KITCHEN APPLIANCE GUIDE

We specify appliances from a range of manufacturers depending on the client's budget and priorities. In rough order of how often we use them:

Caple

Our most specified brand and the one we recommend most often. British-based, competitive pricing, a strong product range, and reliable aftercare. Excellent at every price point and consistently overlooked by clients who have not come across them before. Start here.

Bosch

The workhorse of the kitchen appliance world. Extremely reliable, wide product range, and well-proven over decades. Middle-of-the-market pricing and a safe choice if you want recognised brand reliability without a premium price.

Neff

Part of the Bosch group, positioned a step above. Their Slide and Hide oven door is genuinely useful in kitchens where oven access is tight. Good finish quality and a broader range of features than standard Bosch.

AEG

Part of the Electrolux group. Well-engineered across the range, particularly strong on induction hobs and laundry appliances. Slightly higher price point than Bosch, usually justified.

Haier

Increasingly impressive at the budget end of the market. If you are spending wisely elsewhere and need to keep appliance costs down, Haier perform well for the price and have improved significantly in quality and reliability over the past few years.

Samsung

Tech-forward, good for clients who want smart home integration and connected appliances. Quality is solid, but the additional technology layer means more potential complexity if something needs servicing.

If budget requires some compromise, here is the order we would prioritise spending:

• Extraction first. The most underspecified appliance in nearly every kitchen we design. Poor extraction makes cooking genuinely unpleasant. Budget at least £400; ideally more.
• Hob second. You use it every day. A good induction hob is faster and more precise than most people expect before they try one.
• Oven third. Important, but used less than people think. A mid-range oven from Caple or Bosch does everything most households need.
• Fridge fourth. Buy the biggest you can sensibly fit in the space. You will fill it.

Prices vary significantly by brand. As a rough guide for a full set:

A set of Haier appliances typically comes to around £1,600–2,200.

Caple sits at around £2,200–2,800, which is where most of our clients land.

Bosch runs around £3,000–3,800 for the same specification.

AEG and Neff are broadly comparable, both in the region of £3,500–5,000 depending on the models chosen.

Samsung is similar to AEG.

Miele sits in a different bracket entirely, typically £6,000–10,000+ for an equivalent set, though the build quality and parts availability justify that for clients investing in a long-term kitchen.

Based on a set comprising: single oven, combination oven, induction hob, built-in extractor, integrated fridge freezer, and integrated dishwasher. Supply only, excluding installation. Prices vary with specific model selections.

Induction wins on cleaning, safety, speed, and precision. Gas wins on immediate visual feedback and works without electricity during a power cut. Most clients who switch to induction do not miss gas. One practical note worth knowing: induction hobs, particularly higher-powered models, often require their own dedicated electrical feed rather than running from a standard ring circuit. This can mean a cable needs retrofitting before installation, so it is worth raising with your electrician early. Plug-in induction hobs are available for situations where adding a dedicated feed is not practical, though these tend to be single-zone models.

Almost always. A kitchen that looks consistent whether it is in use or not feels significantly more considered. There is also a practical reason people do not often mention: freestanding appliances gather dust behind and underneath them, and give spiders somewhere to live. Integrated appliances sit flush and do not. The premium over freestanding is modest relative to the overall project cost.

A combination microwave oven is genuinely useful if you use both regularly. However, the combination oven is usually more expensive than a standard single oven, so only specify it if you know you will use the microwave function.

Our tip: plan the aperture at 450mm regardless, which is the standard height to accommodate a combi oven. If you fit a taller built-in microwave instead (standard microwaves sit at around 380mm), you keep the option to swap to a combination oven in the future without any structural changes. It is a small detail that gives you flexibility later.

Miele products last longer and perform consistently better than the field. If you are investing in a kitchen you will have for 20 years, a Miele oven amortises well. One thing most people do not know: Miele commit to manufacturing spare parts for 20 years after a product is discontinued. For clients who want a truly long-term investment, that matters. If budget is the priority, Caple or Bosch deliver very well for considerably less.