Here it is: our kitchen refresh featuring a new ILVE range! This brand has won us over with its stylish features and functionality.
This post includes our honest review of our ILVE range and hood, gifted to us by ILVE. All opinions are our own.
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and no more so than in our house! As professional recipe writers, our kitchen gets splattered and battered on the daily. So Alex and I decided after 9 years of heavy use, it was time for a little kitchen refresh. We’ve teased it on Instagram long enough, so here’s the big reveal! The main innovation? We made space for this 40-inch ILVE Induction Range! Switching from gas to induction is a big deal: here’s why we did it and all the things we love about this beauty.
What is an ILVE range?
What’s ILVE? ILVE (pronounced “il-vay”) is a brand of Italian crafted kitchen appliances, including ranges, ovens, hoods, refrigerators, microwaves and more. The brand was founded in Campodarsego, Italy in 1952 by two Italian friends. The appliances are commercial grade and highly regarded as some of the finest cooking appliances on the market.
Why did we want an ILVE range? First off, the sustainability of induction cooking. After learning that induction is more sustainable than gas, Alex and I decided we were ready to make the switch (gulp!). Second, we wanted a stylish European range that would make our kitchen look like an eclectic French cottage. After some research, we found ILVE! It’s a stylish range that’s offered in both gas and induction.
Why to cook with induction (sustainability and health!)
You’ve probably heard it before: gas stoves are best for cooking! But guess what? That’s not true. In fact, much of the passion around natural gas cooking is due to gas companies persuading us all that gas is better. After some research, here’s what Alex and I learned about gas vs induction cooking:
- Burning natural gas produces nitrogen dioxide, sometimes carbon monoxide, and other pollutants, which can be harmful to people and pets. (Source)
- New efficient electric appliances have lower carbon footprints. So they’re better for the planet! (Source)
- Induction ranges are much higher quality than old-school electric stoves with coils. It’s incredibly easy to control temperature and cook with even heat. (See more below.)
- You can boil water in 2 minutes! It’s an incredible time saver. Everything heats up faster!
Want to read more on induction vs gas? Here are a few resources: Give Up Your Gas Stove to Save the Planet (NPR) and Kill Your Gas Stove (The Atlantic).
Our ILVE Range Review
The ILVE range that we were gifted from the brand was the ILVE Majestic II. We previously had a 30-inch range which was on its last legs (a burner was permanently not working and it had a ton of hard usage). After much deliberation, we decided to remove one kitchen cabinet to make way for a 40-inch range. While this caused a lot of construction (cabinet removal, new backsplash, trim, etc), in the end it was all worth it!
We’ve been cooking on the ILVE Majestic II induction range for a month. The opinion of these two professional home cooks and cookbook authors? We could not love it more. Here are a few particulars:
- Induction cooking is far superior to gas. We are beyond pleased with cooking on induction. While we switched for the health and sustainability reasons, we’ve fallen in love with how it cooks food. It heats up incredibly fast and has much more even heat than gas.
- The range shows you the heat level and boils water in 2 minutes! We love that the cooktop shows the heat level you’re on. You can also use a “Power” mode to boil a huge pot of water in just 2 minutes! On our old gas range it took 10 to 15 minutes.
- The cooktop is very easy to clean. This is actually a huge life-saver. We’re pretty messy cooks, so just a wipe of the top gets it beautifully clean. No removing grates or caked on messes.
- It’s beautiful. (Drop dead gorgeous.) This is subjective, but ILVE ranges are the most beautiful, stylish ranges we’ve seen on the market. The way the brass knobs gleam in the light makes our hearts skip a beat. But in all seriousness: there’s really something to using an appliance that’s functional and beautiful. It’s just more fun.
- The ovens are very reliable (plus, the small one has a rotisserie!). Our model of ILVE range has a large oven and small side oven, which is nice for when you’re wanting to cook things at two temperatures. If we had room, of course we’d want two big ovens! But the side oven is great and even has a rotisserie. We’ve been using it to roast a whole chicken and it comes out incredibly moist! The oven’s baking ability is spot on: we’ve tested a bunch of our recipes and it’s incredibly accurate on bake time with very even heating.
- It’s got lots of other great features. There’s a warming drawer where you can store pans while the oven is off, or keep food warm when it’s on. There are lots of different oven settings depending on what you’re cooking, and it even gets hotter than a standard oven (up to 575 degrees, which is great for pizza!).
Want to know more about ILVE? Here are some of the ILVE Range Models and comparisons between the different features that each one has. Or browse around at ILVE.com.
Note: The larger oven in the 40-inch range is slightly too small to fit a standard half sheet pan. The oven comes with a custom sheet pan that fits perfectly. We also purchased a 16″x12″ pan which is approximately the same surface area.
