Gosh what a funny turn around - this discussion started right after I had finished my last kitchen and now it is revived just as I'm going through all this madness again trying to replace a kitchen in my new home .............. when I can find someone interested in doing some work. Jennifer, I'm leaning to Bosch appliances if they meet my requirements. One of my joeys lives in Germany where Bosch and Siemens (made by the same company apparently) are made and are very highly esteemed. Because I have so much renovation work to do on this house, I'm watching my pennies a bit so I will probably stick with a Dishlex Dishwasher that has always served me well and these days they are extremely quiet too, but I am looking at Bosch for the oven and cooktops. In earlier posts I praised the Fisher and Paykel oven and cooktops, but then discovered a BIG flaw in the design of the oven - it had a double glass door with a gap between the two sheets of glass and guess where every crumb and spill went, so they will not be on my radar again. I'm also hearing good reports about Electrolux but very bad ones about Miele and their service which is really letting the brand down. For those getting on in years too - beware of push button settings and slide controls, arthritic fingers just cannot manage these. As well, I'm told the slide controls on cook tops are not as accurate as knobs.

Thank you all for your timely responses. I too have always enjoyed the convenience of my two ovens which can be used independently of each other, which is why I am seriously considering the 1.5 double oven option. I have also researched the idea of two compact ovens which include microwave and steam options, (Bosch, Miele, Smeg AEG etc) and was all excited about that idea, but to install two of these is far too expensive. ($5000+ minimum) The freestanding convection microwave options all stipulate minimum 10-20cm airflow at the top of the unit, and the ones that do come with trim kits still all end up being too large for the space...frustratingly, often by only 2 or 3 cm! And yes, I've also lusted after an induction cooktop, but the expense of chasing wiring down a solid brick wall and disrupting backsplash tiling has put the kybosh on that idea. Anyhow, I have slept on this (again!) and have come to the conclusion that a 1.5 oven without an integrated microwave is the only way available at a reasonable cost.... A small microwave inside a cupboard might just work.... It's both interesting and noteworthy that convection/microwave +/- steam, with regular multifunction oven combinations although expensive, are readily available in several brands in the US......I'm jealous!

Given that solar-generated electricity is the only 'fuel' you can generate yourself, I see this as a significant positive over gas for routine kitchen use. We have a 3kw/h PV system and a small-ish (60cm, three 'burners') Miele induction cooktop, and love the setup. For the BBQ occasions in summer the 8kg gas bottle usually lasts the whole season. A.

Thanks Wild Heart for the feedback. I think ideally we'd like to keep the butlers pantry as it just gives that extra area to keep things out of the way when guests are there etc. Especially things like kettles, toasters etc. In terms of the fridge depth I hadn't noticed this, I've just looked at our current fridge and with the space for ventilation its 740mm deep....... We'll need to come up with something as this will look ridiculous with the fridge coming out at least 140 mm. I'll post up the rest of the plan for the lower floor but really wanted that open living and dining area flowing into the alfresco area. So I think realistically, based on the feedback provide above (which I really appreciate!), there maybe some more pressing issues. Should we keep the 900m gas and then look at the following: 1. How to increase depths between island to 1000mm 2, Where is the better placement for the dishwasher 3. Look at the opening on the butlers pantry door and if we need a door on there at all 4. How to better place the fridge so that it's not sticking out nearly 140mm Thanks again for the feedback everyone, kind of raised more questions that answers!!!