Namely a Thermador range
and a Miele dishwasher
(note the cute silverware tray at the top)
And no, I haven't won the lottery. I just got very lucky at Karl's Appliance "backroom bargains" (now that I've safely got mine, I don't mind sharing the tip) - each of them is open-box, never installed or assembled, hugely discounted, with the full manufacturer's warranty. The Thermador has an infinitesimal scratch on it (a picture's worth a thousand words, but a scratch, apparently, is worth more than a thousand dollars). I can't even find the scratch on the Miele (maybe someone just changed their mind about it).
But every fairy tale has its wicked witch, and mine is Where To Put The Microwave. My kitchen design (as you may recall) provided for a microwave over the stove. But since the Thermador burns hot enough to smelt iron (almost), the manual explicitly forbids putting a microwave over it and strongly recommends a hood so that the cabinets don't catch fire. (I therefore bought a hood -
- the least obtrusive, least pretentious one I could find, since there's little point having a big metal "chimney" extend up to what everyone knows is the upstairs neighbor's flat.)
Not that I was thrilled with the microwave-over-the-stove idea anyway - I'm only 5'0", and I foresaw a baptism in hot soup some unlucky day. But where else to put it? Not on my very-limited counterspace, where it would look like an afterthought. Not in a top cabinet (because it would mean making the top cabinets deeper, and losing many of the shelves I can reach). Not a micro-drawer (because it would swallow half my drawer space). The best I can think of so far is a small microwave that hangs over the countertop, to the right of the sink.
My contractor and I are tearing our hair out over this. Clever solutions welcome. Kitchen plan here.
