Return of Copper-tone?

[sudsmaster]

Well, not quite. But a local paper recently had an article about the latest fad in kitchen decor: discard all that stainless and put in copper and brushed bronze instead... lol... Might be a good thing for the rest of us, as some nice stainless appliances might become available on the used/free market. If you think stainless is a chore to keep clean, just try to see how much fun copper is!

The article took pains to say that the "new" look is different from the louder Coppertone fad of the 70's, but I don't know. Ironically, I've been steadily removing the antiqued brass cabinet knobs etc. from my home - the previous owner had this thing for fake antique look - and put in stainless or brushed nickel in its place. Some of the stuff I removed was pretty awful - ornate cast antiqued brass, as if from some cheap imitation of a Spanish castle. And the kitchen knobs had this curl to them that could actually trap your fingertips if you weren't careful. Still left with the cabinet door hinges, which are a dark brushed bronze look.

Anyway, I had to laugh. I suspect that these new fads in kitchen decor are driven mostly by designers and manufacturers who stand to make a nice profit from people rushing to have the latest look. Stainless still works for me.

 

[goprog]

Yes, have to keep those designers in business and shop, shop,
shop. If we don't keep the pump primed, the whole thing will
collapse. I've been thinking the same thing about being able
to acquire newer appliances as they simply go out of style -
though there is still the issue of build/engineering quality
on newer products. Unless I find an exceptional value, I
think I have recently resigned myself to wait until I sell the
house (or actually update the kitchen) before looking for
replacements. (I missed getting a ten-year old, $10,000,
6-burner, great condition, Viking stove for $800 by an hour.)

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: I will take:

Almost any other Color for my Appliances, over Stainless Steel, because to me it is just too "Cold" looking. I wouldn't even mind having Avocado, Poppy, Black, Almond and Coppertone, over White Appliances. White to me is just plain "Blah" looking and I think that it shows way more Dirt, etc than the Colors do. I don't really mind wiping down my Appliances often to keep them looking new as long as possibly.

If I could, my absolute favorite Color for Appliances is either Coppertone or Poppy, with Avocado next in line. Black would even be chosen before Almond, because some Almond Color Appliances just look like they are Dirty, depending on the Manufacture.

Peace and Colorful Kitchens and Laundry Rooms, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[sudsmaster]

Stainless makes a lot of sense for areas subjected to high heat, greasy soiling, or mechanical action. Such as stove tops, sinks, dishwasher interiors, etc. It is judged the most cleanable surface around, which is why it's so prevalent in hospitals, restaurant and institutional kitchens, etc. I agree that an over abundance of stainless tends to look gray and drab. At one point I happened to be working on the data cabling for a Black Angus restaurant. There was stainless everywhere - all the appliances, the sinks, the countertops, even the walls. It was oppressive. The only splash of color was the terra-cotta red tile flooring, but that was so slick with a coating of insufficiently cleaned grease and insufficiently rinsed soap that it was like skating to walk across it (early morning hours). In short, I found the place disgusting and haven't eaten at a Black Angus since.

Most home kitchens however have plenty of color without needing more on the appliances. Just my opinion.

 

[goprog]

I agree with stainless being THE cleanable surface, but other
than style (black, almond, whatever), white is white and if it's
not, then it's dirty. Harder to hide dirt/grease in the cracks
of a white appliance than any other.

 

[danemodsandy]

What's With People, Anyway?

As I've written in some magazine articles I've done, this kind of la-de-dah decorative stuff makes me wonder what people can be thinking when they buy it. Stainless appliances, off-white carpet, marble countertops, teak garden furniture, leather sofas, copper sinks- who in the hell has time to take care of all this stuff properly? Judging from some McMansions I've been inside of, nobody- most of this stuff isn't holding up well in the hands of real people with real jobs. The care requirements of such fancy stuff are so high that a cleaning lady I know is starting to drop clients with too much of it- she says caring for a McMansion full of such stuff is like cleaning a small luxury hotel, and it's not like these clients understand how much extra work they're causing her, and many are unwilling to pay extra for it.

My housemate, who's a chiropractor, is seeing clients with strain injuries from moving oversized furniture (cleaning people know how to move normal-sized stuff without injury). I've also heard of someone suffering serious injuries in a fall sustained while cleaning the two-storey-high window of a McMansion's foyer. I wonder when people are going to realise that all this stuff is about as practical as the dust-catching macrame and uncleanable Haitian cotton so fashionable in the 1970s?

Give me good old midcentury modernism any day- the one era where practicality was in.

 

[goprog]

I agree. I look at houses with beams and knick-knacks 8 feet
above the floor and say - who's going to dust that?

But don't you say anything bad about my macrame... One of the
most cherished, personalized things I own.

 

[danemodsandy]

Macrame:

I never disparage anything prized by someone who loves it and takes care of it- only stuff that is bought just because it's "in", and then allowed to gather dust or fade in the sun. There was a time when macrame was all the rage, seen in the best decorating magazines. Then came a time when the thrift stores were full of it. That mentality is what I don't like- people buying stuff to be "with it", then getting rid of nice things just because some fashionista says that styles have changed. People who do that confuse style (which is enduring) with fashion (which is of the moment). I myself live with a lot of very expensive Scandinavian modern furniture and accessories bought for next to nothing when the people who bought it foolishly gave it away to thrift stores.

