The 7 Most Underrated Luxury Appliances

Most people picture the usual suspects: the big pro range, the Sub-Zero fridge, and a super quiet dishwasher.

But the appliances that truly make your kitchen work, the ones that make cooking easier, your space more efficient, and your daily routine smoother, are often the most overlooked.

After helping thousands of homeowners and designers build kitchens across Boston, the Cape, and the Islands, we’ve noticed something: the most beloved appliances aren’t always the flashiest.

In fact, they’re often the ones no one asked about until we showed them.

So here are seven of the most underrated luxury appliances, the ones that don’t get top billing in the showroom.

They’ll end up being the most used, most appreciated, and hardest to live without.

The 7 Most Underrated Appliances

At a Glance:

1. Steam Ovens: Cook healthier and tastier meals with better texture, flavor, and nutrient retention.
2. Monogram Hearth Oven: A restaurant-style pizza oven that also sears, roasts, and caramelizes—fast and vent-free.
3. Galley Workstation Sinks: Turn your sink into a full prep and cleanup center with stackable, sliding accessories.
4. Pure Water Taps: Get clean, mineral-balanced water at every faucet without bottles, clutter, or waste.
5. Refrigerator Drawers: Hidden cooling where you need it most—perfect for snacks, drinks, and secondary storage.
6. Ventilation That Actually Works: Keep your kitchen clean and comfortable with powerful, properly vented hoods.
7. Luxury Laundry Anywhere: Ventless washers and dryers that go in closets, pantries, or nooks—no basement required.

Bonus Picks: Wine storage, beverage centers, and washer-dryer combos that save time and space.

1. Steam Ovens: Healthier Cooking with Better Taste

You probably think of steam for rice and vegetables. But it can do so much more.

Think of a steam oven as the reverse of a microwave. Steam adds moisture, while microwaves target it, which is why your food ends up limp, dry, or rubbery when nuked.

Brands like Miele, Wolf, and Gaggenau have made huge strides in steam technology.

You can now cook faster and more evenly, reheat leftovers without overcooking them, and even bake with more consistent results - all while keeping nutrients, texture, and flavor intact.

The best part? It’s simple. On my own Wolf steam oven, I hit Reheat Humid, and the oven does the rest, calculating the time and shutting off automatically.

The food tastes better than anything reheated on the stovetop, in the oven, or (especially) the microwave.

But what I like about the new steam ovens is you can cook much tastier food without being a chef.

🍲 Steam ovens are surprisingly easy to use, and the food quality is dramatically better. Once you’ve tried one, it’s hard to go back.

Best Steam Ovens to Consider: Wolf, Miele, and Gaggenau

🔍Read More: Best Steam Ovens

2. The Monogram Hearth Oven: The $10,000 Pizza Oven I Thought I’d Never Recommend

And now for a product I initially looked down on.

Why would I buy a pizza oven for $10,000 when good New York pizza is four blocks away? (Yes, I even walk.)

But the Monogram Hearth Oven delivers way more than just pizza and changed my mind completely.

It installs flush like a wall oven, heats to 800°F in minutes, and cooks a full pizza in under two. No gas, no wood, no venting headaches.

But here’s the surprise: it’s just as good for searing steaks, roasting fish, caramelizing vegetables, and baking flatbreads.

It’s fast, precise, and incredibly versatile.

The interface is intuitive, with presets for every type of pizza and a range of other foods. There’s no learning curve. It just works beautifully.

Designers love it because it’s a showpiece. Homeowners love it because it delivers. But it rarely makes anyone’s spec list until they see it live.

🔥 We demo the Hearth, steam ovens, and every product in this article at our six showrooms in Boston, Framingham, Hanover, Norton, Hyannis, and Nantucket.

📅 Click here for our live cooking schedule.

By the way, Danny Dasilva in our Norton store makes the best Hearth pizza. Sorry to the others, but it’s true.

3. The Galley Workstation: The Sink That Replaces Your Countertop

If you’ve watched our ventilation webinars, you’ve heard this before. Putting a cooktop in the island means you need serious venting, usually with a hood.

In my opinion, sinks are better in an island. You don’t need to vent a sink.

You won’t block the sightlines with a hood, and it’s much easier to light an island without a big metal canopy in the way.

A sink is a sink… until it’s not.

The Galley Workstation turns what used to be dead space into a fully functional prep and cleanup zone.

With layered accessories like cutting boards, drying racks, colanders, and bowls that slide and stack within the basin, the Galley becomes a second countertop - and in some kitchens, the primary one.

You can wash, prep, chop, rinse, and serve all in one place, then slide everything out of sight when company arrives.

It’s ideal for entertaining, multitasking, or keeping chaos contained when your kitchen is full of guests, kids, or both.

For smaller South End and North End Boston kitchens, it’s a space-saver. For large open-plan homes, it’s an organizer.

