Elevating Our Kitchen: A Full Kohler and Café Appliances Review

Jennifer Lake GE Cafe Refrigerator
Refrigerator: Café Counter-Depth Four Door French Door Refrigerator | Coffee Maker: Café Specialty Drop Coffee Maker | Faucet: Kohler Crue Faucet in Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass

As the heart of the home, kitchens are truly the ultimate place for gathering, cooking, creativity, and creating memories with family and friends. We spend SO much time in our kitchen – especially after work just conversing about the day. After living in our home in Chicago for five years, we wanted to elevate our appliances and create a harmonious blend of function and sophistication. The result has been nothing short of transformative. Today, I want to take you behind-the-scenes of the transformation, along with our comprehensive Kohler and Café Appliances review.

Jennifer Lake Cafe Appliances Kohler

While some products were gifted, this review has not been paid for by either brand, and this post features our honest thoughts and insights.

Kohler and Café Appliances Review

When we moved into our primary home, we loved it came with high-end, luxury appliances. “Amazing,” we thought. After all, we weren’t in a position to purchase new appliances after putting a big downpayment on the home (and committing to a much higher mortgage amount than we were used to).

Soon, we realized those appliances were too good to be true. Yikes.

In fact, I question if they were refurbished appliances to begin with, which often happens in homes (and even in new builds). Plus, the former homeowners (and former renter) drove the appliances into the ground. Truly. Our dishwasher never fully dried our dishes. Our microwave light went out so we couldn’t even see the actual time or time left when cooking dishes. Additionally, the range barely worked and cooked everything super hot.

After living through the pandemic and upping our cooking game, the appliances started to be a big issue. It was time for a change.

The Star of the Show: Café Appliances Double-Oven Range

The range itself? Game-changer.

What stands out the most for us is the dual oven design. Friends, this aspect of the range has been a HUGE help for me and Bob. We often just use the smaller over to cook a small dish for dinner since there’s just two of us in the smaller oven. Pre-heating is fast, and we can eat, clean, and get on with our day. LOVE that.

Cafe Appliances Review
Faucet: Kohler Crue Faucet in Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass | Coffee Maker: Café Specialty Drop Coffee Maker | Dishwasher: Café Smart Stainless Steel Dishwasher | Toaster: Café Express Finish Toaster | Range: Café Double-Oven Range with Convection | Microwave: Café Over the Range Microwave Oven

Plus we can cook a sumptuous main course alongside a delectable dessert simultaneously, where needed.

Also, the six-burner cooktop element has been epic, and I’m also able to achieve precise boiling so quickly. Trust me, as someone who lives by the phrase, “time is money,” those precious seconds are incredibly helpful in making our days more efficient.

Plus, Café Appliances offers video-guided recipes via their app, especially those evenings when I’m not feeling particularly experimental (and tired).

Moreover, with the heat circulation in the range has given us impeccable results each time. Moreover, the no-preheat Air Fry feature? Let’s just say our healthier “fried” dishes have been the talk of many dinners.

Harmonious Design and Functionality: Café Appliances Customizable Professional Collection

The opportunity to customize hardware finishes has been such a delightful touch. As someone who lives and breathes fashion, I’m all for a mixed metal moment. 🙂

Kohler Brass Faucet
Coffee Maker: Café Specialty Drop Coffee Maker | Faucet: Kohler Crue Faucet in Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass

When interior designs truly complement your home’s unique textures, patterns, and materials, a balanced, warm ambience naturally follows. We chose the new Brushed Brass finish, but it also comes in Flat Black which provides a modern touch of elegance.

The Epitome of Convenience: Kohler Crue Touchless Kitchen Sink Faucet

The Kohler Crue faucet? The embodiment of modern elegance. I love this faucet SO much. The clean, contemporary design seamlessly meshes with our kitchen’s aesthetic. Plus, the touchless activation? Pure brilliance. There’s something incredibly gratifying about watching the faucet spring to life with a simple wave, especially during those busy cooking sessions after work when we’re already tired (and hangry, lol).

