Your stove is used far more often than your oven, unless you're a truly avid baker. Count up all the times over a month that you would have used a double oven. If it's fewer than 5, don't splurge on a double.
It's difficult to make sweeping generalizations about kitchen renovations and builds (other than the old "add 50% to the initial estimate!" rule — always a good idea!). Every kitchen is different, just as every cook has a slightly different set of desires and priorities. However, as I've researched and shopped for my own kitchen, which is being built from the ground up, I've made some trade-offs in costs and priority that, so far, seem worth it to me. Here are five of my own save/splurge decisions for a new kitchen.
Save: Lighting
Splurge: Windows
No matter what, lighting in a kitchen is very important. I would love to have some spendy modern pendants over the island and the dining table (why oh why do my tastes run to the Champagne in this area??) but it's not in the budget.
I chose instead to put money into high-quality awning windows with good hardware. There are full-length sidelights next to a sliding door, and more windows in the dining area. The cost of windows adds up, but this is the time to put them in. Other lighting is less important, and inexpensive pendants from IKEA can be easily replaced down the road.
Save: Faucet
Splurge: Sink
I predict this will be a controversial choice! The faucet is, after all, the most-frequently-used fixture in your kitchen. But as I have researched and shopped, I have found that some great faucets can be found from brands such as Grohe and Kohler, and they are often on sale at Amazon and Wayfair. You can get quite decent faucets for under $200.
Sinks, on the other hand, often cost more, and they are much more difficult to replace down the road. I am looking for a good although modestly-priced faucet, but I am buying the sink that I want.
Save: Oven
Splurge: Stove
Kitchen designer Susan Serra told me that the oven is the least-used appliance in most people's kitchens. Some folks don't even need an oven at all, especially with the advent of convection microwaves. Unless you're a frequent baker, prioritize your stove over your oven.
And, in my opinion, the stove doesn't need to be a high-powered faux-restaurant monster to be a good buy. I'm going for a more modestly-priced Bertazzoni rangetop, which is a fraction of the price of a BlueStar or Viking (although still the most expensive appliance in the kitchen). My oven is a used model (still in warranty!) that I found on Craigslist.
Save: Cabinets
Splurge: Cabinet doors and hardware
Cabinets are an interesting thing. On the one hand, they seem important. You want them to last a long time and wear well. But they are fixed to the floor, and are protected by the doors and surrounding appliances. Cabinet bases actually come in for less wear and tear than your sofa or dresser. I simply could not justify spending $30,000 for handmade wood-frame cabinets, and more importantly, it didn't seem necessary. I'm going for good old IKEA frames, which are perfectly solid and very customizable, with all the drawers I desire. But I am also getting...
... Custom doors. This is where a smart small splurge can make your kitchen look truly custom. I am ordering doors from Semihandmade, a company in California that makes doors for IKEA cabinets. Henrybuilt, for a fraction of the price. That's the idea, at least.
Save: Tile and backsplash
Splurge: Countertop
It's amazing how tile can add up, especially if you want to branch out beyond the ubiquitous subway tile. And if you want to take it all the way up to the ceiling — watch out! Tile creep, both in size of the installation and price of the tile itself, can add up fast. So think outside of the box for backsplashes. What about plexiglass or glass (maybe with bright fabric behind it)? Or a sheet of stainless steel?
I'm mostly forgoing a backsplash along my back wall, with the exception of a marble 4-inch rise. I know that I can easily add a more extensive backsplash later, if it seems necessary. For now, I want to put my money into my countertops. Nothing is quite as visible in your kitchen as your countertops and they are the primary surface you work on and clean every day. I knew I wanted stone, instead of the more economical laminate or butcher block surfaces. So that's where I'm putting the cash.
What about you? Did you save and splurge along these same lines? Or something else? Like I said, everyone has their own priorities, and there are always reasons to allocate money differently in different projects. Did you find smart ways to save and splurge in your own renovation or new kitchen build? I'd love to hear your tips!
Related: What Is Your Best Kitchen Renovation & Planning Advice?
(Images: 1. Leela Cyd Ross from Sophie and Iain's Elegant Yet Family-Focused Vegetarian Kitchen; 2. from Lilian's Sunlit Family Kitchen; 4. Gregor Torrence from Kitchen Tour: Food Writer Ivy Manning's Portland Kitchen; 5. Jill Slater from Cherry & Jeff's Oven-Less But Active Hong Kong Kitchen; 6. Kitchen Before & After: Heejoo's Open Floor Plan IKEA Renovation; 7. Rebecca Szeto from Kitchen Spotlight: San Francisco Sleek Yet Vintage Re-Do; 8. Leela Cyd Ross from Ryan's Stunning San Francisco Remodel. Leela Cyd Ross from Jessica & Charley's Chocolate Workshop and Handmade Home Kitchen)
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That's a great idea to get stock cabinets and custom doors. Filing that tip away for the future. Thanks!
