This French double-oven range and stunning hood combo, with its mix of gray, stainless and brass accents, is like a very large piece of jewelry in this kitchen. There's a feminine element with the curve of the hood and the brass accented star-like knobs.

The French Lacanche range comes in a variety of configurations and sizes, as well as colored enamel finishes and a stainless steel option. One thing to consider if you're an American buying a European range is that the ovens are often smaller than what you're used to — and the Thanksgiving turkey issue inevitably comes up. I personally like the idea of heating a few small ovens at different temps for different dishes rather than having one large oven.

Standard Residential Slide-In Freestanding Ranges

When searching online, you may notice the terms "freestanding" and "slide-in." The largest selection of standard ranges fall into these categories. Most standard ranges are 30 inches wide and have four burners (sometimes five) and one oven. Some have a broiler drawer on the bottom or have a storage drawer below with the broiler inside the oven. Some manufacturers offer a 36- or 40-inch range as well. Ranges in this category come in white, black or stainless steel and electric or gas options. Each manufacturer offers different bells and whistles, so it's important to compare features when researching.

Besides size, colors and configuration options (like griddles and grills), standard residential ranges differ from commercial-style ranges primarily in terms of power — wattage for electric ranges and BTUs (British thermal units) for gas ranges. We're going to stick to gas ranges for the purposes of this ideabook. Just as with automobiles, higher power usually means a higher price. Standard residential ranges typically vary from $400 to $3,000.

Most standard ranges have BTUs from 5,000 to 9,500, but some fancier ones offer up to 20,000 BTUs, like this slide-in GE Cafe gas range. A slide-in range differs from a freestanding one in that it doesn't have a backguard (see next photo).

This freestanding 30-inch single-oven gas range has a large backguard.

Manufacturers of standard 30-inch residential ranges are increasingly offering this very cool split-oven configuration, which gives a homeowner two ovens, albeit one quite small. This is a wonderful option, as so many homeowners have the space for only a 30-inch range but would love two ovens.

Stainless Steel Commercial-Style Ranges

This category is pretty extensive as well; now we're getting into more power, customization and configuration options — and, of course, higher prices. Ranges in this category vary in price from $3,500 to more than $15,000. Sizes and configurations break down more or less like this:

• 30-inch single ovens
• 36 inches with a large single oven and an optional grill or griddle
• 48 inches with two ovens — one small and one large — and options for a grill, griddle, French top, raised broiler etc.
• 60 inches with two large ovens and all the cooktop options noted above, with room for more extensive configurations
  

This 48-inch Wolf range shows one small oven and one large oven, and comes with the options of eight burners or six burners and a grill or griddle, four burners with a grill and griddle, or four burners and a French top. You can also get a double-size grill or griddle. As you can see, the options are many and wonderful for an aspiring amateur chef.

American Colored Enamel Commercial-Style Ranges

Within the category of commercial-style ranges for residential use, color and finish alternatives to stainless steel are available. These ranges all have the same options for cooktop arrangement and oven sizes as their stainless counterparts.

Some manufacturers offer the basics of stainless, black and white; others, like Viking, offer 24 enamel colors. This BlueStar range is offered in a whopping 190 custom enamel colors — what designer isn't jazzed by the possibilities of that!

I love using colored enamel ranges as an alternative to stainless steel. They add a ton of personality to a kitchen and are just a bit different.

This wonderful sage color from Viking has a vintage feel and would be a great option if you're looking to add a bit of color to your white kitchen.

Vintage-Style Ranges

If you're looking for retro authenticity for your vintage-style kitchen, then you may want to look into a true vintage range that's either still working or has been refurbished (antiques dealers sell these), or a reproduction-style vintage range. You might recognize this style of stove from the kitchen Julia Child cooked in.

This reproduction model is one of many offered by Elmira Stove Works. While the pros are authenticity and vintage charm, the cons are the small ovens, as previously mentioned with European ranges.

European Enamel-Coated Ranges

Like the debate over what kind of cookware is best or what goes into a traditional cassoulet, the argument over range materials is endless. As with many other things, it's often a matter of taste.

This range gives a farmhouse feel to this kitchen.

This enameled Aga cooker is made more for the American market at a better price point than the cast iron options. Most think of the Aga as a classic British cooker, but it actually began its life in Sweden.

Bertazzoni's professional series ranges come in eight colors plus stainless. They are quintessentially Italian, with a style that nods to the past while being modern.

This series has 30-, 36- and 48-inch sizes available and ranges in price from $3,300 to $7,500.

European Cast Iron Ranges

A whole different ball of wax, cast iron cookers are serious pieces of machinery. They vary in price from $5,000 to more than $45,000. Many are fully custom built, and the earlier automobile analogy is apt, because these units can cost as much as a car.

Aga offers an enameled range as shown here and a stainless steel model as well, but this traditional cooker comes in two-, three- and four-oven arrangements as well as with a 24-inch companion cooker option that's awfully cute. Both gas and electric are offered as well as 10 lovely colors. The sizes are unusual by American market standards: 24, 38 7/8 and 58 3/4 inches. They range in price from $5,700 to $20,000.

Many culinary connoisseurs look to La Cornue as the height of range luxury. Its products are fully custom, crafted by artisans and known for their stunning beauty; in addition, La Cornue is a family-run business that spans three generations. If the range is the centerpiece of a kitchen, then a La Cornue is the crowning jewel. There are a whopping 8,000 different configurations for the Château series, so if you're looking to buy this range, know that it's like designing a house from scratch!

The Château series ranges in size from approximately 30 to 65 inches, and the Grande Palais is 72 inches wide. Twenty-eight colors are available, in addition to different trim colors, like stainless and brass (shown here) — this look is my personal favorite. These custom ranges can cost up to $50,000.

The CornuFé series is geared more toward the American market. There are three styles with one large oven or two smaller ovens; they come in six colors and three trim options.

The stylish CornuFé comes in 36- and 43-inch sizes and ranges in price from $6,800 to $14,500.

Bertazzoni also makes a Heritage series range that comes in three colors and three sizes. I love the stainless steel top and trim detail on the doors.

The 48-inch Heritage series has a European look but with a large oven and a small single oven, like the commercial-style ranges Americans are used to. The size options are 30, 36 or 48 inches, and the price ranges from $5,000 to $9,500.