Well, she has finally talked me into it. My wife has been dissatisfied with our kitchen for quite a while, so the day has arrived to install a dream kitchen. I wouldn’t dream (sorry) of going anywhere except H&H Lifestyles. Their selection for home items and personal service are unlike anywhere I’ve been. So, let’s see what we can find.

First, we’re going to check out the refrigerators. The 36-inch-wide Blue Star is extremely nice. It’s a three-door unit with dual compressors, an icemaker, and LED lighting. The air in the bottom freezer is dry and frigid, so frozen foods will last longer. While we can choose from dozens of colors, we’ve already decided to make our new kitchen all stainless steel. This one fits the bill. The Sub Zero 30-inch is also attractive. It’s a stainless steel unit with a bottom freezer, as well. Like the Blue Star, this one is frost free and includes crisper drawers. The warranties H&H offers are generous. This refrigerator would work just fine, but we’ve settled on the Blue Star.

Next, we turn to the ranges. The Viking Tuscany is 36 inches wide with four gas burners and an oven that is almost four cubic feet. This one is stainless steel inside and out. The cooking features are impressive: Bake, Convection Bake, Convection Broil, and even Defrost. The roomy storage drawer caught our attention, too. The Miele range is also 36 inches wide. It has M Pro dual stacked burners, and the oven is self-cleaning. The gas top has smooth-motion rotary dials and there are two convection blowers in the oven. We like them both. The Miele, though, is just what we’re looking for.

For a dishwasher, we first look at the Cove 24-inch unit. The custom wash and dry cycles mean the dishes come out really clean and ready to put away. One of the things we like about this one is that the touch controls are hidden under the countertop. The Electrolux Icon is also a possibility with its third-level rack and a leak detection system. The Frigidaire Energy Star’s price tag is great. The energy saver, one-hour, normal, and heavy wash cycles give us options on what and when to wash. Choosing the dishwasher is tough. We’ll have to ponder this awhile.

We definitely want wine storage. The Perlick wine fridge is stainless steel and has selectable blue or white LED lighting. The audible door alarm is a tempting feature. The Zephyr Presrv^TM has a glass front. With full extension wood racks and active cooling technology, this may be the one for us.

We’ve never had a trash compactor and the idea has appeal. The KitchenAid compactor will allow us to reduce our trash volume by up to 80 percent. It has a fan and charcoal filter to cut down on odor. The Whirlpool 15-inch compactor has electronic touch controls and a touch-toe drawer opener. That last feature sells it.

Let’s check our inventory. Blue Star refrigerator, Miele range, Zephyr wine storage, and Whirlpool trash compactor. This is working out as planned. We circle back and decide on the Electrolux Icon dishwasher. Now we have everything we need. The best part may be that H&H Lifestyles has a team that will come and install everything. Perfect. This is one time when a dream became reality.

See you around the island,

Chris Halford