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OK, first I’m a bit jealous. Sounds like your working on my “dream” kitchen.

When I bought my townhouse three years ago, it was only about 4 years old. The builder must have put in the cheapest “builders grade” GE appliances.

During the home inspection, I found the washing machine was not working and the dryer worked but was “suspect”. The seller gave me a credit to replace them both. A few months after I moved in, the dishwasher had to be replaced and it never did work all that well. I’m waiting for the refrigerator to give up next. I hate if for one thing. It’s a rather small upright with no ice maker and it has grated shelves rather than solid shelves so things like bottles tip over easily and the shelves on the door are not solid molded so the salad dressing and other smaller containers slip out and fall to the floor every time I open the door. That and no matter how I set the temperatures, my salad greens freeze and my ice cream is mushy. Needless to say – I’m not a big GE fan, at least not the ones that came with my house.

I bought the LG, euro-style front loading washer and dryer and I love them, they are both very energy efficient. I am a big fan of the front loading washer. It spins clothes dryer, saving money on drying time and because it doesn’t agitate, clothes don’t wear out as fast. I looked at several different brands and was most impressed with the LG. The Bosch also was impressive but out of my price range.

I replaced the dishwasher with a Whirlpool. It has an extra deep tub (so I can easily fit my big stock pot), a food disposer (in case I don’t pre-rinse, it grinds up and disposes of those nasty “chunks” and doesn’t “glue them back onto your plates and glasses) and it has a delay cycle so I can set it to run late at night when energy costs are lower. It’s very quiet and it works very well. These are good features to have, whatever brand you choose.

My next refrigerator will be a “French Door” type - a side by side on top with the freezer drawer on the bottom. Very energy efficient and much more practical – you access the freezer less than the refrigerator so shouldn’t the refrigerator be at eye level? I’ve not decided on the brand but I might consider an LG based on my good experience with the washer and dryer.

I’ve heard very good things about Jenn Air. I’ve always wanted one myself. My dream kitchen would have a Jenn Air cook top with the grill and griddle and a separate double wall ovens.

Since I live by myself, I don’t cook so much these days and when I do, it’s on the grille, but when I entertain the family and friends during the holidays, I sure would love to have those features.

Heck if I had my “dream” kitchen, I’d probably entertain more often.

My best advice to you is not to be stuck on high end brand names- not that they are bad choices. But think more about the features that are important to you in each appliance and your life style and research what brands offer those features, have a good price and a good reputation for reliability. If your priority is to have all your appliances integrate seamlessly, you might what to consider one single brand for everything. In the end, buy the best you can afford that meets your needs, and that’s not always the most expensive.