LOL, the link takes me to a stainless steel range on a stainless steel page background 
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- Edit 1Before modification by Sareitha Sedai at 08/10/2010 08:38:13 PM
Okay, this will probably be the most boring thread ever, but I seem to lack the ability to make up my own mind on this topic.
So, my partner and I have been looking at pretty old houses and found one that we are now trying to buy. It's in good shape, except for the kitchen.
Perfect!
To me this is fabulous, because it means I get to design my own beautiful dream kitchen (that we can't possibly afford for at least five more years and maybe not even then. shhh! It's the design part that I love, anyway).
We did that too. We did an intermediate step where we stripped the old wallpaper and re-painted the walls and cabinets, but we're going to gut it and build our dream kitchen in 5 or so years.
My problem is that most kitchen inspiration looks the same these days. Everyone wants cherry cabinets, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances.
Oh, those appliances.
Yeah.
Why are they so popular?! Why does everyone HAVE to have them?
Because people are lemmings. Also because stainless steel is the most expensive option, and if it costs more it must be better!
I get that they look GORGEOUS and gleaming and shiny and modern in certain kitchens. But not every kitchen. The one I have in mind is very simple, warm, and cozy. So to go and throw in an element of steel... I don't know that it would work.
Plus, I've worked in some of those restaurant kitchens that inspired the whole look to begin with. And I know how much of a pain they are to keep gorgeous. Every Tuesday night, crawling around and inside appliances wielding the stainless cleaner...
Well, they are working on that. But yeah.
Memories.
But what are the alternatives?
(Here's the survey part.)
1. What kind of appliances do you have in your kitchen?
We have a black floating glass double oven, a black ceramic cooktop, and a recently-replaced black top-freezer refrigerator.
2. How do you feel about them?
Love the oven, like the look of the cooktop but would prefer gas, like how cheap the fridge was
3. How would your dream kitchen be equipped? (If you are the type who thinks about these things, I'd be happy to hear about the whole picture, not just the appliances.)
Gas Jenn-Air cooktop with the grill and griddle and such, side-by-side fridge/freezer with ice and water through the door, double oven, ceramic floor tile. These are must-haves.
4. Do you think white can ever look good? (I'm thinking of some floating glass appliances I've seen... link at bottom.)
Sure. Clean and elegant.
5. Which do you consider more important in home design: resale value, or personal tastes/comfort? Would it change if you were planning to sell about 10 years down the line?
My hubby and I both think that personal tastes/comfort are more important in the home we're going to live in
Now if it's personal taste to the detriment of resale (crazy colors or something) we would do our best to undo it before putting the house on the market to maximize our potential buyer pool.6. Are there any home design fads you really hate?
There are a lot of them actually
The uni-kitchen is among them. I also hate faux-finished walls, mostly because they suck to paint over. And all the hideous wallpaper from the 70's that does NOT want to come off the walls nicely. 7. Any you love?
I like high ceilings, big bathtubs, open concept floorplans, and heated floors.
8. Have you ever liked something, then pulled away from it just because it was a fad?
Sure.
9. What do you think is going to be labeled the "'00s" look in a few decades?
No clue.
10. What's your favorite feature of your kitchen?
I have insane amounts of cabinet and countertop space. LOVE.