Kitchen Remodel Update: Our New Café Appliances

How To Wear A Tunic Sweater
By Jess
14 Mar 2023

I can’t believe it has been four years since our kitchen remodeling project in the RI house. It was so much fun. And we still love all of our intentional choices for updating the space and our Café appliances. It is fun to reflect back on all the work we did and be able to enjoy it for years to come. We’ve had a great experience with Café appliances, even using them again in our Vermont house. Over the years I’ve heard from so many people who’ve purchased Café Appliances after seeing our renovation or are thinking about it. I wanted to share this post again with some thoughts after using them for four years.

I think I’ve said it about a million times now, but these appliances look like they were made for our kitchen design. The kitchen layout makes cooking, cleaning and eating feel so natural and enjoyable. When we did the most recent update (paint, hardware, fixtures) we had Café Appliances in mind (I talk more about that here) but I really had no idea just how incredible they’d look in our home. The appliances come in two different designs including Matte White and Matte Black. We pretty much knew right away we wanted to go with Matte White and it just totally brightens up the space. (I do love the Matte Black and am thrilled we were able to use it in our Vermont house.)

Custom cabinets are expensive, so we decided to update the existing cabinetry since they were in good shape and paint them (more on the color here). Hardware was of course our second decision and we went with Brushed Bronze (you can see all the finish options here). It’s funny because in some lighting it looks almost copper, I think because we have a lot of copper accents in the kitchen. While we initially used plaster as a backsplash behind the oven, we eventually decided to add subway tiles in a greenish blue that works well with the cabinet color. We used birch butcher block from Home Depot for our countertop material and it has held up really well.

Kitchen Remodel: Before and After

From left: when we bought the house // first kitchen update // second update (paint, floors, fixtures)

Café Dual-Fuel Double Oven with Convection Range

I was so excited when I found out they made a dual-fuel double oven with convection range. We have natural gas. So I love having a built-in gas cooktop combined with the electric oven. Our old oven was the exact same size but only had five burners and this one has six. Might not seem like a big difference. At first I didn’t think it was, but I promise you, it is. Most notably because the cooktop comes with an integrated griddle option! I must confess we didn’t use it until recently and now we just leave it on because it is a game changer. Perfectly cook pancakes and eggs, stir fry veggies, make a panini, it’s one of our favorite features (especially Craig because he’s a pancake man).

Having the double oven is also ideal because we can cook multiple things at once using different temps if we need to (it was a dream for cooking Christmas dinner-first time we hosted too). How beautiful are those knobs? I just love how well they integrate with the brass and copper accents throughout the kitchen. Not only does the convection range save on cooking time but it is also energy efficient.

Café Stainless Interior Dishwasher

To be honest, I never gave much thought to dishwashers. Our old one didn’t work that great, it was ridiculously loud. But it wasn’t broken, so we didn’t replace it. It wasn’t until our new Café Appliance dishwasher was installed that I realized how amazing they can be. I told Craig I was writing this post and I asked him his thoughts on the dishwasher. He said, well I can tell you one “con” and I was sort of perplexed, “it’s so quiet you have to put your ear right up to it to see if it’s actually running.” Appliance jokes, haha. Seriously though, it’s SO quiet. We could only run our last dishwasher at night because it was so loud you couldn’t hear anything over it.

It also gets dishes SUPER clean, like no need to rinse anything again (ahem old dishwasher) and fast. It also has three racks, two shelves for dishes and a third for silverware (plus a silverware basket on the bottom rack).  One of my favorite features, aside from the fact that it’s basically silent, are the Bottle Jets, specifically designed for your reusable bottles, vases and other harder to clean canisters.

Café French Door Refrigerator with Hot Water Dispenser

You had me at Hot Water Dispenser. I remember watching this demo during the immersion event at the factory in Louisville and it made me giddy. There’s just something about being able to get hot water from the fridge. I think I drink more tea now because of it (and I think Craig makes me tea more often because he likes using it, haha). There’s tons of space in the fridge and freezer with lots of different storage solutions (I’ll do a separate post on how we have it organized). It’s so nice not to have to use the sink faucet and a kettle and have hot water ready to go whenever.

There’s also options for precise fill so you can choose the amount of water you want to dispense, a nice feature for cooking or if you’re trying to keep track of how much water you drink.  It’s also counter depth so has the look of a built in. Which in our tiny kitchen is freakin awesome!

Café Appliances Reviews

It’s been several years now since the appliances were installed. And honestly I can’t say enough good things about them. The overall quality is great and it still looks fresh and modern. There are so many different types of kitchen appliances to choose from and such a wide range, it can be hard to know which ones to choose. Our kitchen renovations and updates over the last several years has made is such an enjoyable place to cook and enjoy meals. Kitchen remodel costs can be incredibly expensive. But doing it over several years, and handling most of the work ourselves helped keep it manageable.

Instead of tearing out the entire kitchen, we worked with the existing layout and saved money on things like kitchen cabinets and countertops by going with a more affordable material. Overall I would definitely recommend Café Appliances again and again. If you’d like to see how the Matte Black Café Appliances look check out our Vermont Kitchen Renovation!