Kohler Crue Faucet

Compact Yet Powerful: Café Appliances Convection Microwave Oven

Adding to our appliance collection is this magnificent Café Appliances microwave. Where do I start? First, the light actually works (lol). Also, I adore it has an Air Fryer option and perfect to quickly complete veggies and beyond. The Chef Connect feature, in particular, simplifies several steps, proving to be an invaluable ally in our (attempted) culinary endeavors.

Cleanliness Reimagined: Café Appliances Smart Stainless Steel Interior Dishwasher

Beyond aesthetics, this dishwasher has been a revelation in how we approach cleaning. From its meticulous precision cleaning to the unmatched drying capabilities, it’s genuinely elevated our cleaning standards.

GE Cafe Stainless Appliances

Storing with Style: Café Appliances French-Door Refrigerator

Oh, how we love this fridge. The Convertible Drawer has transformed our food and beverage storage as we’re able to customize temperature settings – whether for a bottle of wine or for snacks. And the Hands-free Autofill on the exterior of the fridge for water? So convenient!

Tuckernuck Feather Dress
Refrigerator: Café Counter-Depth Four Door French Door Refrigerator | Faucet: Kohler Crue Faucet in Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass

Elevated Mornings and Midday Breaks

Coffee, how we love thee. Bob and I have always been big coffee drinks, so starting the day with the Café Appliances Coffee Maker has been a true delight. I especially love the built-on Wi-Fi, which gives us the chance to personalized each brew to perfection.

Not to be overshadowed, the Café Appliances Toaster has an express mode that perfectly toasts our assortment of breads every time. We’ve been using Bob’s old toaster from COLLEGE, and it was absolutely horrific. This upgrade has been a huge transformation (especially since I love bags, breads… basically any carb lol).

Jennifer Lake Yellow Feather Dress

And for those days when I need that midday pick-me-up? The Café™ AFFETTO Automatic Espresso Machine + Frother never disappoints. That one-touch brew feature, paired with the option to customize my espresso via the SmartHQ app, has been sheer perfection.

In Closing

This renovation has been about more than just aesthetics. Every piece, every function, has brought a level of refinement and simplicity to our daily routines. From enjoying gourmet meals to the ease of cleaning up, our life has taken a turn towards the luxurious yet approachable. The GE Café Appliances have not just transformed our kitchen; they’ve enriched our lives. Every meal, every drink, now feels like an experience. And in this busy world, that’s truly priceless.

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  1. A
    Amy wrote:

    Hello! We are building our first home and I love your kitchen! 😍 I’ve been debating which cabinet color so go with…. Simply White, Greek Villa, White Dove…. etc. So many options. Your cabinets are beautiful with the mixed metals of gold and stainless appliances. Can I ask what color cabinets you have?

    I will also be going with Cafe appliances. I have been debating between matte white and stainless. Your kitchen has decided that for me… stainless for the win! So beautiful!

    Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful kitchen,
    Amy

    Published 1.2.24 · Leave a Reply
    • J

      Oh my gosh! So so nice of you to say. My apologies for the delay in responding. Because we repainted our kitchen cabinets after moving in, we needed to custom color match the white trim that was already in the kitchen. As such, I sadly don’t have an actual color name to share. However, I can share that Benjamin Moore is my absolute favorite white color for our home, and we plan to use it throughout our new lake home!

      Published 1.26.24 · Leave a Reply
  2. j
    jenn wrote:

    Wondering if you have a link or name for the handle pulls you used? love them!

    Published 1.13.24 · Leave a Reply
    • J

      Aw, thanks so much! Our kitchen cabinet door/drawer pulls are by Emtek, and the style is called “Alexander.” Have a lovely weekend ahead!

      Published 1.26.24 · Leave a Reply

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