Reviews of the Best Luxury Kitchen Appliances from Top Interior Designers

Are Luxury Kitchen Appliances Worth the Money?

Luxury kitchen appliances can be an amazing investment! Before we get into the specific product recommendations — and we will — let’s first address how valuable kitchen upgrades are. If you’ve got the budget, or a nice tax return coming your way, investing in a kitchen renovation has the capacity to greatly improve not just your quality of life but your home’s market value. We recently finished this home and detailed in this post about how valuable the return on investment was – nearly doubling what the cost of the home was worth. A lot of that was due in part to some simple kitchen and bath upgrades.

Kitchen Budget Tips:

Invest in the things you won’t replace often: appliances, countertops.
Try refinishing existing cabinets and refreshing with new hardware – sustainable and economical! That’s something we did in the Bel Air Road Project Kitchen, here.
Set aside a hefty contingency, most would recommend at least 15% of your overall budget- to cover delays or unexpected costs that always inevitably come up. Expect your timeline to adjust. Being flexible is imperative – we wrote more about that here.

How Much Value Will a Kitchen Remodel Add to My Home?

Home buyers have newly renovated kitchens at the top of their priority list. But just how nice before you’ve exceeded their expectations with little hope of recouping what you’ve invested into it? The national avg return on investment for a major upscale kitchen remodel is almost 54% compared to 81% for a minor kitchen remodel – so when you’re planning a major kitchen overhaul, factor in also how many years you’re spending in the home or if you’re merely renovating to sell. Read more about budgeting for home remodeling in this post here. And in this post about how to budget for interior design services.

To read our post on designing sustainable kitchen, click the photo.

Now Onto The Main Event: What Are the Best Luxury Kitchen Appliances…

What are the Best Fridges?

Liebherr (www.liebherr-appliances.com), is the leader in green refrigerators and freezers. With a campaign they call Active Green, they were the first to become RoHS compliant and to have the least damaging effect on the environment through responsible manufacturing. They also have a separate compartment system called BioFresh. This technology provides perfect freshness for all types of food and keeps each food group at its optimum temperature and humidity so it lasts longer. This is great for organic foods, which have less preservatives. It keeps them fresh longer, resulting in less food being thrown away. This means less food in the trash and more money in your pocket.
Bosch (www.bosch.com) offers Energy Star rated, highly efficient models. The company has a corporate commitment to low-impact manufacturing and a global management system for environmental issues, which maintains high standards for environmental responsibility in any place they operate.
Whirlpool’s new Resource Saver refrigerator (www.whirlpool.com) exceeds the Energy Star standard by 10 percent and uses the same energy needed to power a 60-watt bulb.
Sub-Zero (www.subzero.com) has been green for over sixty years. They invented dual refrigeration to keep food fresh while using less energy. Even their largest refrigerator uses less energy per month than a 100-watt light bulb. They are built in the U.S. and support organic farmers.
KitchenAid (www.kitchenaid.com) carries a few affordable Energy Star rated models.
Maytag (www.maytag.com) also carries a few affordable Energy Star rated models.

What are the Best Water Filters?

Aquaovo (www.aquaovo.com) has an eco-friendly water solution that incorporates beautiful design. The three-gallon Ovopur has a filter made of quartz, copper, activated carbon, and zinc that rids tap water of 99 percent of harmful metals.
LifeSource (www.lifesourcewater.com) provides entire home systems that use carbon filtering, no salt, and very little energy because the unit is powered by the water pressure. One system can last a family a lifetime.
Advanced Water Filters (www.advancedwaterfilters.com) offers reverse osmosis and filter systems for the entire home, shower, and kitchen faucets. The site has a list of frequently asked questions to help you decide which system is best for your project.

What are the Best Dishwashers on the Market?

Bosch (www.bosch-home.com) has the quietest machines in America and exceeds federal energy standards by 48 percent.The company has a corporate commitment to low-impact manufacturing and a global management system for environmental issues which maintains high standards for environmental responsibility in any place they operate.
All Miele (www.miele.com) products are designed to last twenty years. There is nothing better for the environment than not having to produce, transport, and dispose of products. The machines are made mostly of metal, which is easier to recycle than the cast iron used in other machines. Minimal and recyclable packaging is used. The company has been financing charitable projects since 1974 and is involved in the UN Global Compact and SAI 8000 guidelines, promoting human rights, just working conditions, and environmental protection. They hold their suppliers to these same principals. We can attest: Miele dishwashers are the best!

In addition to being Energy Star rated, Asko (www.asko.com) factories have environmental certification in accordance with ISO 14001. This means that everything is done in the most environmentally friendly way possible. For example, they label for recycling all components in their appliances that weight more than fifty grams.
GE’s (www.Geappliances.com) second generation of its Smart Dispense dishwasher is now using steam to blast baked-on particles, eliminating the need for rinsing before placing items in the dishwasher. This is an enormous leap in water savings. Other dishwashers, including the beloved Miele, claim that dishes don’t need to be rinsed before you place them in the dishwasher, but anyone who has done this knows sometimes the dishes don’t all come out 100 percent clean. Inevitably a few pieces end the cycle with food still on them. GE’s steam cleaning actually works. In addition, it stores an entire forty-seven-ounce bottle of detergent in the machine and dispenses it as needed depending on water hardness, cycle selection, and the soil level of the dishes.
Made in the United States and competitively priced, KitchenAid (www.kitchenaid.com) offers a few Energy Star rated Machines.
Gaggenau (www.gaggenau-usa.com) has an Energy Star certified model, DF 260/261, which provides restaurant-quality cleaning in fifty-nine minutes flat. Its Aqua Sensor technology conserves energy and water by optimizing the temperature, water quantity, and cycle length depending on the load and how badly the dishes are soiled. The automatic detergent function also adjusts to the exact amount needed, eliminating waste.

Luxury Ranges and Other Luxury Kitchen Appliances To Elevate the Kitchen

La Cornue Luxury Kitchen Appliances – They make the Bentley of Luxury Ranges. We were invited to Snaidero for a cooking demonstration on the state of the art range, La Corneu. Not only was the food incredible, but we learned a big difference between Luxury and Premium brands of ranges and what makes La Corneu a great investment.

La Corneu has long been considered the Bentley of residential ranges. The best of the best in terms of performance, quality and stunning design. Some units, like the Chateau Grand Palais 180, cost as much as $60,000! This may seem outrageous to some, but back in the day, appliances were considered a major investment – so much so that people took them with them as they moved from home to home.

Made with solid brass gas burners and a multi functional electric oven and convection oven in one.

Luxury means hand-made with exquisite attention to details. Similar brands like Aga or Gaggenau are also considered luxury, however they might be a bit challenging for the average American home chef which can be frustrating. We were assured that this range is not complicated and anyone working on a La Cornue will have a comfortable and easy cooking experience.

The Making of Luxury Kitchen Appliances

Made in France and distributed here in Los Angeles, La Corneu has responded to the market’s demand and is now offering their version of a high quality range for as low as $7,000. That is comparable to our other favorite Premium brands, such as Miele, Wolf, Bosch or Thermador. At this same price point, why not go for the Bentley?