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The Wall Street Journal had an interesting story last week about whether stainless steel is on its way out as the finish of choice for appliances.
The piece calls this “a pivotal moment in kitchen design” and describes how companies are searching for the next big finish for appliances. You can see a WSJ video about the issue above.
I love some of the quotes the story includes:
"White is the new stainless," the story quotes a Whirlpool news release saying. (See Whirlpool’s new Ice Collection below.)
"Black is the new stainless steel," the story quotes Wolf Appliance saying in a news release for black glass ovens introduced this spring.
The story includes some fantastic photos of old appliance promotions, which really bring to life how many shades have been used over the years. It’s much broader than just white, black and harvest gold.
The story also describes some of the newest appliance offerings, including Whirlpool’s new glossy white “Ice Collection” and GE’s new “slate” finish (see below).
“Introducing a new finish is a gamble,” the WSJ story says. “Development takes a year or more. Stores sometimes grant extra space to new ideas, but typically manufacturers have to work within an allotted number of slots, so an unsuccessful product can put the company's overall sales at risk.”
What do you think? Is stainless on its way out?
