And The New Color is .....

[whirlcool]

Bronze!
Last night I was watching the 2006 Kitchen & Bath show on television and it contained a lot of views of the new appliances, of course a lot of them were Miele, but the manucfacturers are now adding a new color that they hope will replace stainless steel, Bronze. What is it? Think dark Coppertone Stainless Steel.

Wasn't it just a few months ago that there was a topic here indicating that Stainless steel and granite are going the way of the dodo bird? Go in any appliance store and they are still stocked to the rafters in Stainless.

Will we soon be seeing Stainless Appliances sitting at the curb because someone wanted to upgrade to bronze?

Also, glass tile is on the upswing for kitchens, give a nice jeweled effct.

 

[washertalk]

granite counter tops

I have started to notice people selling or giving away on Craigslist used granite counter tops.
Those awful, overly expensive, cold to the touch, impractical to install, high maintenance black(?) countertops.
I'm surprised because you would think that they would crack. Perhaps the ones I have seen were the ones that survived.
Now I have installed laminate counter tops, very affordable to upgrade and I know for a fact that if you drop laminate, it won't break. You have to cut it if you want it in pieces. Unpainted metal (stainless steel) appliances, lol, the "show all finger prints" and "tough as metal for your ego" special features. What were they thinking?
I call these 2 "specials" republican ugly because a major effort to push this "stuff" in the last 6 years. And we know how successful republicans have been.

 

[whirlcool]

We have Corian for our countertops and we love them. They are a simple almond color. Strangely enough, when this house was built 10 years ago, the appliances were almond color but the dishwasher and oven door was black. We actually like almond or bisque or whatever it's called now. But since it is no longer available, looks like when we do our kitchen remodel next year we'll go with white. Almost always in fashion. We don't want to spend the rest of our lives beign slaves to stainless. Our black dishwasher is bad enough, with three large dogs we are always wiping nose prints off of it. Besides, we are practial people. We keep our appliances until they just won't go anymore.

I was watching one of those "Sell Your House" television programs a few weeks ago and they had a house with Corian counter tops. The woman reviewing the house said that they "had to go! They smack of middle class!" Ugh!

 

[frigilux]

While it's always nice to see appliances in new colors, I think white and stainless steel are timeless and always stylish. Coppertone, pink, avocado, almond, mint green, yellow, blue and harvest gold will pass in and out of fashion, but white is a constant.

 

[jasonl]

Pacific Blue

It's the new Avocado

 

[DADoES]

Jason, I can't tell from the picture if your Oasis pair are spaced slightly apart or touching. I'd suggest NOT having them touch each other. I did that years ago with the 1976 Whirlpool pair, and vibrations over time scratched the sides.

 

[washertalk]

Nice

Wow blue. Wasn't there a blue in the early 60 for a short time similar to this?
And a window in the washer door. Is that a window in the dryer door as well or is that a black panel? I am guessing that windows in doors like this came about because of this group. Am I right. I mean why else would they do it.
I like the the lite green walls. I remember as a teen painting my room that color.
Is that 2 washer connection points I see in the back round?

 

[oxydolfan1]

I love the blue from Sears, that and the Sedona rust color on the HE4T.

 

[appnut]

Yes, I'd heard bronze was gonna be the next "SS". I"m not sure now, but at one time, Jenn-Aire as gonna come out with a line that color.

 

[Cybrvanr]

I like the Pacific Blue there Jason, that's definitely a nice color. I also like the Poppy red seen back in the sixties as well. I think it would do the appliance manufacturers, and the buyers some good to add some different color styles out there again.

The thing about stainless steel these days is that it invokes thougts of "professional grade" and "heavy duty". I imagine much of this comes from the fact that a typical commercial kitchen or laundry center has stainless steel or some other type of unpainted metal finish on their machinery and other surfaces. Much of this I imagine can be sort of an "SUV effect". People buy these big trucks not because they need a big burly truck for towing, hauling, and going off the paved road, but because they want a vehicle that is built strong and durable, and they hope will give them an element of reliability using it for such light-duty chores as picking up kids at the school and grocery-getting. Of course, there's the people out there that also don't want to be seen driving around in a station wagon or mini-van because it doesn't look tough enough, even though those vehicles will get the same transportation job done just as well, if not better. There are many people out there that buy professional grade kitchen appliances simply for their appearance, but never turn them on. Just like automobile builders have recently started building ordinary cars with the likeness of their big, burly SUV toughness, household appliance manufacturers have also followed suit, giving people ordinary appliances that have a professional appearance but without the professional price, upkeep, and inefficiency. I, personally enjoy the look of stainless steel myself, but try not to read into it too much, and just choose to enjoy it for simply what it is...a neat way to spice up an otherwise bland white box!

