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My Final Kitchen Appliance Decision – A Purchase Has Been Made!

I never thought that selecting kitchen appliances would be so darn difficult. But of course, in true Kristi fashion, I think I made it much more difficult than it needed to be. That’s just how I do things. 🙂

Almost since we closed on the house, I’ve been pretty certain that I was going to purchase this 27-inch-wide, counter-depth Summit refrigerator:

27-inch counter depth Summit refrigerator

I spent hours reading reviews on refrigerators, comparing prices, features, etc., and had my heart set on this one. The actual customer reviews were pretty amazing — better than any refrigerator I’ve seen. I loved that it’s counter depth (only 24 inches deep!), and what I loved most about it is the freezer door on bottom.

I’ve looked at countless refrigerators with all the different configurations. I really like the refrigerator on top and the freezer on bottom, but most refrigerators like that have a bottom freezer drawer. I think that would be the most impractical thing ever for Matt. I just can’t see him being able to pull the drawer out and access anything in there, and he wants constant access to ice. So when I saw that this refrigerator had an actual swing-out door on the freezer, that sold me.

The downside? This brand didn’t have matching appliances that I liked. Now I know that lots of people mix and match their appliances and use different brands, but I want all of mine the same. I don’t know why. I just do. 🙂

So in the meantime, I somehow came across this new line of appliances from GE called Artistry.

GE Artistry Series appliances

The refrigerator has the same configuration that I like with the door on bottom. AND…I love the way it looks!! It kind of has that retro look to it.

The only thing that held me back was that it’s not counter depth. If I had a huge kitchen, that wouldn’t be an issue. But I have a small-ish kitchen.

Oh…have I mentioned that I’m no longer planning on expanding the kitchen?! 🙂 Yeah. That’s a recent decision. I just decided that I don’t want to put a lot of money into expanding and remodeling a huge kitchen (especially when it involves taking out a load-bearing wall that was originally an exterior wall) when the kitchen is the one room of the house that I try to spend as little time as possible in. 🙂 Seriously. I’d rather put that money into remodeling/rebuilding the back room (what’s now the sunroom, but will be the utility room and family room).

So while I had planned on expanding the kitchen like this…

I’m now just planning on working with the original kitchen…

house floor plan - keeping original kitchen

And as you can see, that kitchen is 9’9″ x 14’4″. It’s long and narrow, which makes it a challenge. And since every little inch counts, I was really having a hard time giving up the idea of a counter-depth fridge.

I almost decided to just purchase used appliances for now to give me time to shop around more, make more definite decisions about my kitchen design, and save up for all brand new appliances. But the used refrigerators I was finding were either around $200 and really old looking, or they were pretty nice and $400+. It just seemed silly to spend several hundred dollars on a used refrigerator when the two refrigerators I was looking at were $1099 (for the GE Artistry) and $1500 (for the Summit). So after shopping at used appliance stores last week, I abandoned that idea.

So it was down to two. BUT…in the end, the GE Artistry series won out. I showed Matt the two refrigerators and asked his opinion. His response was, “Seriously? Oh come on, Kristi! There’s no question here! This retro looking refrigerator is definitely what you want!” 🙂

He was right. So I just purchased it. In white.

GE-artistry-kitchen-Appliances - white

I’ll get the dishwasher and gas stove as well (we haven’t used a microwave in 10 years, and haven’t owned one in seven years), but I just needed a fridge for now. Like I said, I use the kitchen as little as possible. 🙂 As long as I have something to keep my ice frozen, and keep my almond milk cold for my cereal, I’m good. Sadly it’s on backorder until the 15th of this month, so I have to do a bit more waiting.

I’m so relieved to finally have this decision out of the way. Is appliance shopping this big of a deal for you, or do you find these decision easy to make? I’ve been stressing about this decision for about two months now. Phew! It’s done!

 

 

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41 Comments

  1. Ever since you posted the picture on Facebook, I’ve been drooling over them. So since, like, yesterday lol. But really, we are hoping to get new appliances next summer. So these are the ones I am definitely getting!

  2. Classic, timeless and gorgeous! What else could you want? Trendy looks dated quickly and then you have to live with it or replace it. I don’t think you will get tired of this look. It will go with whatever style/colors you use in your kitchen.

  3. I, too, and very happy you chose the while. With such a small kitchen, the black would have made it feel closed in. I love the vintage look. I was so worried about you taking out that exterior, load-bearing wall, but I knew if anybody could do it you could, possibly using steel beams. Guess you still need a dining room now? If you ever get around to building the floor of the den up level with the rest of the house, you could put a small dining room/breakfast room at the end of the den. But you sure don’t need two doors going from the kitchen into the den. Give yourself more wall space for more cabinets.

  4. I have a hard time making a decision when I know it is going to be very long-term. This would have been tough for me; it is always hard to spend hard-earned money on expensive items. You just don’t want unmet expectations in the end. I am excited to see the kitchen come together.

