The Dish Draw

Fisher Paykel manufactured the revolutionary dish drawer, and people liked the design.

It is ergo-metric, quiet and the drawers work independently. You have to load the dishes differently though, which is the source of its love or enmity. We repaired 277 over the last 12 months. This far exceeds what we actually sold...an indication that repair is almost non-existent.

It's worth asking about if you are considering a purchase.

Going Home

I was born and raised in Needham (class of 82). Have to admit, I still love the town and its crazy loyal denizens. My Dad actually plunked down $24,000 to buy our house. Needless to say, its a little different today.

I travel on the road and see some pretty good contruction (

Have a look at what a skilled builder will buy for a very upscale house. They usually will allocate resources and dollars in the kitchen and bath areas (the iPhone doesn't do it justice).

Kitchen....You are looking at only half. Wolf range, Thermador fridge, Best Hood, Fisher Paykel dish-drawers

Wolf double ovens...

SubZero wine refrigerator.

Separate pantry area with sink and a dishdrawer.

Builders name is Mike Reddish....The guy builds a great home.

New Appliances

Every April, there is always a new appliance show for the regional dealers. This years winner is Electrolux with their french door refrigeration. Fisher Paykel was interesting, as was Bosch.

Have a look at the future:

Draw it

There seems to be tons of appliance related drawers in the market these days. This seems to be novelty worth a post.

Have a look:



Refrigerator (as well as freezer and in some cases wine) drawers are currently manufacturered by SubZero, Electrolux, Marvel and Uline. I actually see the value in an island especially for children. The prices are $1500-3400, so you will be paying more.

Dishwasher drawers are produced by Fisher-Paykel, who in turn manufacturers the product for KitchenAid. The product is worthwhile ergometrically. You do not have to bend for smaller loads, but at $1400, Miele and Bosch are better products.

Renovate Cheaply

You do not have to spend a fortune to renovate well. Have a look at some decent alternative to spending a ton of dough.



The Bosch 4 series dishwasher: At $534 after rebate, it is a great value.

Fisher Paykel refrigeration: Shallow depth, 33 inchs and $500-1000 less than other shallow depth products.

From the world of Pro:

Bertazoni: Italian design at an affordable number.

NXR: The first Chinese Pro range with 18,000 BTU output.

More Shallow Depth Ideas

Shallow depth refrigerators are desirable in a kitchen, because the sides do not protrude. Thus the kitchen looks more linear and more attractive. SubZero pioneered the pro niche in the 60s and 70s, and were followed by GE Monogram, KitchenAid and Thermador. Later, Amana decided to manufacture the regular shallow depth product and were followed(and beaten up by) GE Profile, KitchenAid and JennAir.

Now there are a number of alternatives from an endless number of companies. Unfortunately they tend to be somewhat expensive starting at $1600 as well as only fitting a 36 inch or over cabinet.





Fisher-Paykel and Blomberg manufacture smaller widths, and are decent alternatives to traditional shallow depth products.

How To...Differentiate a White Kitchen

White kitchens are making a comeback. ...Lets look at ours as there are a few good appliance and lighting ideas as well.

White is quite simply the easiest to match and accessorize...In this example, it was matched with green undertones, granite, sink base cabinet and the lighting, which is Geometrix by Schonbek.







If we look at the tiling, it is multi colored and thus contemporary. A more tradition adaptation would have, for example, the white subway tile and a couple of more traditional pendants.





Fisher Paykel manufactures single drawer dishwashers as well. Although more space is required, the single drawer allows for less bending. The Fisher Paykel can be panelized, so it is great for bars and other point of use areas within your house





Definitely consider white for timeless yet adaptable style. This kitchen was designed by Diane Auchello of Metropolitan Cabinets in Natick....

Dream Kitchen

If you ever visualized a dream kitchen, this picture would probably be in your mind. This kitchen is the work of Erika Mcpherson Powell from Urban Grace Interiors of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.







This is a beautiful application of appliances,lighting and plumbing. You are looking at 2 SubZero 650 36 inch bottom freezers with glass fronts. We have a Wolf dual fuel range with professional hood. Look at the baffle filters in the hood. It allows smoke and grease to be vented faster than regular charcoal. The dishwasher is the integrated double drawer from Fisher-Paykel. You are looking right at the piece in the lower right hand side.


I really love the utilzation of plumbing in this kitchen. Erika places 2 farm sinks back to back from Shaw with matching Rohl faucets. I like this combination, because farm sinks are supposedly traditional yet they are remarkable in a modern kitchen. Look at the potfiller on the wall. When her client wants to fill a lobster pot or pasta bowl, the spigot is right at point of use.

Very nicely done, great utilzation of many design elements traditional, comtemporary, professional and integrated, Erika is at www.urbangrace.com

Cool Refrigerator

My last prewritten vacation post...Wonder if I had a good time...

Lets look at this refrigerator by Fisher Paykel. Other than an interesting handle, there is not much different...Or is there?







The Fisher Paykel is unique for 2 reasons...It is the only shallow depth refrigerator designed for a 33 inch cabinet, AND it is at least $400 cheaper than any other shallow depth unit

Contemporary Part 2

This is the first of 2 posts on the same kitchen. Its just a minor detail, which you may have overlooked

The drawer is actually a dishwasher









Seriously...Right now, Fisher-Paykel manufactures all the drawer type dishwashers for both their brand and the KitchenAid brand(sorry Dan)

How To....Choose a Wall oven

Wall ovens have become more popular over the last few years. The chief benefit seems to ergometrics(a fancy term for not bending over) and choice of brands.