This post is sponsored by Café Appliances. All opinions expressed are my own.

Disclosure: if you buy something through the links on this blog, we may earn an affiliate commission. We only feature products we would personally recommend. Thank you for your support.

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51 Comments

  1. Rach wrote:

    I am OBSESSED with your kitchen applicants! This is the first I heard of this brand, but for sure keeping it in mind when we do end up fixing up our kitchen!

    http://www.rdsobsessions.com

    1.23.19 | Reply
    • Jessica wrote:

      Thanks Rach! Let me know if you have any other questions about them. They are amazing I could talk about them all day haha.

      1.23.19 | Reply
  2. Rachelle wrote:

    You guys did an amazing job on this kitchen, love how it’s more open and bright.

    xo
    Pinksole

    1.23.19 | Reply
    • Jessica wrote:

      Thank you so much Rachelle. Definitely nice how much brighter it is now. xx

      1.23.19 | Reply
  3. Cory wrote:

    Your kitchen is so gorgeous. I just love the color palette and those appliances…wow!

    1.23.19 | Reply
  4. Nancy wrote:

    It looks great! The evolution photos really show the impact from every change you made, love that.

    Where’s your microwave though?!

    1.23.19 | Reply
    • Jessica wrote:

      It’s in the pantry, I had an electrician install a plug in there. And to be honest we really almost never use it, so basically it’s there for popcorn when we eat that. Haha.

      1.24.19 | Reply
      • Nancy wrote:

        What a smart idea! And hey, we all understand the need for popcorn! ?

        1.24.19 | Reply
  5. Natalie wrote:

    Hi Jessica, I came over from your instagram and love everything you post. I noticed your kitchen doesn’t have a backsplash. Do you have a trim against the back wall, or just the countertop goes straight back? Has it been easy to keep the wall clean behind the sink? thank you!!

    1.24.19 | Reply
    • Jessica wrote:

      We don’t have any trim or backsplash. The wall in the kitchen is plaster, so it’s easy to wipe/keep clean.

      1.24.19 | Reply
  6. Monica wrote:

    Love this kitchen renovation – where are your new pendant lights from?

    1.26.19 | Reply
  7. Cristina wrote:

    Hi Jess, love your rug! Where is it from?

    1.27.19 | Reply
    • Jessica wrote:

      Hi Christina, the runner is from New England Loom and the larger one is from Southern Loom

      1.28.19 | Reply
  8. Corey Behnke wrote:

    Hi there!

    Just wondering where this fridge is from, what brand it is/ model number! I love it!!!

    4.18.19 | Reply
  9. Hey Jess! I love your new blog redesign! We are considering the exact same Cafe appliances and were wondering which hood you are using above your range? I would love the details if you can please share! Thank you 🙂 xx Chrissy

    4.24.19 | Reply
    • Jessica wrote:

      Thanks Chrissy. We have the regular stainless steel Cafe hood.

      4.24.19 | Reply
  10. Kelly wrote:

    Hi there!! We are about to purchase cafe’ appliances ? but I was wondering if you kept your same amazon hardware or switched them to match the brushed bronze handles of the appliances? Trying to find ones that will match!! Thank you!

    5.27.19 | Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Yes we kept the same hardware!

      5.27.19 | Reply
  11. Jan Hazewski wrote:

    Jess…..thanks for sharing your beautiful kitchen. I, too, love my new matte black with burnished bronze handles – so distinctive. My kitchen is black and white with a brick floor and wood accents. I am having trouble matching the brass/copper unique finish of the Cafe handles. It looks like you used a little brass and a little copper for accents in your kitchen. I really am trying to match the Cafe color and am having no luck. Do you have any suggestions of a hardware company to try?

    6.9.19 | Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      I actually didn’t match my hardware I have several different golds, copper and bronze but I think they all work together. I found our hardware on build.com they have a huge selection. Maybe also try rejuvenation.

      6.10.19 | Reply
  12. Laughlin wrote:

    Hi Jess! Your blog has been wonderful and such an inspiration. My husband and I cant wait to completely re-do a fixer upper. We move every 2 years (US military) so we are counting down the years (4.5 left) until we buy our home! I couldn’t find it anywhere on the blog, but Id love to know where you bought the wooden/metal pineapple canisters on your open shelving in the kitchen near the fridge in the first few photos in this post.

    6.25.19 | Reply
  13. Sophia Evans wrote:

    what is the color you used on the cabinets? LOove

    7.5.19 | Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      You can find all the info here jessannkirby.com/shop

      7.6.19 | Reply
  14. Tina wrote:

    What is the brand of the faucet you used and the finish on it? We purchased the same white matte appliances with the brushed bronze hardware. We are trying to figure out what faucet color would look best.

    12.18.19 | Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Delta faucet in champagne bronze

      12.19.19 | Reply
      • Kris wrote:

        Stunning space! Love the green cabinets!

        We ordered the cafe appliances and are looking at a Delta faucet. Does the Champaign Bronze match or coordinate well with the Cafe handles? Thanks!

