High-end, or luxury, appliances go beyond a prestigious brand name and the price tag. These appliances are engineered for performance, durability, and visual impact. They are an investment that can increase a home’s value. They are customizable and have a range of innovative features and designs to choose from.
This guide will introduce you to the types of high-end kitchen appliances and what makes each a unique addition to any stylish kitchen.
High-end refrigerators are sleek and stunning appliances with a strong reputation for performance. These high-end kitchen appliances often employ dual-evaporators to maintain consistent temperatures in the freezer and refrigerator compartments. This helps prevent air sharing, common in low-end refrigerators so that fresh food doesn’t pick up any unwanted freezer odours or flavours.
With high-end refrigerators, you can choose from a variety of styles and options.
You can expect several features to be included on most high-end refrigerators.
Dual evaporators and compressors
Smart features
Adjustable glass and metal shelving
Drawers with ethylene gas filters
Bright LED lighting
Precise, to the degree temperature control
Internal water dispensers
Spill-resistant shelf edges
Soft-close drawers and doors
Drawers with presets
COLUMN REFRIGERATORS
Column refrigerators are built-in refrigerators exclusively offered by high-end brands. This type of refrigerator takes inspiration from commercial models and their popularity is attributed to being single-purpose refrigerator or freezer units. These high-end refrigerators offer a high degree of customization and you can pair any widths together to create the ideal food storage unit for your kitchen.
FREESTANDING REFRIGERATORS
Freestanding refrigerators are less common in high-end kitchens but often offer an ideal fit for counter-depth cabinetry or for kitchen upgrades that don’t involve renovations. Unlike built-in models, freestanding refrigerators may extend a bit beyond cabinetry.
High-end freestanding refrigerators are available in a range of styles, including French door.
BUILT-IN REFRIGERATORS
Built-in refrigerators are dual-purpose and are available in three configurations:
Side-by-side
Bottom freezer
French door
They are designed to fit flush with cabinetry to create a seamless look, particularly when installed with custom panels that match the aesthetic of your cabinets.
UNDERCOUNTER REFRIGERATORS
Undercounter refrigerators are small specialized refrigerators like ice machines, wine refrigerators and beverage centres. Undercounter refrigerators are perfect for home offices, prep spaces and entertainment rooms. They are especially useful for those who enjoy hosting regularly.
High-end ranges were designed to reflect the powerful, flexible commercial ranges found in restaurants. These ranges are available in expanded widths (up to 60 inches) and you can choose between gas or dual fuel, which combines gas burners with an electric oven to achieve more consistent baking temperatures.
Gas or dual fuel options
Auto burner reignition
Precision knob controls
Convection ovens
Backlit knobs
Dual-stacked burners
Cast-iron grates
Specialty cooking surface options
High-end built-in wall ovens are flexible and powerful ovens built right into your cabinetry. They are available in a variety of types and sizes.
Wall ovens can typically fit into more kitchen layouts than ranges thanks to their cooktops being separate, and are a popular selection for aging-in-place.
Types of high-end wall ovens include:
Single-wall ovens
Double-wall ovens
Steam ovens
Oven and convection microwave combinations
Popular pairings for built-in wall ovens include built-in microwaves, like high-end microwave drawers, and warming drawers.
Convection
Smart features
Self-cleaning function
Glide racks
Guided cooking
High-end cooktops are often paired with built-in wall ovens and are available in several fuel and ventilation types, including downdraft and updraft. Cooktops range from 15 to 36 inches, and you will have the option of gas, electric radiant or electric induction.
Flush installation
Sealed burners (gas)
Dual or triple elements (electric radiant)
Bridge elements (induction)
Cooking grates (gas)
Tap touch glass controls (electric and induction)
Downdraft cooktops are cooktops that don’t require an overhead vent hood, like standard updraft cooktops.
They are specialized cooktops with a ventilation system built directly into the cooktop. This system helps capture vapours and odours by pulling them below the counter, ensuring they don’t escape into your kitchen.
These small cooktops, also referred to as “modules”, are 15 inches or less in width and designed to be paired together. Each available cooktop is typically engineered with a specific purpose or design.
Choose from griddles, woks, and burners in electric, gas or induction to customize a cooktop for your lifestyle.
Rangetops can also be referred to as a type of cooktop. This kitchen appliance takes a page from the professional rangetops commonly found in restaurant kitchens.
The differences between rangetops and cooktops are:
Rangetops are bulkier and with front controls that replace the front of the countertop.
Cooktops have their controls on the top of the cooking surface.
Professional-style rangetops are often more powerful than other gas cooktops and offer flexible cooking surface options like grills and griddles.
Specialized cooking surface options
Cast-iron grates
Dual-stacked burners
Precision temperature control
Backlit knobs
Every kitchen requires ventilation, but high-end kitchens don’t often have the microwave-hood combination common in other price brackets.
Instead, those with high-end kitchens go with powerful, yet quiet dedicated ventilation that accentuates the style of their kitchen.
Here are some ventilation pairing suggestions if you opt for a professional-style range:
A robust professional-style wall-mounted updraft ventilation hood.
A custom hood liner hidden behind a decorative plaster or wood hood if you have all panel-ready or built-in appliances.
A telescoping downdraft ventilation, instead of an overhead hood, for cooktops in a kitchen island or peninsula.
Quiet operation
Boost mode
Downdraft ventilation
LED or Halogen task lighting
While every kitchen needs a dishwasher, some high-end kitchens may opt for more than one. High-end dishwashers boast the cleaning power and drying precision to ensure all items are cleaned in a single wash. Additionally, they offer expanded loading and washing options, setting them apart from low-end models.
Steam cycle
Sanitize cycle
3rd Level Rack
Extended silverware caddy
Smart features
Ramp-up LED interior lighting
Active drying cycle
Most high-end kitchens are equipped with a trash compactor for food scraps and packaging. These small appliances compress trash resulting in fewer trips to take out the garbage and have charcoal filter fans to minimize or eliminate unwanted odours.
Powerful compacting motor
Charcoal filters
Hidden controls
Having a small kitchen shouldn’t stop you from investing in high-end appliances.
When shopping for high-end appliances for small kitchens or auxiliary kitchens, don’t settle for a less premium product merely to fit a tight space. High-end appliance brands offer extended sizes, including smaller and larger widths.
JennAir brand has a range of small-width appliances with features comparable to their full-size counterparts. Shop for 24-inch wall ovens, 24-inch built-in microwaves, 24-inch refrigerators and 24-inch built-in coffee machines.
Forget about size. Whether it’s your kitchen, a prep area or a guest suite’s kitchen—you can find all the high-end appliances you need to bring your dream space to life.
HIGH-END KITCHEN APPLIANCES FAQ
Absolutely. High-end appliances are worth the investment as they typically offer greater durability than lower-end options. Ultimately, high-end models provide additional features not found on low-end appliances, so you can make memorable meals with ease and greater creativity and clean with less effort every day.
High-end appliances share some aesthetic similarities with commercial appliances and may be equipped with features inspired by them, including smart capabilities. The most critical advantage of a high-end appliance is its design and configuration options.
In most cases, high-end appliances are proven to increase a home’s value. Certain brands, in particular, have been known to provide a strong return on investment for owners who go on to sell their homes.
The reason is that high-end appliances are durable, offer excellent performance and add a stylish touch to most kitchens.
Learn more about high-end kitchen appliances with JennAir
