I’m toying with the notion of bisque/biscuit (depends on the manufacturer) appliances (rather than my keenly sought-after yet very pricey Jenn-Air oiled bronze) to fade into Kraftmaid’s Oatmeal Glaze cabinets.
I’ve visited Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Expo … and I can’t find a bisque/biscuit appliance anywhere — to hold up next to the Kraftmaid cabinets to see if this is a brilliant idea or a really dumb one.
Some web sites are claiming that bisque is the new neutral, and Consumer Reports keeps it among the top 3 finishes.
The snooty man at Expo (who is after all working at Expo in overalls and I don’t mean that in an ugly way) pointed out to me in a rather derisive, ugly way that it is a very low-end finish.
I’m ok with low-end remarks from the snarky man at Expo, particularly as GE and Maytag have the new French-door, sort-of high end (certainly not low-end in terms of price) refrigerators and other matching appliances.
What do you think?
Do I spend $50K on a kitchen remodel to end up with potentially tacky 1950s appliances?
I’m torn.
I’ll know better when I can see the cabinets next to the appliances. (Looks like I’ll have to “rent” a door and go to the local discount appliance dealer or Sears, which I guess the Expo guy would consider low end too, lol). I have a feeling the oatmeal is too gray for the bisque, but we’ll see.
I look forward to your feedback.
Filed under: dream house renovation and construction
If you intend to live in this house for a long time, don’t worry about what is or is not in fashion. Go for a cohesive look that you like. By the time you are ready to sell, the fashion will be different than it is now, so it’s an impossible moving goal post.
If you think you’ll sell within the next 5 years, go with as neutral as you can without 1) making it totally washed out and 2) denying your own style.
That’s my advice, anyway!
PS – I really wanted all *white* appliances — but ended up with biscuit (I didn’t buy anything high end enough to be “bisque”) Turns out white is now a specialty color (probably because the biscuit is the “in” color) and so it was more expensive. Go figure.
Hi Carol: It was nice of Joanie to put the link up.
Thanks for the feedback. The bisque/biscuit appliances are pretty — in spite of what the salesman at Expo said, lol. They don’t seem to work, though, with the Kraftmaid cabinets and the granite I’m leaning toward. I finally found a Home Depot that had biscuit and allowed me to put it next to the Oatmeal Glaze and the Kashmir White. I may wind up going with the bronze after all … we’ll see! Take care and thank you for commenting. g
Umm, about the granite …
Are you sure? I mean it’s really the “in” thing, right now, and the look is extremely elegant, but …
Well, these are the reasons I didn’t go for it:
1) It’s very fragile. Brittle things break easily, and granite counters are very brittle.
2) It’s very porous. That means it will stain easily and hold stains.
3) To avoid #2, you have to get the right surface coating. That has to be *reapplied* at least once per year. (I’d never keep it up …)
4) It’s very heavy. If you use it, be sure you’ve got the right supports.
But, if *you* like it, then that’s what counts!
Hi Carol: I don’t intend to sell soon (famous last words). I hope to retire (die, lol) in this house.
I have granite now (rough-hewn, tiled in my kitchen, solid in the bath, and polished at the beach) and I haven’t done any maintenance on it. It has held up well over five years. Maybe I’ve just lucked out?
However, with the market being what it is in Florida, I may wind up with plywood counters when I get to doing the inside of the new house.
Stay tuned …
g
p.s. I tried to tell the man at Expo that biscuit was the new stainless but he looked at me like I was from an alien universe.
This is my first visit to your blog– via the NYTimes completed Dream House pages– and all I can say is: what a relief that there’s someone out there who doesn’t want stainless appliances!! I had “bisque” in my home when I moved in 3 years ago– but stove and fridge were both past their useful lives, and I opted for black replacements (without stainless accents!), and love it!
Hi Anlar: Thank you for stopping by! Ah, the brisk farewell from A&P. But I’ll probably write about that in a post.
I don’t mind stainless. It looks nice in other people’s kitchens. And actually it looks nice in my current kitchen. But I really wanted to get away from it.
If only almond would come back. That would match my cabinets!
Black is always an option. I’ll be basically babbling for several months/years (depends on the Florida housing market, lol) about finishes and plans for the inside of new house — and change my mind a zillion times.
Right now I’m exploring greener options so it’s probably handy to have lots of time to find out the best way to go for me.
But I’ll look forward to and carefully file away all advice for the day I have to make decisions.
Stay tuned and drop by when you can! Take care. g
I got a bisque frig for year or two ago. I am shopping for a bisque dishwasher. But then again, I like my countertops, which date back to the 1980s and certainly aren’t granite, whatever they are. (Is it called laminate? It’s a short step up from linoleum
If there’s anything that is not on my criteria list, it’s what is fashionable.
I believe you can get appliances painted. A special paint, of course, and people who know how to do it. So you could probably get almond that way.
Hi Trudy: I missed your comment. I apologize. That’s a great idea. Buy bisque and have it painted almond. Hmmm … I shall ponder that. Thanks for stopping by! g
Hi Carol, I too was the I like white person. I just planned my kitchen and went with the light maple cabinets, bisque appliances and as for the countertops I ordered silestone kona beige for some contrast. The pulls and knobs will be brushed nickel like the faucet. I never had the opportunity to do the planning of all before. Silestone is made from quartz and is cleaner and safer than granite with no special care and is a lot more durable. Will not stain either. I can’t wait to see it all come together. No matter material or color it all boils down to what we like and want for our kitchens anyway.
Thank you Thank you
I was wondering if I was the only Crazy person out here wanting Bisque appliances. I am using Shenandoah Cabinetry Cream and the Bisque matches perfect.
Thanks again
Hi Wanda: You aren’t crazy. But the folks in the Big Box stores will lead you to think so if you ask for bisque! Thanks for stopping by!
I have the same problem. Love the bisque appliances, but I am getting Kraftmaid Muslin maple cabinets. Any idea whether that would be a match?
Hi: Thanks for writing. The muslin is very pretty. The only way to know how they’ll look together is to put a cabinet door next to an appliance.
I found that bisque has too much yellow next to oatmeal, which has a lot of gray. To my eye, the bisque was warm toned and the oatmeal cabinets cool.
Let me know how it turns out after you’ve had a chance to look at them together.
Thanks for stopping by!