Fashions Change
By AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
Boston, Massachusetts
January 17, 2017 9:30pm CST
When major (and minor) appliances for the home were first invented and marketed, they came in a range of colors. Everything from Bright White, to Shiny White, or you could have Plain White - which went with everything.
Soon, those choices were not enough. Harvest Gold and Puke Green - ahem, I mean Avocado Green - became the height of kitchen fashion.
Not surprisingly, people got tired of those colors and they can be seen now only in reruns of The Brady Bunch. Black and red were dominant for a while, but they were also supplanted. We moved on to serious appliance fashion - stainless steel. After a few years of trying to keep the fingerprints from showing, we got Brushed Chrome.
And now your kitchen appliances come in every conceivable pastel color - teal, butter yellow, spring green - and our kitchens pop. And look chaotic and cluttered.
But the one color they've never tried for appliances is the one that would be the most brilliant - Wood Grain.
Imagine it - wood grain laminate floors, wood grain formica countertops, wood grain veneer cabinets and wood grain appliances. The Stealth Kitchen. People walk in and cannot see the kitchen for the trees. It's the ultimate in minimalism - camouflaged appliances.
Obviously, they can't make the appliances out of real wood. A wooden toaster would go up in flames. But they make everything out of plastic these days anyway and plastic can be any color or pattern.
What do you think? Wood you like a Stealth Kitchen?
16 people like this
19 responses
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
18 Jan 17
The reason behind all these colour changes is to make you ashamed of having out-of-fashion gadgets and run to the shops to buy new ones in cutting edge colours.
For whom? Should any of my guests ever comment on the colour of, say, my mixer or the handle of my bread knife, they can be sure not to be invited again.
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
18 Jan 17
This is true. For large appliances especially, you might not buy another for 20 years unless fashion demands it. The manufacturers would go broke! Also, people always seem to be worried about how much their house is worth, even if they aren't planning to sell. New appliances in the latest color is one way to make the house price go up.
@LadyDuck (457918)
• Switzerland
18 Jan 17
We are getting plenty of "laminated bamboo items" right now here, included cabinets and appliances. We had wood grain formica countertops when I was a kid and I personally found that those were horrible. I love real wood, I hate fake wood.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79664)
• United States
18 Jan 17
A camouflaged kitchen would be great for me diet-wise...I wouldn't be able to find snacks 
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
22 Jan 17
A house I owned a few years ago was full of wood. In fact it was over kill with the amount of wood paneling flooring and even the ceilings in some rooms were wood panelled. (It must have been on special offer or the previous owners had too much time on their hands). I vowed when we moved house that we would not buy a house full of wood like that. Appliances are available is such a plethora of colours these days too much choice but I guess it encourages people to spend!
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
24 Jan 17
Being Scandavian and the daughter of a carpenter, I love wood. But I really only love real wood. We had real wood paneling in our front room and wood floors throughout. But it's wasn't overkill because only one room was paneled. Overkill are these houses from the 70s that still have all that dark, fake paneling up that was used to cover disintegrating plaster walls that they didn't want to fix. Those are horrible.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
18 Jan 17
My ideal kitchen had beautiful maple cabinetry, a Formica counter top in a neutral colour.....my appliances were almond coloured......
Now my kitchen is a very dark wood finish....a very light Formica counter top and stark white appliances. My two complaints are the lack of floor space and my tiny apartment size stove.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71664)
• United States
20 Jan 17
My mother has a microwave in the 80s and a fridge that was brown. During that time my grandmother painted the trim around doors and windows brown. I love camo so I would love appliances with that but I would just choose whatever color amd brand is lower cost.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
19 Jan 17
I would want all in multi colour so that picking things up would be easy But I have no scope now as my kitchen is beyond changing anything.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
20 Jan 17
my appliances are the traditional white - so boring
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
18 Jan 17
It might look better than it sounds.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
19 Jan 17
I would love things to be able to be tucked away in cabinets! I remember seeing that puke green, it was AWEFUL!
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
18 Jan 17
I was explaining my desire for tangerine-colored countertops and molded resin chairs (also tangerine) but The Man did not see the beauty of having something so far out-of-date or that it isn't old-fashioned or a case of coming back into style, but a case of being so out of style, time and place that it transcends all three.
My grandma had gold ones.
@lokisdad (4226)
• United States
10 Feb 17
Getting something like that would increase the amount of injuries sustained during accidents in my house which is already high I live with 3 clumsy relatives who should be bubble wrapped for their own safety. We intend on redoing the floors as you mentioned but we want counter tops to be river rock design. Tile flooring in kitchen and bathrooms.
We're in the brainstorming stages trying to find the aesthetic happy medium, realistic affordable price range and reasonable time frame to be able to do it.
@nottoooldtowrite (2715)
• Philippines
17 Feb 17
I would. I loe cooking and it would be more appealing to cook in a beautiful kitchen.
