Must Have Appliances For Your Dream Kitchen Makeover
I'm Chelsea from The House That Black Built - @thehousethatblackbuilt
I’m a content creator with a focus on home interiors documenting the renovation of our Victorian townhouse in Shropshire. Last year was a huge milestone in our 18-month long project which is ongoing. It finally turned from a building site into a home & we completed our dream kitchen makeover.
My style is simple & minimal. I like Victorian features with a modern feel that make a statement. The kitchen was no different, before we even got the keys to the house I had decided on the layout for the space. We chose floor-to-ceiling units, a run of cabinets under our lovely big window that overlooks the garden and a giant square island in the centre. Much like the rest of the house, the colour scheme is neutral with off-whites, wood tones, brass metals & of course, black.
The main thing I was concerned about in the kitchen were the appliances. I knew they would take centre stage in our kitchen and I wanted them to be as beautiful as our marble worktops, not to look out of place or like an afterthought. As soon as I saw the AEG Matt Black appliance range I knew they would be perfect. I won’t lie, the main reason we chose them was for aesthetic; sleek, stylish & sexy. The range was the most minimally designed set of appliances I saw on the market.
The appliances are completely black with a simple & tactile command wheel to control the digital display & functionality of the machines. I was convinced from looks alone, but after using them for a few weeks I was blown away by the state-of-the-art features.
Now I’ve explained why I chose this must-have kitchen range; I want to elaborate on why we chose each appliance specifically. I’ll also be sharing my favourite features now we have been using them for a few months to help with your own kitchen makeover ideas.
The Pyrolytic Oven was the first appliance I saw from the AEG Matt Black range. Our house has already been deemed ‘the party house’ by our family, so we had to make sure our kitchen could handle cooking a lot. The ovens are deceivingly large inside, and we opted for two, so that we could handle a big family Christmas dinner.
But who wants to clean up after a big Christmas dinner? Well, the oven takes care of that itself. The pyrolytic cleaning function turns grease and food into ash and can just be wiped away. No scrubbing the oven, ever.
And last but certainly not least, this oven has two seriously cool functions to make your dishes restaurant standard. The ‘Assisted Cooking’ option allows you to choose the food you are cooking from the pre-programmed menu, then the optimal settings are selected to ensure your dish is cooked to perfection. There is also the ‘Food Sensor’ probe that precisely measures the core temperature of your food. Simply choose whether you want your meat, fish or veggies rare, medium, or well done, and the oven will let you know when it’s ready, seriously good!
As soon as my husband saw the range came with a matching coffee machine, we had to have it. Is it a super luxury item? Yes. Do we love it and use it every single day? Also Yes. In fact, ‘a fancy coffee from the machine’ is the one thing our friends and family request most when they come over!
Having the Matt Black Coffee Machine is like having a barista in your kitchen. And it’s so easy to use. The digital display menu is programmed with every coffee you can imagine – cappuccino, latte, espresso, americano, to name a few – and with one turn and press of the command wheel, it’s poured for you. Even better, you can control the strength, temperature, size, and amount of foam so every cup is to your exact taste.
This CombiQuick Microwave Oven is the real MVP of the kitchen and our most used appliance, multiple times a day, every day. It’s an oven, a microwave, and a grill all in one super compact, beautiful little box. And whilst you can use all these features separately, it offers hot air fan cooking at the speed of a microwave so that all your favourite meals can be ready in half the time compared to a conventional oven. Most importantly, there’s no compromise on flavour or texture. This is a must-have appliance for any kitchen.
Before moving in, I was determined there would be no compromising on the kitchen design until we came to the hob. We have 3-metre-high ceilings & I wanted to keep the space light & airy. I certainly didn’t want an unsightly cooker hood or to change layout to fit one. Then I found integrated extraction!
The AEG Extractor Hob extracts into itself, so there are no limitations & no hood - you have the freedom to place it anywhere you like. It’s also an induction hob which took a few minutes to get used to compared to gas, but I’ll never go back. Temperature is precisely controlled from the touchscreen display and it lets you know which zones are still hot after use. Plus the hob only works if an induction pan is on it so it’s great for little & big hands!
Time for your own Kitchen Makeover?
Explore our buying guides on the Matt Black range and check out or latest content on the new Extractor Hobs here.