More about our kitchen refresh
We used our new ILVE range as an opportunity to give our kitchen a little refresh! Eight years ago we did a major renovation of our kitchen when we moved into our 1926 home. Putting in this range required some construction to change from 30-inch to 40-inch, but there was no major re-configuration of walls or structures. Even so, we took it as a chance to update a few things to give it a new French kitchen look. Here’s what we changed:
- Backsplash changed to Zellige tile: Because the range width changed, we had to redo the position of the backsplash. We’d always loved the look of square, handmade Zellige tile so we went with it! We love the irregularity and uniqueness of the look.
- Added a pot rack: There was a theme in all my Pinterest kitchen photos when planning for this reno: a pot rack with copper pots! All of the pots and ladles hanging up are ones we actually use. We did have to buy new pots because of the induction range! Here’s a link to our copper pots that work on induction.
- Brass hardware: To update the look of our kitchen even more, we change out our stainless hardware with vintage-looking brass drawer pulls and handles. We love how unique they make the kitchen look.
- Brass faucet: We changed out the faucet in our island to brass since it was getting very worn. Overall we wanted a mixed metals look, so we went with a stainless ILVE hood and kept our old stainless shelves.
- Wooden bar stools: We swapped out our stainless bar stools for wooden ones with backs, to add more warmth to the room.
We love how it all turned out. Thanks to our designer Tiffany Skilling for helping us choose all these items to bring the look together!
Questions? Comments?
Thinking about an ILVE range? Have questions about switching from gas cooking to induction cooking? Let us know in the comments below!
I just love it. I would love to cook in that kitchen. I want to redo mine now….LOL
Haha, thank you so much! Hope you get to redo yours soon!!
Could you tell me what the stools are? They’re lovely! That’s one upgrade we could actually afford right now. :) (We have a counter with no stools, and the kids have asked for them.). Thanks, and your kitchen is lovely!
Hi! They are from West Elm: https://rstyle.me/+Bv-I6ysXDCTiXPdKrYfaug
Congratulations! It’s very beautiful!
Would you mind sharing the color of your Ilve?
Hi! It’s the Matte Graphite with Brass Knobs.
The pictures surely make it look like it’s blue, not graphite. Is that an actual picture of your range?
It’s graphite gray — your screen must just be tinted slightly to the blue.
I love your kitchen! I discovered the IVLE ranges today while looking for appliances for our new construction home. The range is gorgeous! Did you buy a coordinating refrigerator? Does IVLE sell refrigerators? I didn’t see any on their website. Thanks for your help!!
Hi! We have a stainless refrigerator — not ILVE brand. I don’t think they sell refrigerators in the US.
I have had an smooth electric range and hated it. It got stains around the rings and was very difficult to keep clean. I had to use a razor blade. Is the smooth top the same. Gas cook tops were much easier to keep clean. Thank you
It is the same type of glass top but it doesn’t heat up in the same way. A really bad burn may need a razor blade, but after several months of use we have had no more need than a simple wipe.
Your kitchen is beautifully done! I am considering an Ilve induction range, thank you for the feedback on performance and ease of use. What do you think of the solid doors? Prefer a window?
Thank You.
Hi! We prefer the solid doors since it’s easier to clean and we prefer the look. We don’t generally use the window too much in our baking.
Very pretty but the customer service is horrible. The spec sheet for our 48″ range hood gave the wrong vent size. Despite acknowledging the error, Ilve gave me a Home Depot link to how I could jerry rig my $3300 hood so it would half work. That’s it! This is supposed to be a very high end brand with matching customer service and it’s not.
Hi Robert,
My wife and I are remodeling our kitchen. I am looking into getting a 48″ Ilve range. Do you know what the appropriate hood specification are for the 48″ range? Outside of the poor customer service, how has the range performed?
Thanks,
Michael
Thank you for this information. I’m looking to getting an induction stove and am seriously looking at ILVE ones. They are beautiful! I currently have a vintage stove that is 40″ across. The aren’t many stoves with that dimension, which is how I found out about these stoves. May I ask how your installation was? Any problems finding qualified people to work on it?
We had our kitchen contractors install and it wasn’t an issue at all.
looking for a 40 inch electric stainless free standing range any in stock ??
We are not an appliance retailer, sorry!
It looks like the largest burner is 8”? I’ve never cooked with induction – how does it work with larger pan sizes? I have a 12” pan that I use all the time, but I currently have a 12” burner on my smooth top electric to go with it! Have you tried using a griddle across the two burners?
With the smaller oven cavity size I would worry about baking getting too brown on the sides. What has your experience been?
Hi! The two larger burners heat a 12″ pan just fine. For the oven, it is frustrating that a standard sheet pan doesn’t fit inside, but we haven’t had any issues with uneven bakes.
