How to Select Your Kitchen Appliances

This post has been sponsored by Howard’s; however, all opinions are my own.

Sharing today on how to select your kitchen appliances! Did you know kitchen appliance shopping can be… FUN?

Are you the kind of person that can visualize something in your head and make it come to life? Or do you need to touch and feel and see the real thing to get inspired? Most of us are a bit of both.

I find that designing kitchens is such an artistic and creative outlet for me.  Kitchens really express a family’s personality and are the heart of the home. Once I start to source the materials and get detailed with my blueprint, I start with the big stuff. The “workhorses” of the kitchen – and a huge chunk of the kitchen budget – are, of course, the appliances. When you find a line that works for beauty, budget, and most of all quality (with lots of smart technology thrown in), you’ve got a winner. That’s been the Monogram line for me in my latest kitchen designs. 

Designing and picking appliances is overwhelming for the average consumer. A great tool for me in my design has been Howard’s beautiful flagship store in Long Beach’s Marina Pacifica Shopping District. It’s the perfect launching-off place for kitchen design inspo, or to bring your vision together. Some families don’t need all the kitchen bells-and-whistles, sometimes my families want something professional grade. The product specialists at Howard’s are totally perfect at playing matchmaker with all of their knowledge of each line. I need the experts in that area to make sure I get the best form AND function for each project, within budget. Howard’s has really helped me and my clients make final appliance decisions with confidence because we could see, touch, and experience the Monogram appliances in-action throughout the store.  How loud is the laundry machine going to be? Go ahead and run it and see! These live vignettes were totally affirming when making big kitchen choices. They have even taken their appliance on the road all over the county in partnership with Dwell. Super fun interactive experience I suggest checking out if they are coming to your town!

The actual design of the kitchen with Howard’s product specialists was made so much easier because they really set up their store to work with designers.  I had access to a conference room to meet with my clients and the product specialists – layout plans, and make a home base. Perhaps the most stress-reducing part of my experience was working with the Monogram Trade Program. Believe it or not, designers have panicky thoughts about ordering the wrong size or specs for their kitchens. We take that stress from the clients and put it on ourselves. Working with the Monogram collection was a dream in that regard. The Monogram Trade Profession Resource Center literally has every last spec and detail of the appliances at my fingertips. Their appliances were also available to place directly into my kitchen 3D design tool which took so much of the ‘install day” stress away from me. 

So in a nutshell, when you have great partners, it IS possible to have fun picking out appliances for your new kitchen design! Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

XOXO, 

Bethany