  5. Wait a minute. You are still wasting room in the former dining room. Why not move that interior kitchen wall over enough to make the dining room just a nice width hallway, and that’ll give you all the room you need for a breakfast room in the kitchen? That would make it quite obvious where the entrance ended and became a hallway.

      1. And it’s best to just use the kitchen the way it is while you work on every other room and the answer will reveal itself to you much later. You can use a tiny, 2-chair table in the kitchen until then. I’m getting excited for the master bedroom to reveal itself. It can be your haven for a while. Matt’s game room and your office should then be the two easiest rooms to complete. But some other project might call you first.

        1. Oops! I tried to reply to your automated email with two pics attached of how I did dad’s faux electric fireplace. (I have the flame turned on today.) Guess you won’t get it. Sorry.

  6. I am probably in the minority here, but I think you are smart to go with the smaller kitchen. I, like you, spend little to no time in the kitchen and a big expensive one is just a lot of unused space. I have a small galley kitchen with one side a bar open to the rest of the house. Even though the kitchen is small (about the same size as yours) it feels huge. Plus, it’s all the space just the two of us need. I guess if you have a gaggle of kids you would need a larger kitchen, but when it’s just two adults, it’s really not necessary. I love that you buck the trends and popular opinions and go with what you really want and need! Hat’s off to you.

    I love the appliances. I have a tiny refrigerator with the freezer on top and I hate it. You’ve found a couple of great options for smaller spaces!

    1. As my mother always says ‘who wants to walk themselves to death in the kitchen cooking?!’

      I have to agree….if I had my dream kitchen, it would be a galley!

  7. Glad you got what you wanted!!!!!! Sometimes mulling over the options, creating a Plan B, etc., helps in the final decision. Plus Matt’s input obviously clinched the decision you ALREADY had in your head!!!

    Now, what color with the kitchen be????? I feel Navy Blue is still calling your name!!!!!!!

  8. Oh, I love that fridge! We have a super tiny kitchen so not sure if anything will fit in there, but I definitely want to look more into this brand! I’m glad you chose white, they said on Apt. Therapy that homeowners may now want to invest in white appliances because that will be the new stainless steel in 10 years.

  9. I love them! I’ve never had issues with white appliances and only have stainless steel because I got a few stainless steel small appliances for my wedding, so when it came time to replace the fridge, it just made sense. I do like my appliances to match 😉
    I love your plan! My kitchen is about the same size as yours and I’m fine with it. I do have a lot of counter space, which is what was annoying about our old appartment’s smaller kitchen. Now, my only real shocker moment came from reading you don’t use a microwave? WOW! haha I use mine on a daily basis. Can’t say I could go without one.

  10. Kristi, another benefit to buying an entire suite of new appliances is that many stores (including HH Gregg and Best Buy) will give you a discount based on your volume purchase, so you may be able to save there. Make sure you ask; they may not always offer. The worst that can happen is that they say no.

  11. Wow! I’ve been thinking of getting that same frig/freezer since Retro Renovation posted about it coming out this fall. PLEASE let us know how you like it, OK? Thanks!

  12. It took me 6 months to find the appliances that I wanted and could afford. I chose appliance from different company’s because not any one company had all of the features that I wanted.
    I have never been sorry for doing so. I got exactly what I wanted at the price I could afford.
    My stove is a dream machine and I got it at a fabulous end of season sale.

  13. Kristi,
    My husband works at Home Depot and he was telling me about this new line of GE appliances. I haven’t gotten to see them yet, so thanks for posting pics. They are awesome. I just wish they came in other colors, like orange! Can’t wait to see it in your kitchen.

  14. Kristi,
    You will be glad that you bought the GE. I have had 2 of them in my adult life, and I know for a fact that they both were and are over 30 years old before they gave out. The first one was one I acquired when I bought my first home, and I knew the owners, so I knew it was an oldie. That one had the freezer on the bottom, which was not on any models anymore when I bought the one that I now have! The current one I now use we bought in 1982. Of course now the freezer on the bottom is once again in style, so I hope that sticks around until my present GE fridge ‘bites the dust’.

  15. Yaaaaay! Refrigerator – check! That series is so cute! Love the retro vibe! Congrats on picking out the appliances! Have you had any luck with the bed design? It’s too bad you cant find a pre-made one that fits all the requirements. GASP! I know, that’s bad diy thinking, but it would allow you to progress and move in. Keep us posted! Hugs, Leena

  16. Love your choice! All I know is I want my next fridge to have a bottom freezer and be white. I never jumped on the stainless steel trend because all I could think of was how often I would have to wipe fingerprints off of it..lol! Definitely will keep this in mind and look forward to seeing yours installed!

  17. I love your choice in appliances and ordering them in bright white gives you a LOT of play with color on your walls, counters and floor. Good choice!

