Wondering where to start when looking into appliances for your new or renovated Kitchen? Listen in as Stephan Byns of Midland Appliances and I discuss the basics.
HELP!
You’re in the market for new Appliances for your Home Kitchen – now what?!
With over 500 manufacturers of everything from standard fridges to specialty appliances you may not even know about yet, have your Designer + Appliance Professionals work FOR you. Seriously, we’re all here to help.
HOW can we help? I had a great conversation – the first of many to come – with Stephan Byns of Midland Appliances to find out. Stephan is insanely knowledgeable, having a long history of working for / with and personally visiting many of the big Manufacturers of the modern Appliances you’ll find in most showrooms.
Seriously, this guy KNOWS Appliances!
You can jump to our IGTV channel chat (also posted at the end), or read through the notes and tips below!
Tips + Tricks
There are THOUSANDS of options and customizations, and twice as many ‘pros & cons’ of each, to navigate when shopping for Appliances. Perhaps you’ve already narrowed it down in your mind based on photos, or the feedback of friends who love/hate their own Appliances. Perhaps you’ve visited your local Dealer and were just overwhelmed.
I’VE. GOT. YOUR. BACK. !!
Well, me and your friendly neighbourhood Appliance Guy – Stephan Byns! Stephan has been in the Industry for long enough to really know what he’s talking about. For ANY appliance, ANY brand. It’s been a pleasure to work with him recently on my own Appliance Selections, and to now be working WITH him to pass as much of that knowledge as we can on to YOU.
Two brains are better than one, right?! Here are our ‘Tips & Tricks for Narrowing Down your Options into a Manageable Decision Making Process’ (whew!).
PREPARE AHEAD.
As best you can, be prepared to walk into your local Appliance Dealership. Have a sense of your space, measurements in hand. Bring in some photos from your favorite Kitchen Inspo Pinterest Board. Think about what types of Appliances you’d like to look at, and what your priorities are in each one. Read some online reviews.
This will help you make the absolute MOST of each visit!
FIND THE RIGHT APPLIANCE PROFESSIONAL
Ask a lot of questions. Ask WHY your Dealer is recommending a particular Appliance. What are the pros AND cons (they all have one!). Are they helping you navigate, and empowering you with information? Do they know who makes what, and where? Are they familiar with the quality / lifespan you could reasonably expect? Do you get a sense of trustworthiness vs high-pressure sales tactics? Will your Dealer be there for you years down the road when something goes wrong?
KNOW YOUR BUDGET
It helps to know your budget, or at least what you THINK you want it to be. Come open to ONE THING that may surprise you, like a specialty oven you didn’t know you always needed, or an upgrade to the perfect professional Range. Focus on getting GOOD VALUE – quality for the best prices possible, not necessarily the cheapest (replaced more often) or the most expensive (for options you may never even use!). A good sales staff should show you OPTIONS both that fit into your Budget and your Lifestyle.
BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER
Have an idea of what you want/need, but also a sense of WHY you want/need it. Bigger doesn’t mean better – especially for the serious Home Cook. Big appliances means a larger, more spread out Kitchen space plan that now takes many more steps/energy to move about, wasting both time and energy. On the other hand, maybe you often cook for DOZENS of people and a 48″ range would be handy. Weigh your own decision pros and cons.
Q & A Preview
Before you visit your Appliance dealerships, try preparing ahead of time by having this handy Q&A e-Book thought through first.
The Importance of Pairing
Ideally you and your Appliances are going to be together for awhile. Some come with a lifespan of 20years! Pairing your needs with the right tools is of utmost importance. Between you, your Designer and your Appliance Professional, conversation should revolve around finding the best pairing FOR YOU. No single appliance does it all, so getting the help to make the best choices possible is important.
For example, an expensive range might come with high power, but require a lot of extra cleaning. Some cooks won’t mind the trade-off of power-to-cleaning. Others might prefer less maintenance, and less performance as the trade-off. Every Home Owner has unique needs, and therefore needs a unique Appliance package. Use your professionals to help you make your best decison.
We only do well when our Clients do well with our recommended Appliances.
Stephan Byns @ Midland Appliance
What is the *RIGHT* Appliance?
So what defines the RIGHT Appliance? How do you, the avid home cook, find the perfect pairing of machine and user?
A good Appliance Professional will ASK QUESTIONS and LISTEN to your needs.
Stephan Byns @ Midland Appliance
A conversation with your Appliance Professional shouldn’t be a narrow conversation. There are limitless budget, need, size and design options and while good assistance will refine those options for you based on asking the right questions and listening to your needs, there should still be OPTIONS.
If you find yourself in a position of being led to one singular brand over and over, you might actually be being fed whatever happens to be on the biggest ‘cash back to the sales staff’ list. I’ve been caught in this trap – you know it when you feel it. And it’s time to find a new dealer, even if for nothing more than a second opinion.
Passion for Passion
If you’re reading this far, you have a genuine interest – a passion – for cooking at home. You want to find a dealership and sales staff that equals that passion. How will you know?
- Look for a long history in the Industry (not necessarily at the same place, but all in the appliance world)
- Ask about manufacturer warehouses and national Kitchen shows they’ve recently attended
- Listen. Do they come off as widely knowledgeable, as likely to empower you with information?
- Every product line and appliance within it has both pros AND cons. Your salesperson should about both for your narrowed down list of preferred pieces.
- Ask about your ‘long-term’ relationship – how does your Appliance Professional plan to work with you over time, from Deliveries to Warranties, to Service Calls during/after Warranty.
The passion you have for your Kitchen, we have for the Appliances.
Stephan Byns @ Midland Appliance
Looking for Design Advice?
Look me up!
I’m happy to help walk you through YOUR Appliance (or Kitchen Design) journey, whether for one hour or an entire Design Package.
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Kitchen e-Design Partial or Full Design Services$1,000.00 – $8,000.00 -
Kitchen e-Design 4hr Space Plan Consult$600.00 -
Kitchen e-Design 1hr VIrtual Consult$250.00
IGTV with Stephan Byns of Midland Appliance
Watch this chat with Stephan Byns of Midland Appliance for more tidbits!
CONTACT Me for Quotes on Your Full Kitchen Design Package
