I am not an expert or professional but I think stainless steel goes OK with black, especially if the fridge had black handles. Stainless steel-white is not that good. As a stainless steel appliance owner, I can't say that I am happy with our choice. Stainless steel shows finger prints etc too much and and you need to clean it with a special solution to get the perfect look, wiping it off with damp towel makes an uneven look for some reason. And ours can't hold magnetic thingies so I can't put pictures on the fridge. Some new models now have this capability. And stainless steel costs much more than black and white.

Hi Krunchers,

I am not a pro either. But I do have a couple of opinions on the subject (don't I always!) At least maybe a thought process :)

First, I personally think that stainless steel is a great material but that its appearance is somewhat overbearing.

Second, the appliance industry seems to want to push us in the direction of fads, colors, trends to (I suppose) move us along in our occasional updates.

With those things in mind, what we did in our new kitchen is use all white appliances EXCEPT for the range, which is stainless steel and black. We are very happy with the outcome.

For one thing, we (generally) prefer the look of white--especially with regards to the fridge. Ever seen a black fridge? I think they look like real ugly behemoths in a residence--and that stainless is better--but not by much.

The stainless range is nice, in my opinion. White would've been fine too.

As for microwave, I don't think it makes much difference (we went for white).

So, who's right? I believe it's your home, so that anything YOU (well, and your wife) want is right.

If you want to sway your wife in your direction, perhaps suggest looking at a comparable kitchen with all stainless, and demonstrate how they appear to dominate the room. If she disagrees, you've probably lost the argument :)

Regards,

-k2 in CO

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