        4.6.21 | Reply
        • Jess wrote:

          Hi Kris, I wouldn’t say it matches exactly but I think they go well together.

          4.7.21 | Reply
  15. Melissa Reyna wrote:

    Hi! Love this project, you did a beautiful job! Where did you get those drawer pulls?

    Thanks,
    Melissa

    4.22.20 | Reply
  16. We are renovating our kitchen and had these appliances installed on Saturday! I found your blog doing a search for photos. I am having a hard time selecting my kitchen faucet and cabinet hardware to match the brushed bronze. What did you use?

    6.15.20 | Reply
  17. Becky wrote:

    I was just wondering where you found your kitchen hardware to match the brushed bronze cafe appliances. Yours looks great and having a hard time finding a color that is similar to the cafe appliances. Thank you!

    8.8.20 | Reply
  18. Alex wrote:

    Hi Jess! I love your kitchen so much, it’s beautiful! Where did you get your hanging fruit basket?? It’s so cute! Thanks 🙂

    8.14.20 | Reply
  19. Chelsie wrote:

    I just ordered these appliances!!! But where are your barstools from!!?

    12.18.20 | Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      So exciting! We just got the matte black for our VT house. The barstools are called the Jani by Justina Blakeney

      12.19.20 | Reply
  20. Christine wrote:

    Hi there, lovely kitchen! So we just got the Cafe range that you have pictured here, but I’m concerned about the cast iron griddle it came with sticking. Did you season it first? Thanks! ?

    12.23.20 | Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Hi Christine, we didn’t season it. We don’t use it as much as we used to (no particular reason just switched it out and left it that way) but we’ve had no issues with it!

      1.1.21 | Reply
  21. Emanuela Marino Porter wrote:

    Can you let me know where the cabinet pulls are from? Also, I came to your site because I see you paired the white range with the stainless hood. I have had a very hard time finding a white under cabinet range hood to match that is not longer than 10″ in height. Seeing your pic makes me think the stainless will be fine! Beautiful kitchen!

    4.24.21 | Reply
  22. Mara wrote:

    Can I ask what color your cabinets pulls are? And did you seal or just oil your butcher block counters? We are also doing butcher block counters and getting matte white cafe line appliances with the bronze hardware. Thanks!

    8.13.21 | Reply
  23. Julie wrote:

    Hello – We just ordered the Cafe Matte Black appliances with the brushed bronzes handles. I am having a hard time finding a faucet and pulls to match. Your kitchen looks amazing. Would you mind sharing the what pulls or faucet you installed.

    Thank you!

    9.25.21 | Reply
  24. Lauren wrote:

    Hey Jess! What depth are your cabinets? I’m dying to get the cafe oven but it’s 3 inches deeper than my current oven and I’m worried it will stick out too far from my cabinets. Appreciate your help!

    10.26.21 | Reply
  25. Natasha wrote:

    Hi! DO you have a post on how you did the wood around the range hood?

    12.3.21 | Reply
  26. Stephanie Doolan wrote:

    I have these appliances and I’m obsessed with whatever color green that is that is on your cabinets!! Could you please send me the name??!! Your kitchen looks fabulous!!
    Thank you

    1.12.22 | Reply
  27. Colleen Bronder wrote:

    I have been coveting these Cafe Matte White appliances for over 2 years, shortly after we moved into our Texas Hill Country home. Of course, now that we are ready to buy, they are hard to come by; the oven and frig are indefinitely out of stock!

    We have stained (dark) knotty alder wood cabinets, which my husband is expertly painting S-W Riverway – a shade very similar to yours, albeit a bit more green to coordinate with our otherwise warmer toned decor. We are still deciding about countertops. I don’t want to look too farmhouse, so I’m leaning to granite it I can find the perfect one. Otherwise, we’re considering a boring quartz or Silestone.

    How do you like the appliances after 3 years of use? I see an induction cooktop in one of your posts so worry you may have already replaced them! Most reviews are glowing, but the range has some pretty serious negative comments – ovens not working at all and repairs taking several tries over several months!

    Hope to hear from you. Thanks!

    3.4.22 | Reply
    • Jess wrote:

      Hi Colleen. We have had a great experience with our Cafe appliances. We ended up getting them again for our Vermont house (which is probably why you’ve noticed an induction stove). We have gas in our RI house and induction in Vermont (mainly because we had gas hookups in RI and electric hookups in Vermont). I have to say I love induction particularly the easy cleanup. It takes a little getting used to but we love it. We’ve had no issues with our appliances, very happy all around.

      3.8.22 | Reply
  28. RM wrote:

    What is the length of the wall from the corner cabinet to the pantry cabinet?

    6.30.22 | Reply
  29. Victoria wrote:

    Hi, are you still loving your Cafe appliances?

    12.29.22 | Reply
  30. Cassie Stevenson wrote:

    Hi! What brand and color is your pull down kitchen faucet? I am having a hard time matching my matte white cafe appliances!

    4.22.23 | Reply
  31. Kate Shaughnessy wrote:

    Hi! Where did you find a faucet to match?! I am struggling!

    5.21.23 | Reply

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