourself an expensive service call.