    If you’re happy with a smallish kitchen, go for it! I don’t remember what the configuration is now but I’d go with a galley kitchen and find a place for your breakfast table either in your sunroom or den. That sunroom will have spectacular views of the backyard so why not enjoy it while you eat? Just a thought…

  18. Even working with the original kitchen layout, I can see where you might be able to gain more wall space by closing off one of the doors into the den. OR, depending on where the sink is located, you might could cut a window sized hole in the wall between the two doorways so that you could see into the den while working in the kitchen. My dil has just such a window-sized hole in her kitchen so that she can see the tv over the fireplace in the den from her kitchen sink.

  19. White is a good choice. I don’t know how we got crazy off-track with colors all these decades, because it seems we always loop back to classic white. I like that’s it’s not gigantic. It’ll be a great addition to your kitchen. Nice choice! (Surprised you didn’t give us a picture of the inside, too.)

    You’re making progress!

  20. I agree…shopping for appliances is a really hard thing and must have lots of thought and comparison shopping already done before the final purchase. It is a product which must perform and I for one want it to do as it says it will. This is a big investment for a lot of years as far as I am concerned. And used everyday….except for people who “don’t stay in the kitchen that much”. I think you done good girl!!!

  21. I’m a little confused…aren’t drawers on the bottom supposed to be more ADA-compliant than anything with a swing-out door? With a pull out drawer, yeah you have to put the wheelchair to the side, but you’d have to do that anyway to open a swing out door. At least with a drawer you can pull out all the ccontents, look at them from above and reach whatever you need. And you could be on either side, rather than being opposite where a door swings away (and could get away from you, even, which you’d then have to chase in a wheelchair). With a regular door, how is he going to reach into the back of the freezer? I feel like that would be hard enough for someone not in a wheelchair! Haha.

  22. Hey, Kristi! You can work with that refrigerator sticking out past the countertop if you can place it strategically in your kitchen. Say in a far corner. Mine was next to a door into the laundry room and you really couldn’t tell it stuck out. Just don’t put it in a place that it becomes a focal point, like between two cabinets, or the first thing you see when you walk into the kitchen. I don’t know if you’re keeping your old cabinets, and I can’t remember the exact configuration of them, but if you can build around the fridge, you’ll be fine. Here’s to you on your choice. They are perfect. Love the handles, just a clean retro look.

  23. Love the retro look of the appliances you picked Kristi! Glad to hear how you change your plans to really fit your lifestyle and not just go with the more mainstream “bigger is better” approach.

  24. Hi Kristy,
    I love following your blog! And I love that you took and old home to make it new and loved again. DH and I have done this to 4 houses now (currently bringing love to a 113 year old Victorian). We are planning to build a Pole Barn house next. I love the fridge. (I need a new one and you have found it for me!). In regards to a bigger kitchen. I have had a big kitchen, small kitchen and right now NO kitchen. (work in progress) I love to cook and bake. My favorite kitchen was a 10’x15′ very well layed out kitchen. (DH cousin is a Master Cabinet Builder and he did one of my kitchens). It is not the size but the lay out! Your layout looks great. You may find you start to enjoy cooking! Keep the posts coming. I so enjoy your blog.
    Sheila

  25. Hi,
    Everyone seems to like the white kitchen set. I like it too but there was something about the black kitchen set that grabbed my attention. I don’t really know perhaps it is because most guys would generally buy a black kitchen set. It was a hard decision for you and I hope that you will enjoy the kitchen and new appliances when the remodelling is complete.
    Regards
    Vinton

  26. I understand your need to prioritize your spending, but I’d still take out a good portion of that wall. I’d put the refrigerator on the short wall facing the back and the stove to the left of the sink. This arrangement would leave room for an island with seating and wouldn’t feel so claustrophobic. It would also allow you to achieve your original desire in the future more easily, with less mess in the furnished home and possibly less costly too (costs will only increase in the future). Just my opinion. 😉

  27. Oh! and I think that back wall would be wonderful used as a pantry. Options could be floor to ceiling cabs or a system similar to the one you used for the tv wall in your condo, with 24″ bottoms and 10-12″ tops that go from counter top to ceiling, leaving you will a 10-12″ bit of counter landing space.

  28. Those appliances are GORGEOUS! I love the white with the silver, so classic. I too haven’t owned or used a microwave in 9 years. I can’t wait to see your kitchen with these appliances, I have appliance envy 😉

    1. I absolutely love my fridge. I think you just have to have reasonable expectations. I mean, if you purchase a $1000 fridge, then you can’t expect a $3000 fridge. Know what I mean? 🙂 But I love it. The freezer does feel a bit small, so we’ll probably get a freezer and stick in the garage eventually. That way, we’ll just keep things we use regularly inside, and keep the longer lasting stuff in the garage. The fridge seems quite spacious to me. Overall, I’m very pleased with it.

  29. Thanks, Kristi! I got mine delivered today. It’s perfect for the price. After lots of research, I happened across your blog and just went with the GE Artistry white. What a relief. It’s normal-sized instead of beast-sized. And just retro enough to work in an 1848 house.