Appliances
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What's hot
French-door fridges
Designers tout this configuration, which combines the streamlined form of a side-by-side with the accessibility of a bottom-freezer, for offering improved storage in a smaller footprint. "We're moving away from large, hulking appliances in favor of modest-sized models," says Beth Stribling, a certified kitchen designer in Fort Worth, Texas.
Two-cook kitchens
Layout permitting, there is a growing preference for wall-oven and cooktop combos. "A range makes it hard for two cooks to move around," says April Case-Underwood, a kitchen and bath designer in Falls Church, Va. With wall ovens, you'll do less bending over and heavy lifting, a benefit for everyone but essential for those with limited strength and mobility.
Induction cooking
This electric cooktop technology, which uses a magnetic field to generate heat in the pan rather than the cooking surface, was chosen in 2010 by 34 percent of the kitchen designers in the National Kitchen & Bath Association, according to an NKBA survey.
What sells
Saving energy
Efficiency helps sell appliances because homebuyers know they'll benefit from lower energy bills. "Energy Star appliances are prominent in the real-estate flyers," says Kit Hale, a broker in Roanoke, Va. "And I won't be shy about talking them up during the open house."
New technologies
"People love to walk into a kitchen and see modern appliances with the latest conveniences," says Greg Herb, a real-estate broker in Gilbertsville, Pa. Those include French-door refrigerators with through-the-door ice and water dispensers. Ultraquiet dishwashers (available to subscribers) are another feature that sells. "Smart buyers always ask to turn the dishwasher on," says Jim Hamilton, a real-estate agent in Los Gatos, Calif. "They want to see that it works, and they want to hear that it won't drown out conversation."
The right finishes
Buyers take a complete view of the home, so they want the kitchen to match the home's style. That can affect the choice of appliance finish. "In a Cape Cod-style home, white appliances might fit the theme better than stainless steel," Hamilton says. Others agree. "I'm seeing more and more black appliances these days," Hale says. "Like stainless steel, it goes with a lot of things, but it doesn't show fingerprints as much." Others still say there's no end in sight for the stainless-steel trend.
Bottom line
Not every innovation is a winner. A $1,200 microwave and a $1,700 range with slow-cook options performed worse in our tests than a $60 slow cooker. But induction delivered almost flawless performance. It's coming down in price, and it's available on ranges as well as cooktops. When appliance shopping, don't go by Energy Star alone. Our tests have found some significant differences in annual operating costs, as well as performance, among Energy Star-qualified models. Use our Ratings to find appliances that combine efficiency and performance with value, including many French-door refrigerators.
