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Recently I reviewed an article that discussed the "new trend" according to Whirlpool. Apparently they're not the only player in the market that is gambling the dominance of Stainless Steel appliances is near the end of an era. It seems each manufacturer is pushing a new "trend-setter". According to the WSJ article out today, Wolf Appliance is pushing "Black Glass", while GE introduced a muted gray finish called "Slate". Miele has mentioned they will be producing new high-gloss finishes in the near future. The appliance world has gone through many "trends" since over the years including some which we in the design industry hope never occur again; see 1950's pink and blue and 1970's avocado phases.

Why the sudden decision to introduce all these new lines? The industry is struggling right now, trying to create buzz for their products. With the housing market stagnant, they're seeing a lull in the purchase of new appliances and thus their profits have been hindered.

Designers are always looking for new innovative ways to freshen a room, create an accent, or simply improve on the functional ability of the status quo. What the manufacturers are hoping to create, unfortunately feels more like a fad rather than a trend. The primary difference between these two situations is, a fad is a temporary high, while a trend typically stays hot for a longer period of time. Currently the stainless steel trend for kitchen appliances is hovering around 25 years since hitting the market. Based upon consumer interest and high end manufacturers less receptive to making a big splash with a "New and Improved" look, it seems appears in the end, stainless steel will prevail and endure yet another fad with which to compete.

To read more about this, check out the full article at:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/news/is-this-the-end-of-a-25-year-run-for-stainless-steel--.html

- Design is what you make it.

Reality Sets in for Homeowners

Well the reality of the housing market is impacting the reasons behind the recent escalation of home improvement projects being performed. According to the WSJ (http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109389/the-new-rules-of-remodeling) many home owners recognize the hard truth, the days of quick renovation to trade up for the bigger house next door are over. This is not necessarily a bad thing, what many homeowners are doing instead, they're building additions to accommodate the space they need and/or renovating the current space in their home to better suit their living lifestyles. This is a huge win for the design and construction world. It also acts as baby steps for the economy to recover. Once the housing market can become strong again, the economy typically gets into full swing. So keep those renovation projects going, enlarge your home with an addition, and purchase more home improvement materials so we can get back to being the prosperous nation we've so grown accustom to being.

- Design is what you make it.