In paid partnership with Bosch:
Thank you so much for all your positive feedback on the summer cottage kitchen renovation plans I shared with you last week. I'm starting to feel so excited now! There's just one thing left to do before we rip everything out: choose the appliances. We knew early on that we'd go for Bosch since we've had their white goods for years and they're a perfect fit with IKEA kitchens - but now I realise that's only the beginning. There are other decisions to make. Like, do I go integrated or visible? And which model? Guh! I paid a visit to Elgiganten here in Malmö a few weeks ago to take a look at the options and I've finally narrowed it down to this:
FRIDGE FREEZER
To be seen or not to be seen - that's the question! At home our fridge is on display but at the cottage I'm thinking that it's since it's a small space, it would be nice to go for a cleaner finish by hiding it behind the cabinet doors (inspired by the image below).
After a little deliberation I've gone for this streamlined model which is designed to be hidden behind cabinet fronts. Apart from the fact that it would more than cater for our summer wine and cheese (which is our No.1 priority, of course!) it also has a low energy consumption (A++), saving 25% compared to fridge/freezers with energy class A. Nice! It also features NoFrost technology, so we'll never need to defrost it (our kids seem to be incapable of closing a door so it usually looks like the arctic in our freezer) which leaves more time to enjoy... well, the wine and cheese!
OVEN
We have a built-in oven at home (seen below - note: this is an older Bosch model which is no longer sold) and I love that they take up less space than a range cooker and you can fit more storage around them as a result. Vital in a teeny space!
Since the oven will be on show, the design is important, and to me, this is the sleekest one in the range! Admittedly, I'm unlikely to appear on MasterChef anytime soon, but I do love to make a Sunday roast (you can take a girl out of England....) so, naturally I love that this comes with a built-in meat probe known as 'PerfectRoast'. All you need to do is insert the thermometer and enter the desired temperature. The oven will let you know when your food is ready and turn off the heat! No more overcooked roasts (can you hear my family breathe a sigh of relief?!). I'm also liking the self-cleaning function which turns all the dirt to ashes, so you never need to clean the oven by hand. Amen to that! 
HOB
Our current cottage stove has seen better days (understatement!) so anything will be an improvement. But since we only plan on updating our kitchen every 50 years (the last time it was 'done up' was in the 1970s) we might as well go state-of-the-art with an induction cooktop. Plus, induction hobs look so neat and. are really easy to clean - as exhibited in the beautiful Danish kitchen below!
As soon as I saw this one, I felt super excited! Not only does it have a FlexInduction feature which, I learned, means you can use it like a conventional induction cooktop (4 rings) or combine them to make two large, continuous cooking zones - which is awesome for feeding larger crowds. It also has a 'FryingSensor Plus' which essentially means we can fry our food to perfection (cue no more over cooked and under cooked meatballs in the same serving = very happy kids!). It also has a string of other benefits which you can read about here.
I love a visible fan as much as the next person but once again, we need the cabinet space (minimalists we are not). So instead, we're going for a hood that's practically invisible when not in use, and once pulled out it has the most amazing capacity to clear out the kitchen fast and it's super quiet (if I still manage to burn something with my new oven and hob - no one will ever need know!). What's not to love?!
DISHWASHER
There may or may not be a dishwasher lurking behind the beautiful cabinets in Anna Pirkola's Finnish kitchen, but that's just how I like it! So, for this appliance, I'm going all in 'invisible'.
We were actually tempted to go for a 45cm dishwasher until a friend pointed out that we'd spend our entire time unloading and reloading it (especially as the kids seem to go through 25 glasses an hour in the summer - do you find the same?!). Which brings me to my next point. And no, unfortunately it doesn't put everything back into the cupboards for us, although that would be amazing! But it is super efficient. The VarioSpeed Plus option rinses three times faster. So, if we've got a back-log of glasses (likely), we can reduce the rinse time by up to 66% at the push of a button. Ha! You won't beat us kids!
So, that's where I'm at.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on my choices and please do share your own experiences, I'd love to hear any tips you might have.
It really does feel like we can actually start tearing out the existing kitchen any day now - woohoooo! Let the fun begin!
Niki
Photography credits: 1. Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home 2. Photography: Osman Tahir, Stylist and Home owner: Catrine Åberg / Cooee Design 3. Bosch Home 4. Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home 5. Bosch Home 6. Our Food Stories 7 & 8 Bosch Home 9. Anna Pirkola 10. Bosch Home
*This series is in paid collaboration with Bosch. However, all words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too.
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