Your house is full of things that make it feel like home. Your soft bed, your solid wood furniture, your computer, your bookshelves and the books that fill them are all a part of what makes your space yours. In this context, your dryer, freezer, oven, or dishwasher might feel something less than uniquely yours. Make no mistake, though: your appliances are a key part of your daily life in your home.
Like your furniture, your appliances can lend a certain look to a room. They’re also objects of convenience, of course (you can thank your refrigerator’s ice maker for the fact that you don’t have to wait for the ice delivery man every week). And they’re big investments, too. A stove can easily cost as much as even the fanciest piece of solid wood furniture, and it’s even more likely to need repairs later on.
Understanding the role that your appliances play in your home can help you create a more beautiful space, build a more convenient routine, and secure a brighter financial future. Let’s talk about how.
Looking Good
Your washing machine and dryer aren’t there to look good; they have a job to do. At the same time, though, there’s a reason that showroom models are shiny and sleek. Manufacturers understand that nobody wants an ugly appliance. And while your appliances don’t always need to be showroom-new, they should at least look good in the context of your home.
What does this mean? It means understanding the “look” of your room and choosing appliances that serve your goals. A new oven can make a kitchen more functional and more convenient (and we’ll talk more about that in a moment), but an oven is also something that is going to be clearly visible in your kitchen. Even if you eat most of your meals in the dining room, you probably want your kitchen to look good. Who doesn’t?
So, consider your environment and look for a match. If you have a piece of beautiful solid wood Amish furniture in your kitchen, then you’ll want an oven, stove, refrigerator, and freezer that look like they belong alongside it. You probably won’t find a wooden refrigerator (and you probably wouldn’t want one if you did — a maple veneer on a fridge is not exactly a good look), but you can at least be mindful of how your quality furniture and its wood type would look next to different materials. Would the brushed steel LG model look best? Perhaps. Is a traditional white fridge a good choice for a kitchen full of red oak? Decide carefully.
Modern Convenience
Most of us don’t think of doing the dishes as a great experience. But when you consider why your dishwasher is there, you might reconsider. When you don’t have a dishwasher, you’re the dishwasher — and in the year 2020, most of us would rather not be doing that chore by hand.
Take this idea further and you’ll realize that a better experience and a better daily routine in your home is possible through superior appliances. The most important objects in your home look good and function well. Your dining table is beautiful, but also serves a vital purpose and brings your family together. Your appliances aren’t just necessary evils; they’re your path to a happier and more convenient home life. Invest in them wisely.
Money Matters
Your Frigidaire freezer and your Whirlpool washer may be convenient and beautiful things, but they sure aren’t cheap. Heading to Sears or Best Buy to get a new appliance can be fun, but it’s rough on the wallet. No wonder most people don’t get excited about appliances.
Just how expensive appliances can be, though, is within your control — to an extent, anyway. You can avoid the cost of a new appliance by keeping your old one up and running. Just call experts like those at Oregon Appliance Repair for a service call. (You’ll have to call someone in your area, of course; Oregon Appliance Repair serves Portland Oregon, Central Oregon, and Eugene.) Investing in regular repairs and maintenance can keep your machine running for longer, saving you the cost of a replacement. As long as you find experts who do great work in a timely manner, you’ll maintain the convenience of your appliances without spending so much money on a new fridge, ice maker, or microwave every time something goes wrong with your old one.
Of course, sometimes the best way to save money is to get a new model. Efficient, energy-saving modern devices can sometimes outperform older models so dramatically that you’ll quickly make back the up-front cost in energy bill savings. If you’re not sure, speak to your repair company’s service personnel and ask for tips.