A kitchen renovation doesn’t necessarily mean you need to replace every appliance. You can apply a few design strategies to integrate new and old. You first want to consider what you can live with and what would you like to be more efficient. For example, your dishwasher works great but your refrigerator doesn’t have as much storage as you would like. Or, your fridge and dishwasher have already been upgraded but you’ve been dying to get a wall mounted double oven. There are a few considerations you need to make sure your kitchen remodel comes together beautifully.
Here are our tips for keeping your appliances during the kitchen remodel:
1. Coordinate Finishes
To make the look visually cohesive, you should coordinate the materials and colors being used. This means sticking with the same finish, whether white, black, stainless, or black stainless, for all appliances.
2. Consider Fully Integrated Appliances
When you fully integrate an appliance, you place a cabinet panel on the front so it blends with the rest of your cabinetry. Refrigerators and dishwashers are commonly integrated. However, you do have to buy an appliance that will allow an integrated panel, which is often more expensive.
3. Pick Handles in the Same Design Family
The handle of an appliance is often the most prominent feature. Even when you are sticking to the same brand, they have different appliance “families” with different features. This simple detail can really make a difference in creating a cohesive look. If you are using integrated panels, we recommend you match the handles to your cabinets rather than other appliances.
4. “What if I want to keep all of my appliances during my kitchen remodel?”
If you have a matching set of kitchen appliances you are happy with and wish to keep, we can easily integrate them into the new design, even if you want to switch their locations. This is also the most affordable option. By saving your old appliances, you can invest more in other areas, like a more elegant backsplash or countertop, new flooring, or even in-cabinet or under-cabinet lighting.
Whether you are keeping one appliance or all of them, you need to keep them in a safe space. We typically recommend the garage or a separate room so they are clear of the working area. This also ensures there is no mis-communication among sub-contractors that may result in an appliance accidentally being discarded.
We also recommend that you take this opportunity to give your appliances a thorough cleaning. After, wrap them in a protective film to prevent doors from opening while you are moving them. You may even want to use a furniture pad to protect them from scratches. Unless you have wide door ways, you will likely need to remove handles to be able to fit. If this is the case, be careful not to lose the screws and use the plastic wrap to keep the handle with the appliance.
If you intend to use the refrigerator throughout the remodel, make sure you find a safe, clear space to plug it in. Turn off the ice maker, if it has one, to prevent possible damage. If you will not be using it, clean it out and make sure you give it time to completely defrost before you wrap it up and move it.
If you ask, many contractors will take the time and effort to do this for you. It is important that you have a professional disconnect your appliances if you do not know what you are doing. Water and gas will need to be turned off first and you want to take care not to damage any valves or water lines. If you have any additional questions that we haven’t answered, please feel free to call or email us.