 

[goprog]

I didn't buy the macrame. It was made with love for me.
A lost love I regret to this day.

 

[danemodsandy]

That's The Right Way...

...to own macrame. Or anything else, for that matter.

 

[goprog]

With time we learn.

Just struck me now - as if it makes any difference.

Something about Mork and Mindy - you are born old and
pro(re)gress to an infant?

If only we knew what we should know when we should know it.

 

[sudsmaster]

I've been planning on getting a leather sofa for years now. The one thing, besides money, that keeps me from getting one is what I fear the cats will do to it. The type of sofa I would avoid, however, is the hide-a-bed. They are usually very heavy and then the beds are usually quite uncomfortable to sleep on. Good, I suppose, if you don't want your house guests to overstay their welcome ;-). Plus, most charities won't accept them. I had to take my mom's to the dump and pay $25 to have it buried.

 

[63getelevision]

Kitchen trends-seems like it's worse now than ever in history, it's implied that you need psychiatric help if you don't want a stadium sized kitchen with stainless everything, granite or marble counters, Tuscan cabinetry, and restaurant grade and sized appliances. I'm going to a small town in Virginia this weekend hosted by a cousin married to a very wealthy individual. She wanted to live back there for love of the good family on our mother's side, who unfortunately, are gone now. I liked stainless, until that became the only "acceptable" appliance finish.

 

[dalangdon]

Our house has stainless appliances (Granted, they are a 60's Tappan Fabulous 400 and 70's era Sub-Zero, but still...) and tile counters that were original to the house.

I like the tile, but if I were to redo it, I would go with Formica: Cheap and cheerful, durable, and when you get tired of it, you change it without a bunch of drama. Plus, if you drop something on Formica, there's a chance it may not break - or if it does break, it won't shatter.

As for furniture, I am someone who lives in a house that is frequently compared to "grandma's", so I am perhaps not the best person to comment. But that never stops me.

I can't tell you how many nicely-sized, nicely-painted, sunny living rooms I have seen that have been ruined by ridiculously oversized furniture. It's all about scale, people!!! ;-)

 

[63getelevision]

I inherited the contents of my house, my mom was 85 when she passed, the living, dining, kitchen and her room reflect her tastes now, except everything is turned inside out due to yours truly, I am hoping to return it to 100% livable, instead of 30%. It's just overful. Kitchen is white cabinets, appliances, sandy colored counters. Stainless, like most of us know, predates the current trend by about 50 years. I am not as against new, as I am against "if it's old, it's bad-gotta go!"

 

[petek]

You wanna see overscale oversized furniture visit my sister. It's absolutely dreadful and naturally I told her so as I felt it was my duty as the gay brother. I really should get a picture of it. The mammoth leather sofa with wood trim, the matching and also extraordinarily huge love seat and the matching chair that is almost large enough to be a loveseat. Then she bought 2 or three mammoth curio cabinets and shelving units aka Pottery Barn and has stuffed all of this furniture into a livingroom about 14 x 22. You can barely get in the room.

 

[launderess]

Speaking For Myself

And I am unianimous in this: real copper will never become so widely used in kitchens to replace stainless steel. The idea looks good on paper but is obviously thought up by someone who has never kept house with copper, which tarnishes badly just sit sitting and needs frequent polishing.

Have two copper pieces in my kitchen, a vintage double boiler and saute pan, both of which need polishing at least once a month even though they are not used. If you want to see what old/unpolished copper turns into, just peep around eBay or estate sales to see that time, weather and such does to copper.

L.

 

[sudsmaster]

Launderess,

Absoeffinlutely, copper is a real pain to keep shiny. And it corrodes readily, so that if you leave some acid or salty food on it, watch out, you'll get pitting that will be difficult if not impossible to remove.

Gourmet cooks (Julia Child for example) swear by tinned copper for certain things that need careful temperature control. And it's good as a heat tranfer layer on cookware, but in that role it's much better if it's clad rather than exposed (ala old Revereware).

Petek,

I'm not particularly tall (5'8" on a good hair day) so I find it's a must to actually sit on a chair or sofa before buying. I'm amazed at how much stuff it out there that is made expressely for Wilt Chamberlain, or so it would seem. And it's funny, while the mfg's are making the sofas with too tall backs and too deep seats, they're also making the length too short, so that even I can't lie flat on the cushions. What were they thinking??? I guess maybe it looks even bigger if it's shorter, or something.

It's difficult enough keeping the clutter under control without having oversize furniture to clog it up even more.

 

[alr2903]

Good ideas in theory

Danemodsandy, You pegged that one straight up. We have two story high ceilings in our living room and Mstr bedroom. Yeah the ceiling fans are dusty in both those rooms. LOL, another Fabulous feature is those da#n,Garden bathtubs with the step in the side. Both of these great ideas waste energy heat/ac, and never enough hot water to fill that ridiculous tub. Just my 2 cents but before you ever consider Very high ceilings help someone,that has them, paint the room, then offer to scrub the garden tub, be ready to get in the tub to clean it and keep in mind when your done, You will need a bath. I do miss coppertone it was my favorite.