Hi, thanks for this post about the ilve range. I found it very helpful. We’re planning to get a majestic range, but are debating between the dual oven 40 inch and the 36inch single oven. I’m nervous about the small capacity of the 40 inch ovens, but really like the flexibility of having two ovens. We do a lot of cooking in our house and I’m wondering how it’s been for you switching to smaller baking sheets? Can you make a Thanksgiving turkey in it? Also, the smaller oven in the 40 inch can be used as a regular oven, not just for rotisserie, right? Thanks again for the post!
Hi! Once we found a few additional pans it hasn’t really been an issue for us. The small oven is a regular oven but very narrow. It works for something like a bread pan or narrow baking sheet, but not super useful for everyday cooking. However, we love have the larger worktop and so we still feel like we made the right choice!
Thanks, Alex!
Thanks for your review. Could tell us the increment temperature range on the induction surface? Is it able to be set by one degree increments or twenty (or something else) or just low/medium/high?
The range has a scale from 1-10 on each burner.
Looks beautiful but can’t believe how much hot air blows out of the front over the oven when cooking ..have small kitchen w/ fridge w/ in 3 feet & in summer w/ door open worried may thaw freezer items w/ frige open
Also in 48 ” nostalgia small oven light can not turn off during cooking like big oven
I am considering this exact range but some of the reviews on ILVE aren’t great. Have you had any issues since you started using it which would cause you to rethink it?
We have had it for about 6 months without any issues! The only downside on this specific model is that a standard quarter sheet pan doesn’t fit in the larger oven.
Hi, this was very helpful and your kitchen is beautiful! My Viking is on its last leg. Considering and Ilve and noe and Ilve induction after your review! Not sure where you live but have you had issues getting it serviced? It’s been awhile since you have installed it, are you still loving cooking with it? Did you get an Ilve hood as well? What other comments do you have after 2 yearThank you!!!
Hi! We’ve just had it for 6 months so no service issues yet. We have a matching hood and they have both been great so far.
Two questions:
1. Now that you have lived with the Zellige tiles, do you have any reservations? Are they difficult to keep clean?
2. Your opinion of your Ilve range after a year?
Thank you
Halee
We still really like the tiles! We don’t cook a lot of meat or greasy foods, so we haven’t had any issues with cleaning so far. We still love the range! The induction top is amazing and very easy to clean. We do have two things we have to work around on the 40″ size: A standard sheet pan does not fit in the range so we had to find square ones. Also, the oven is sealed which keeps moisture in. This is great for baking, but when wanting something roasted and charred, we crack the door once or twice during the cook time to release steam. Overall we love it!
Yes love are ilve 48 inch range!!! they we have it in a cobalt blue. When we sold the house she was a showstopper.
Definitely next house is getting an Ilve We’re thinking of your color or going with the gray blue. You have a beautiful kitchen. Congratulations
I warn you to seriously consider my account before purchasing any Ilve product. It took 9 months to reach a resolution with Ilve. Terrible customer support for a brand new range, and trust me it’s not just one customer service rep that caused this, it was everyone I worked with.
Here is what happened:
• Ilve Nostalgie 36inch range arrived in sub-optimal condition. Gas burners would rarely ignite or hold flame, only 1-2 burners would work at the same time with low BTU.
• Began troubleshooting by calling Ilve Customer Support number, the Customer Support is contracted out to Superior Marketing who is their distributor in the US.
• Customer Support began trying to locate a service technician in my area (top 10 metro in USA). For weeks, I would call in once per week to check the status of my case, Ilve rarely reached out to me with updates.
• Customer Support could not locate a service provider in my area and asked me to find one myself. When reached, many service providers in my area said they would not service Ilve.
• At this point, the customer care team began to hang up on me when I would call in to ask for help with locating a service technician.
• I now had to call into the Sales team and begin working with them for support.
• A service technician was finally scheduled and assessed my issue 3 ½ months after contacting Customer Support.
• It took 8 weeks to deliver the parts the technician needed.
• Technician re-assessed the range with new parts and concluded the range was not manufactured correctly and should be returned as it was irreparable.
• From this point, it took 5 weeks of constant requests to begin the refund process.
• After this, it took an additional 9 weeks for the refund to be processed and to get my money back.
A product issue was seriously compounded by a failing customer care team. This market segment of home appliances is often called “attainable luxury” – you get the high end look while sacrificing the backend support.
Please understand that your appliance may be optimal and working as it should when you purchase it. But buyer beware if you need customer support – that is when the buyers regret kicks in.
Hello, I love your kitchen. Thanks for sharing. I was wondering if you have had to calibrate the oven? I’ve heard that’s common with Ilve and wondering how difficult that is and how often it would have to be done.