Bronze though, I have mixed feelings about that. I don't really care for that look too much, but it is better than the plain white that is way too common nowadays. I guess it sort of goes with the "mediterranean garden" look that has become the latest kitchen apperance fad. It's a look I'm not all too crazy for. I didn't care for the 80's "country kitchen" fad either. I prefer the sixties "space-age kitchen" look, that has long since been a fad and popular, but I still find totally fun!

 

[jasonl]

It makes sense that an "Oasis" machine must be blue. Invoking a feeling of calm and cool. Yes, that's 2 washer hookups built into the house. The cedar chest to the left of the Oasis will move because something vintage is going there... in less than two weeks.

 

[whirlcool]

Sure enough, Jenn-Air was the one to start the Bronze craze (or so they hope). The link below has a story on Bronze and photos of appliances in this color.

http://www.witbeckappliance.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=952

 

[waterstreet]

Another Brown Decade

Bronze has already established itself as a finish for more expensive kitchen and bath faucets. This "new" finish will probably do well for Jenn-Air and other manufactures especially as many of their customers are too young to remember all the drab bronze finishes that were around in the 1970’s.

Dark bronze and walnut – so easily approximated (from the average consumer’s viewpoint) with anodized aluminum and wood grain plastic laminate. Actually this was a repeat of the finish tones of the Jacobean look so popular in the 1920's.
I guess it is time for it to come around again.

All this is of course sour grapes from someone who has always delighted in silver and grey and light blonde wood.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

David

Yore my kind of Guy!

 

[washertalk]

Sounds like Jason's getting a new addition to the family.

Our neighbor had a bronze-ish stove in the early 70s' It had the oven over the range. It was bronze not coffe like in the late 70s'. definately metalic. that was very 1960's i think. She also had a carpeted kitchen. Ah fond memories. Remmember carpet in the kitchen?

 

[springer]

Why bring back the 1970s?

Yuk, copper or bronze is right up there with the avocado, both 70's colors. When did almond or biscuit get disontinued? I bought almond in 1984 and got the biscuit (same thing) in 2003. It was still available in most appliances this year, got that color microwave. I prefer it to white and will never pick another color that will go out of style. My appliances are here for the long haul.

 

[jasonl]

70s

I wish the dark tones and Avocado would come back. It's my childhood.

 

[washertalk]

Biscuit is not discontinued. Though if you go to home depot or Best Buy or something you would think it was. with few displays.
It is like a morgue with all that chinzy Unpainted metal-stainless steel, and yes, fake stainless steel. lol. I have seen plastic panels with a metalic finish. As if the real stuff wasn't bad enough. lol.

"My appliances are here for the long haul." Well you have made a prudent choice, and a good one at that. White or Bisque will go with most anything. And I have thought that way too.
Still though. the fun of having things from the past. A coffee colored GE built in Dishwasher from the mid 70s, Avacodo GE stove from 1969 with P-7 oven cleaning my first apartment, a harvest gold single door ge standard defrost refrig from 1972, harvest gold Kenmore MOL washer and dryer 1981.

And you know the Morgue look (cold dark granite counter tops, ss. appliances, cold floor, tall ceilings, pewter hardware and lites, cheap cabinets, huge refrigerator) has been done to death, pardon the pun.
Look in the realestate classifieds, Even for apartments for rent. You see this ugly theme. The Uglification of America push has made its mark.

 

[gansky1]

Not sure about GE or Maytag, but I read that Whirlpool discontinued Bisque or Biscuit this year. I walked throught the appliances at the Mart last night and there were none on the floor so if it's available, it's special order now.