Appliances
Appliances are one of those things that you need to get introspective about; really think about how you use them, or how little you use them, and be honest in your assessment. If you’re someone who doesn’t cook a lot and just wants your kitchen to really look nice there are more economical options out there for you that can give you a desired look.
That said, if you are someone that cooks a lot, which we do, you will not be disappointed in Miele. There are a few reasons I choose this brand and they focus on both form and function…since form follows function, lets start with that…
48” range & vent hood
The 48” range that Miele puts out is an absolute powerhouse; it has 8 burners (we opted for the 6 burners with griddle model) + there is a full size electric oven with the ability to add bursts of moisture to foods that may need it, and then a smaller speed oven, which is also a microwave (and it doesn’t compromise one thing for the other, they all function at the highest level). And lastly, a warming drawer under the speed oven. The M-touch controls, which is Miele’s name for their touch menu system is super intuitive; intuitive enough where I still haven’t read the instruction manual and I have been able to figure out every cooking setting we have used thus far. They also have a wireless meat thermometer, which I thought was kind of a gimmick, but its awesome; to be able to put the wireless thermometer in with the oven still closed (not wasting energy or slowing pre-heat), and then have the oven recognize it as soon as you put it inside is amazing. It also helps avoid a hand burn when you don’t need to plug anything in inside the oven itself.
Jacey cooked for a dinner party of 8 on New Year’s Eve and she was able to accomplish everything she wanted, with space to spare and cushion on her timing because of the warming drawer. I don’t think I could speak highly enough about the performance of this range. It is simply incredible.
coffee
If there is one thing Jacey and I love, its coffee. No matter how busy we get we make it a point to have coffee together almost every morning…we will wake up a half hour early just to start our day together with a hot cup. So, when I spec’ed in the Miele in wall coffee machine it was a total game changer. If you’re serious about coffee this machine is definitely for you.
Pro Tip: buy an extra bean container, that way you can easily switch out between traditional coffee beans and espresso beans.
We drink a lot of black coffee, but definitely love an espresso, cappuccino or latte, so being able to switch the beans back and forth is really great, and with the milk canister attached you literally push one button and get a perfect beverage every time. We have dialed in our strength preferences, how much coffee we want in the cup, how much milk in each type of drink…the level of customization is super impressive.
And the machine tells you what maintenance is needed when so it is very easy to keep it in great working order.
wine fridge
I was really looking to make the bar a focal point in our space, as it is at the top of the stairs so it is really the first thing you see as you enter our living space. I accomplished this in a few ways; a massive backsplash with metal inlays, the top and bottom lit open shelving, and of course a full-height wine fridge with custom panel to match the bar cabinetry. This appliance is so beautiful, both on its own and in the overall context of the bar and living space; it is both impressive and understated at the same time, and from a functional standpoint; it holds approx 160 bottles and has 3 different temperature zones.
Dishwasher
I have to be honest here…I really never expected to be this excited about a dishwasher. And the excitement stems 100% from its function; meaning I have custom panel on it to match my cabinetry so it complete disappears, which is what you want from your dishwasher…do your job and stay outta the way. So, from a functional standpoint, it runs damn near silent, has a ton of height adjustments and fold down sections on the interior so can fit all manner of cookware, and it has a very cool ‘knock-to-open’ feature, which allows you to knock on the cabinet twice and the door will open to make it easy to grab…now this on its own is cool, but not super functional, until you realize that this is not its only function (which I didn’t realize until after we started using it). Where this feature comes in super handy is that the appliance is smart enough to push the door of the dishwasher open after the drying cycle is done, thus allowing all the steam and condensation to escape so your plates and glasses dry SPOT FREE…every. single. time.
Washer / dryer
The washing machine has integrated detergent called Twin Dose (yes, you can still use your own detergent if you want) that allows you to just throw your clothes in, select whites or colors and the machine does the rest. The scent is very light and we have been thrilled with it so far.
The dryer is vent free, so yes, this is an electric condensating dryer, but it actually works! And works very well. So the nice thing here is that you don’t need to run an extra vent up and out through the roof (less roof penetrations are ALWAYS a good thing), which saves on labor when it comes to your plumbing costs (another reason spec’ing all this up front helps you out in the long run).
The other thing that is great, and more functional than I anticipated, is that the washer and dryer are connected to our wifi, so we can set or start a program from within the app, now truth be told we really don’t use that feature, or haven’t needed to yet…but what we love is that you get an alert on your phone when the cycle is done. This comes in super handy because we all lose track of time and then inevitably our fresh clean clothes sit in damp water for too long and then need to be washed again before heading to the dryer. With this simple little reminder to the phone we have cut that down by 99%