Our oven was accurate at install!
Do you think a 2.7 cubic foot oven is large enough? I don’t cook meat indoors as my husband is Mr Grill.
Thanks
It just depends on your needs! The larger oven on this one is 2.3 cubic foot and we make it work.
is this color black? It almost looks like a deep peacock blue in the picture.
It’s a charcoal gray color with some blue undertones.
I can’t seem to find any information about the induction burners. Are they just numbers or can you dial in the exact temperature you want for things like proofing, cooking garlic without burning it etc.
They are just numbers 1-10.
Hello,’
Your kitchen and your Ilve range are beautiful. I am juist interested in how Ilve “gifted” you a range. Do you work for them? Do you have an Ilve sevice provider in your area? Thanks very much.
Hi! We occasionally work with brands to provide exposure for their products.
What brand brass faucet and cabinet handles match the brass trim on Ilve handles?
Ours are not an exact match, we have various metals throughout the kitchen.
I just purchased an ILVE Majestic II Induction range. It is gorgeous and I waited over a year for it so was thrilled when it arrived. The central burner is showing an E-9 code (basically it doesn’t work) and I have a technician coming. But also the burners that DO work have very uneven heating. On all of them the left side of the pan is going to have bubbling food in it while the right side is barely warm. I have All-Clad pans, never used on gas and no they are not warped and yes they are the correct size for the burners. Any thoughts?
I’m very sorry! That sounds like a faulty unit. We don’t have any unevenness issues on ours.
Hello
I’m leaning toward the ILVE range but worried about finding a service shop should anything go wrong. Did you do any research on service pros in your area that could repair the range if necessary?
Thank you
Sue
Hi! Yes–I did check on that but we haven’t had any issues so far.
I am planning on buying the Ilve stainless with gold trim what did yiu use for the other Appliances
Just stainless.
When you roast, do you use the probe? I am finding that it won’t work unless inserted in to the meat cold— before preheating. Have you found that to be the case with your Majestic?
I haven’t used a probe.
Beautiful job! How has the ILVE worked out since your article? Any issues? If so what about repairs? Where do you go for help?
Thank you
We haven’t had any problems with ours! Thanks for checking.
Ilve sure does make some beautiful ranges, but they are total junk and their customer service is non-existent. I had a 36″ Nostalgie installed in mid June and the oven completely stopped heating up in early July. I contacted Ilve and at first they were helpful and walked me through some troubleshooting steps. The troubleshooting didn’t fix anything though so Ilve said they’d send a tech. One never came. I’ve emailed Ilve many times and they promised that a tech would be calling me no later than tomorrow. A tech has yet to call me. It’s been 6 months now of this and Ilve won’t even respond to my emails or calls anymore. This company is a complete scam. Please do yourself a huge favor and do not but from them if you are considering it. Yes, they look amazing, but you will hate yourself when you have to drop even more of your hard earned money on a second range a few months later so you can feed your family.
I’m sorry to hear about your experience!
Hi! We’re thinking about switching to induction and considering ilve. Our kitchen has standard height cabinets/countertops, putting the range a little shorter than the cabinet (cabinet is 36 inches high with countertop, slide in oven/range is 34.25. Did you encounter a similar issue? Just wondering because although it looks a little shorter, it seems fine aesthetically.
Hi! Yes, ours is similar. We were able to get it up to 35″ i think with fully extended raisers on the legs. It hasn’t been a big deal to us to be a little short.
Just how frustrating has the smaller oven width been?
My husband is an excellent cook, and I’ve persuaded him to switch to induction; however, I’m the baker of the family…I can foresee it being really frustrating to not be able to fit a half-sheet pan. I tend to use them frequently, even for things like frozen fries (forgive me, lol, I’m caring for 3 disabled people which takes up much of my time).
That being said, I do not bake professionally, so it’s not like I have a catalog of specific shapes/sizes that rely on the half sheet….
Hi! WE have definitely gotten used to it after buying some new pans. It’s not really a big deal day to day. However, if I were to choose again I think I’d take the larger oven in the 36″.
You can only fit 13 x 9.5 in sheet pans on either side correct? If so, how do you do normal everyday cooking on sheet pans that small?
I desperately want the 40 inch but not sure I could deal with the inside being so small.
I cook a lot.
Thanks,
-Lisa
It comes with 1 14″x14″ pan and we bought one of these: https://rstyle.me/+NfKMEY0E3Fvu7Zxg-fULGA. The area is approximately the same as a standard sheet pan. We also use these jelly roll pans when roasting smaller items: https://rstyle.me/+s5LDoblst_alsX62cRp7Ww.
I’d be very torn if making the decision again. We love the large cooktop, but would maybe go down to the 36″ for a larger oven.