And for anyone who cooks regularly, it’s one of those “how did I live without this?” appliances.

💡Pro Tip: The Yale sink has similar functionality in the most popular size of 30 inches at a less expensive cost.

4. Pure Water Taps: Better for You, Your Wallet, and the Planet

How much do you spend on bottled “spring” water?

Just one bottle a day adds up to over $365 a year, and that’s if only one person in the house drinks it.

Add the rest of your family, and you’re easily pushing well past $1,000 annually… for water.

Now forget the cost for a moment.

What about lugging, storing, and cooling all that water? Or the environmental impact of all that plastic?

Or the potential health risks of drinking water that’s been sitting in a plastic bottle for weeks or months before you opened it?

A pure water tap gives you fresh, filtered water right at the source. No bottles, no clutter, no chemicals.

Paired with a high-quality carbon and resin filtration system from brands like Mountain or Everpure, you get cleaner, better-tasting water than what you’re paying for at the store, without the waste and at a fraction of the cost.

The cost is less than $500 for the unit, and then you are just replacing cartridges at $199 per year.

💧 If you’re already investing in premium appliances, why stop at what’s in your fridge?

5. Refrigerator Drawers: The Coolest Appliance You’re Not Using Enough

I have a set of refrigerator drawers in my kitchen.

That’s where we keep Sophie’s Poppi soda.

She can open the drawer on her own, and I can keep track of how many she's had. (Still 5 grams of sugar, so it’s a win, but not if she drinks more than one.)

For many of our clients, refrigerator drawers are the secret weapon in a well-designed kitchen.

They’re the ultimate secondary fridge, perfectly sized for produce, snacks, seltzer, cold brew, or whatever you need easy access to.

Unlike a traditional fridge, drawers can go anywhere: in an island, near a prep zone, bar area, or even the primary suite.

No swinging doors, no wasted space, and no crowding the main refrigerator with overflow.

They’re also great for aging in place or family-friendly kitchens, giving kids and guests access to drinks or snacks without interrupting the cook.

6. A Vent Hood That Actually Works: And Saves Your Kitchen

You probably have a pro-style or induction range picked out, something serious, something powerful.

But have you thought about where all that heat, smoke, grease, and vapor is going?

Here’s the truth: you don’t need a $40,000 La Cornue. (We’ll show you one anyway, because it’s beautiful.)

But you do need a vent hood that actually works, with the right CFM, proper capture area, and ducting that vents outside, not into your kitchen or ceiling.

Most of the problems you see aren’t about the range. They’re about the mess it leaves behind, the lingering smoke, the sticky cabinets, the mystery odors after searing dinner.

That’s what happens when you under-vent a powerful cooking appliance.

We see this mistake most often in beautiful kitchens with big investments and underperforming hoods.

Whether it’s a canopy, insert, downdraft, or custom piece, the right vent protects your cabinetry, improves your air quality, and keeps the rest of your kitchen (and house) from smelling like a steakhouse.

💡Pro Tip: Design around your hood, not away from it. And always vent to the outside.

7. Laundry You Can Actually Design Around: Not Just Tuck Away

Why do we still stick the washer and dryer in the basement, like it's some shameful secret?

Here's a thought: put it where the dirty clothes actually live, near the bedrooms, in the closet, or even in a guest suite.

Modern laundry appliances, especially ventless dryers from Miele, LG, and GE, give you the freedom to design your laundry space, not just find space for it.

With no need for exterior venting, all you need is water, power, and a drain, and you’re good to go.

We’ve seen clients build laundry into walk-in closets, pantries, and even kitchen nooks. It’s all possible now, and the machines aren’t just smaller or sleeker.

You can even buy washer dryer combos so you don’t have to transfer the clothes. The LG WashTower can better utilize a space.

Miele is 24 inches and can be placed in a cabinet. Match it with a drying rack.

You have endless possibilities without being tethered to a vent like our parents.

🧺 You spent all that time designing a gorgeous home... why let laundry bring it down?

Final Thoughts

You don’t need the most expensive appliances. You need the right ones.

The best kitchens work better because someone thought through the details:

• Where to put the sink
• How to vent the range
• How to keep the fridge from getting overloaded with drinks and snacks

Steam ovens, pure water taps, workstation sinks, and vent hoods that actually work aren’t just nice to have. These are the appliances our clients end up loving the most.

They don’t just look good. They make your life easier.

Want More Ideas Like These?

Download our free Appliance Buying Guide, packed with specs, expert advice, and insights from over 30,000 service calls.

More than 1 million people have read a Yale Guide, and now it’s your turn to shop smarter.

📘Click Here to Get the Guide.

Related Articles

• Kitchen Design Mistakes That Make Your Space Look Outdated 
• How to Design Your Dream Kitchen With Luxury Appliances
• 5 Ways to Make Your Kitchen Unique With Appliances