Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips
Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips

Key Pieces

JUMPSUIT: POLKA DOT JUMPSUIT (I ALSO LOVE THIS FANICER ONE + THIS BLACK AND WHITE ONE)  |  JACKET:CROPPED DENIM JACKET (A MUST FOR OVER DRESSES OR ITEMS THAT HIT AT YOUR WAIST)  |  SHOES: MARC FISHER STUDDED SANDAL  |  LIPS: LAURA MERCIER MATTE LIPSTICK

Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips

Soooo, as you guys know, we're building a house (follow my highlights on Instagram). AH! We’re so freaking excited. And one of the first steps in the process, aside from finding a builder and stellar interior designer (which we did, uh hum, THE Lifestyled Co. (much much more on them later))... was, we had to select appliances. Eek!

Now, I gotta be honest. I had NO idea where to even begin. I took one look at the Ferguson showroom and felt utterly overwhelmed with all of the millions of choices on everything - from ranges to refrigerators to toilets.

Ummm, have any of you guys ever taken a second look at your toilet? Most likely not. It's like, ‘uh, is it comfortable? Do I like the flusher? Cool. Done.’ Haha. But that was about the extent of my expertise haha.

Thank goodness for Kristen and her marvelous team from THE Lifestyled Co. because they were there to save the day!

Not only did they help us make our selections, but Kristen took the time to help me put this blog post together on their top six must-know appliance buying tips. And guys, she is a LIFESAVER! Her tips are so helpful so definitely keep reading below to check them out.

Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips
Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips
Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips
Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips

Six Appliance Buying Tips

1

Invest some time in researching what you like and don’t like. I recommend scrolling through Pinterest and creating a board per room (kitchen, bathrooms, etc.) and pin what you like. Next, take a deeper look at the images to see what types of appliances were used. We’re you mostly pinning images that had French door style refrigerators? Perhaps you find that you are drawn more to black fixtures?

When you ‘pin’ an image, it’s not usually for the toilet, but probably the tile. But take a second look to determine what you’re drawn to so you can have a more general idea of what direction you’re wanting to go.

You can check out my Pinterest boards here to get a head start.

2

Make a priority list and stick to it. As I mentioned above, an appliance and/or plumbing showroom can be really overwhelming, so prepare yourself for sensory overload! It’s best to stick closely to your priority list and budget. This will help keep you looking at the pieces that are applicable for your project, versus those that may not be a fit at this point and time.

While Ben and I really wanted a hands-free smart touch kitchen faucet, it wasn’t at the top of our priority list so we decided to nix that and stick with a good old fashioned single-lever faucet and save the money we could to put towards other items that were a must.

3

Identify who the decision maker is in the appliance purchase and what are some of the important features in that appliance. If no one in the home really cooks, a pro style range may not be high on the priority list. On the flip side, perhaps the style of a pro range is top priority and for that reason, only those ranges should be considered.

For us, Ben is the chef in our home and is always rushing home from work to put dinner in the oven. We’re always fighting time to get it all done so we knew that a double wall oven was a must so we can bake our veggies at the same time as our chicken at different temps.

On the other hand, we don’t use our microwave that often so we were ok with placing it in the pantry and thus, aesthetics on that appliance weren’t as important.

4

Be realistic with your needs and budget. It's super easy to get distracted by all the bright and shiny and end up in a price point far out of your capabilities. While one of those fancy ice makers that makes the Sonic ice would be amazing, it may not actually be a "need," and more of a want! Rank needs versus wants, as well as your priorities in selecting the right pieces such as style, performance, energy efficiency, food preservation, ease of cleaning, style, etc.

While we really wanted a wine fridge, the prices were just a little too much for us and it wasn’t really a need, so we decided to nix that from our list. But a quiet washing machine and dryer… that was definitely on the need list because the laundry room is located in the children’s wing. And the last thing I want is a loud dryer waking up the babies from naps haha. So just keep in mind your ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ before rushing into the showroom.

5

Further narrow your choices by selecting the styles and finishes that compliment your design. There’s really no need to be looking at polished nickel if you know you want black or brass faucets throughout your home. By having an idea of what you want in advance style-wise, you will probably save yourself a good hour of wandering through the showroom.

For us, we knew that we wanted minimize the amount of metal on our kitchen walls by adding custom wood-paneling to our refrigerator and freezer for a more clean and sleek look. Thus, we could easily narrow our choices by only looking at the panel-ready refrigerator options.

We also knew that we wanted to build this new home different than any of our others by going a bit more modern. So finding appliances that complimented that style were important, like sleek handles and pulls that reflect the clean lines throughout the home. By having an idea of what you want beforehand, you can really help narrow your choices.

6

Do some research before going. Is your space best suited for gas or electric? Understand the size requirements for your range, microwave, hood, etc to ensure what you fall in love with is in fact available in the sizes needed.

The bottom line? Investing some time to determine your style, wants and needs and researching appliance features before you shop can ensure that your new home or project ends up exactly how you want it.

Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips
Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips
Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips
Dash of Darling | Six Appliance Buying Tips

Can you believe these images were taken when Luna was only like three months old?!

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