Until recently, with almost every home I viewed for clients, I was constantly reminded that my wife and I were laggards when it came to acquiring the latest appliance styles. Between focusing on raising twins and running a business, making the “upgrade” to stainless steel appliances ranked between unnecessary dental work and mattress shopping on the priority list.
While most homeowners probably don’t remember upgrading their appliance colors to avocado or harvest gold, the change from white to black to stainless steel is still painfully fresh in our collective conscience. With homeowners’ pocketbooks finally recovering from that latest bout of culinary conformity, one only has to look to the near future when planning to replace their stainless steel appliances.
Maytag’s new White Ice collection is supposed to provide a great alternative to those looking for an “affordable” compromise between aesthetics and low-maintenance functionality. The collection has recently started rolling out to the home improvement stores but I have yet to hear feedback as to the popularity or value of the appliances. The price point seems reasonable but every marketing shot you see shows the appliances in a $100,000 kitchen. If you are not fond of reverting to a white set of appliances, they have a Black Ice version that you might find more appealing.
What do you think? Fad or fab? Has stainless steel begun its demise? Would you spend money replacing your appliances to keep up with the Jones’? If history is any indication of future results, my wife and I will; about the same time the industry moves on to Avocado Fire.