I would add a subnote to the splurge for the stove-- splurge on the exhaust! It's one of the most helpful but underrated kitchen tools because it keeps your house from smelling like food all the time. It's rare to find exhaust (besides the ones that just recycle air) in NYC, where I live, but it's a must for someone who cooks frequently!
I would disagree about the oven - it's probably the most used appliance in my kitchen. I splurged on a Smeg oven, have had it over 10 years, and it's indispensable when I want to roast a few chickens or legs of lamb, or a whole big fish if I'm cooking for a crowd. The stove is much less important, I wouldn't even mind cooking on an electric one. Agree about getting the biggest, deepest sink you can afford. We also splurged on marble counters, which I regret - beautiful, but not practical.
"the oven is the least-used appliance in most people's kitchens"
*Insert Sheila Broflovski "What, What, WHAT?!"*
I love my oven because I bake regularly but I also roast chickens, pork and use my broiler in a year more than many do in a lifetime.
I've always had combination stove/ovens but that's because I'm not rich enough to have the nice dual wall ovens that I'd love to have.
I would be extremely wary of buying inexpensive, above-the-counter cabinets. A builder gutted our kitchen (before we bought our house) and used inexpensive, stock cabinets. They started pulling away from the wall within 2 years.
You definitely get what you pay for - it is worthwhile to buy the best quality cabinet innards you can find. You can always change out doors and handles later.
As a veteran of several kitchen gut-renovations (and, by extension, MANY more kitchen renovations done by my mother, a serial renovator herself and owner of 14 rental units) I agree wholeheartedly with your save/splurge advice. Particularly about the cabinets. My mother and I have both used IKEA cabinet carcasses multiple times and have nothing but praise for their sturdiness and affordability.
ps. if your cabinets pulled away from the wall, that's an installation fail, not a cabinet fail.
The Bertazzoni stoves look great, but if possible, choose one that has lightweight, smaller pan supports - ones that fit in the dishwasher, ideally. The heavy duty cast iron ones make sense in a pro kitchen, but in a domestic setting there is less slamming down of pans in haste. Cast iron supports are unwieldy, weigh a ton, and are no fun to clean, even if you have a pro-sized sink!
To me, the taste of food microwaved is inferior to that cooked on a stove or in an oven. I'm with the others regarding spending the $ on a quality oven. My microwave is in a closet in my pantry on a dedicated circuit. Where it sits, largely unused, save to melt butter when I am in a hurry. Popcorn? STOVE.
I agree on the microwave -- wish I could find one with minimal functions. I don't need a special key for hot dogs or popcorn or baked potatoes! Nor do I need it to be particularly high-powered. We have one that is over the stove, and it needs to be replaced -- with little counter space and no pantry, over the stove seems to be the best spot for it. I would pay $$$ for a unit that has a better fan and "worse" microwave. We use it all the time, but only for reheating plates of food, never for cooking.
And yeah, popcorn made on the stove is much better and not really any more trouble.
I have to disagree about the stove and oven. I've cooked on plenty of cheap stove tops, and they all do the job just fine. I honestly don't see much difference between the performance of a basic gas stove and a fancy one. But an oven that doesn't heat evenly or accurately can be a nightmare to use.
I guess maybe some people don't use their ovens much, but I use my oven a lot and I think it's the one thing I would splurge on.
Having interned at Real Life Kitchens & Baths magazine for over two years, I think your list is fantastic. You really seem to have your priorities straight for you, and that parlays into goo advice for other homeowners (though your advice on how it's different for everyone is also applicable). The magazine was all about helping people redo their kitchens (and baths) in a budget-friendly way without it looking like a "budget" kitchen, and all of your points are spot-on to what we often advocated to our readers, as well as what we found out from other homeowners who did similar upgrades!
If I had to pick one that stands out, then it's cabinets. Totally agree with @AmyFaith, if the cabinets are pulling away that's an installation issue. One of the best ways you can save is by using builder-grade cabinets and customizing them, whether it be through custom doors like you or through paint or whatever. Great list!
Good* advice for homeowners. Haha goo. You can tell how much copy editors love me.
A couple of days ago there was a similar AT post on bathrooms....where it said one of the two things you should splurge on is a faucet. Now I should be saving on that faucet. Gah!
@Leah M but bathrooms and kitchens are different in this respect, IMO. I'm redoing two bathrooms right now too, and you only need a small, shallow, inexpensive sink in most bathrooms. The kitchen sink is much more of a workhorse. So in the bathroom I focus my $$ more on the faucet. In the kitchen, I focus more on the sink.
Great article! I found it very informative.
I actually use my oven nightly since I prefer my vegetables roasted. I roast eggplant, peppers, potatoes, and even green beans.