A Breakdown of the Top Luxury Appliances
With so many top-rated appliance brands out there, it can be difficult to navigate the market when making a purchase. Whether you’re simply looking to upgrade your kitchen to benefit your own culinary endeavors or are considering appliances that may add resale value to your home, below you’ll find highlights from Yale Appliance’s guide, to help you along the way.
A key consideration to keep in mind as you begin to search for appliances is that luxury isn’t just about price, it’s about function and style. Many of the brands outlined below focus primarily on refrigeration and/or cooking and offer a range of options, including speed and steam ovens, refrigeration and wine storage solutions, microwaves, and more. Yale Appliance has estimated the cost to furnish a kitchen using the following brands, which is based on “a 48-inch range, a 48-inch professional refrigerator (or 2 integrated adding to 48 inches), a dishwasher, and a hood.” Pricing, of course, varies by selection.
Viking
As a pioneer in U.S. professional range ovens since the late 1980s, Viking has built a strong reputation in cooking solutions, which has been bolstered by impressive marketing and design. They continue to explore new solutions for consumers, the most recent of which is a Tuscany range, a more affordable option that is comparable to La Cornue range ovens. They have an impressive selection of stainless steel cooking options and they’ve recently upgraded their systems with better BTUs.
Viking’s strength comes through its cooking capacities, but Yale Appliance says to be wary of the dishwasher and refrigeration options.
Estimated Viking Kitchen Cost: $21,000 to $25,000
Thermador
Since entering the market 75 years ago, Thermador has established itself as a favorite among homeowners, a reputation that has only grown deeper since it was purchased by Bosch in the late 1990s. Known for their high-quality refrigerators, Thermador also has excellent cooking solutions including wall, induction and range ovens. They are one of few luxury brands that are working with smart, wi-fi enabled devices and they recently introduced a dishwasher that cleans and dries a load in as little as 20 minutes.
Thermador’s strength comes in is refrigeration, cooking and induction options. A weak point is the technology of their convection wall ovens, however this is improving.
Estimated Thermador Kitchen Cost: $17,000 to $22,000.
Gaggenau
Also owned by Bosch, Gaggenau has been a staple in luxurious appliances since the 1680s and is regarded for their technological advancements and style. As Yale Appliance notes, “Gaggenau has had a convection steam oven long before Miele, Thermador and Wolf, and it is still the best and most versatile.” All of Gaggenau’s pieces are of an industrial aesthetic, which lends itself to a unique kitchen look. Though their products function better than most other brands, there is a learning curve for use.
Gaggenau’s strength comes in their style and quality. Their weakness is in the limited range of designs and in the non-intuitive nature of product use.
Estimated Gaggenau Kitchen Cost: $30,000+
Miele
Many of Miele’s products—including their coffee systems, wall ovens, dishwashers and laundry solutions—are regarded for their reliability. They have also worked on simplifying cooking, with a M touch series that includes built-in cooking times based on the user’s input.
Miele’s strength lies in their cooking, dishwashers and laundry, however the strictly modern style and small hood size leave something to be desired.
Estimated Miele Kitchen Cost: $23,000 to $30,000
Sub-Zero/Wolf
Probably one of the better-known brands, Sub-Zero refrigerators offer “2-compressor performance, air scrubber, vacuum seal, and water purifier all maintaining food fresher and longer.” Fifteen years ago, Sub-Zero purchased Wolf and introduced a double convection technology per burner on their ranges. In terms of refrigeration, Sub-Zero reigns all and serves as an industry standard in excellence.
Sub-Zero/Wolf receive high marks for their refrigerators and cooking. According to Yale Appliance, however, the all gas pro could better serve users in its output.
Estimated Sub-Zero/Wolf Kitchen Cost: $24,000 to $35,000
For local Seattle-Bellevue appliance assistance, contact Mark Wiltse with customer service at Metropolitan Appliance, 206-623-8811 | Mark@mark@metropolitanappliance.com.