There lies the problem. We show 15 wall ovens from Dacor, KitchenAid, Electrolux,
Fisher Paykel, Wolf, Miele, Viking, JennAir, Thermador and Bosch to name a few. Most have at least one convection oven(fan forced heat for evenness of cooking).






They are all decent products, so how do you choose?

From a price perspective, the first step is to look at rebates as well as other matching products. Seems like heresy, but there seems to be similarities, so why pay 1,000 or more for similar features.


There are 3 really to consider at the present time:



Thermador Sec302ts...They have a newer "edgier" style, which is the reason we purchased the remainder of this series. At $2799 plus a $300 rebate, Thermador is the best value of the bunch.






Miele H4890Bp. This product is extremely likeable. The Miele is beautifully designed(recently copied) with 2 convection ovens and rotiserie. The best part of this oven is the Masterchef controls. It allows the consumer to perfectly almost anything with detail and easy prompts. Cook a piece of meat, the controls will prompt for type and weight automatically. Miele has a great repair recod as well. Likeability does cost money at roughly $5200






Wolf D030. You have to love SubZero. They buy an unknown company completely retool the product add two convection fans(in the same oven) for more even cooking as well as a cool retractable control panel. The product becomes state of the art and the hottest selling product in one months time.

Newest, Latest and Greatest...The Rest

The rest of the appliance show was tepid. There are a few nuggets amongst the endless pile of rock.

Fisher Paykel shallow depth french door...Hey to admit it but the New Zealanders have decent sense of style





New Fisher Paykel stove...Its stylish with decent burner outputs and around $2500





This is actually a decent 24 inch range..Relief for apartment owners in the market for a decent product





The induction range....finally, but at $8500?

Cool New Stuff....Appliances

So now Tax Day is over. I will have plenty of time to actually blog. BTW, I met a few Yale blogees this weekend, and it was good to place a face with the analytics.



But anyway for those who are planning a few new considerations:





Miele has two new dishwashers with only 10 minute wash cycles. 10 minutes to complete a cycle versus 98 in a regular dishwasher. Before you buy this revolutionary product, it requires 250v as opposed to regular 120 and it is around $5,000 to buy.






A couple of weeks ago, I was teaching my girlfriends niece to say the word blue..It looks like Dacor has taken blue a little more seriously. Still, you have to respect any manufacturer for thinking out of the (stainless steel) box.







AGA range is new....to us. This is a very interesting stove with a very unique cooking technology. Likeable yet expensive, it is another distinct product that you need Kurt to explain






Fisher Paykel has a brand new refrigerator with ice and water through the door. Ice and water is hardly novel, but this refrigerator is shallow depth and only 33 inches wide. All other shallow depth refrigerators fit a 36 inch opening

The Best Appliances on the Market

I am not advocating that people should shell out 8,000 for a refrigerator or 5,000 for a wall oven. When renovating or selling a home at the top end of the market, buyers expect certain names in that category. They will not check the shingle or the heating system, but one look in the kitchen will identify to them the type of quality of construction.

Following are products to consider:

Refrigerator: SubZero, Thermador Freedom.

SubZero is the name in the appliance business with an 88% awareness level with consumers. They do manufacture a great product with 2 compressors, vacuum seal and magnetic crispers, which are designed to keep food fresher longer.


The Thermador Freedom collection is brand new. It is designed in "towers" or components meaning the refrigerator and freezer are not attached so they can be placed anywhere. The whole line is integrated, so it fits inside a cabinet.


Pro Stove: Viking, Wolf

Viking is basically the inventor of Pro ranges back in 1989. The Viking look is still a signature in most high end homes.


Wolf is owned by SubZero and is a real innovator in this category with 2 convection fans, light up knobs and retractable clock.


Wall Oven: Wolf, Miele

Miele is a great wall oven. The company outsources almost nothing so their repair rate is excellent, and Miele has a rotisserie, pizza stone and the Master Chef control system. Master Chef will allow a consumer to cook any dish using preprogrammed recipes. The interface is incredibly easy, but then again company does have 270 people just manufacturing controls.


Wolf is another interesting product. The controls retract and like their pro range, Wolf employs 2 convection fans for even baking.


Dishwasher: Fisher-Paykel, Miele and Bosch

There is something about dishwasher drawers that seems to intrigue people. Fisher-Paykel uses two drawers instead of the standard standard dishwasher one door. It is also offered as a single drawer as well.


Miele manufacturers the most upscale dishwashers over $1000. They have unique features such as plate guard plus and unique drying capabilities in an incredible reliable machine that is designed to safeguard china, crystal and silverware.


Bosch is the most popular selling dishwasher in the high end. Quietness and high temperature washing are the hallmarks of this dishwasher.


Induction Cooktop: Thermador

There are many induction tops in the market, but the Thermador has a center element that is lightning quick.


There are certainly other brands and products of note: Coffee systems, compactors, warming drawers and steam ovens, for example. We will cover them in later posts for further differentiation.