Color

Selective Use of Appliance ColorsBrighten Your Home with Colorful AppliancesWe've written often about appliance colors and finish. Trends such as stainless steel appliances, and now black stainless steel appliances are regular topics throughout the industry. Most of what we see is buyers considering matching kitchen suites, e.g. range, refrigerator, dishwasher, and vent hood.However, there are some bold and daring ideas out there about using a colorful appliance to brighten a kitchen. Here's an example from Bertazzoni, an up and coming appliance brand from Italy:Can you picture having a bright spot like this in your kitchen? Is it too daring? Certainly, bright colors are not new when it comes to kitchen appliances. Here's a retro appliance package below in a newly remodeled kitchen.I do remember when appliance colors found their way to the laundry room. Colorful, big, front-load washing machines helped make front-loaders popular. Buyers got so caught up in their bright red washing machine, they didn't seem to care about the brand or the features. "What the heck? All washers are going to get my clothes clean. THIS ONE IS RED."But, we digress. BlueStar has led the way with their many custom colors, and finishes:BlueStar appliances are available in a painter’s palette of colors and finishes. Select from 750+ colors plus textured finishes to turn up the heat on discerning kitchen design. Or, send us a sample of your favorite color and we will create a custom color for a look that is uniquely your own. Unleash your inner designer

Review of the Latest Appliance FinishesChoices of Appliance Finishes Abound at UAKCThe last half of the 20th century began with most appliances having porcelain enamel on steel cabinets. Porcelain was durable and easy to clean, but the manufacturing process was expensive, porcelain was subject to chipping, and was not environmentally friendly. Eventually, porcelain enamel disappeared in appliance cabinets to be replaced by steel with powder coat painted exteriors or stainless steel. In the last decade, we've begun to see some different choices in appliance exteriors. While painted surfaces remain a standard for base appliances, more expensive stainless steel is enormously popular. In recent years, we've seen new smudge-proof Frigidaire and fingerprint resistant stainless steel in Maytag brand and others. They're still stainless steel, but they have properties that eliminate or greatly reduce the possibility of smudges and fingerprints. European luxury brand, Miele, has introduced a fingerprint resistant steel called CleanTouch, as a replacement to stainless steel.Even more recently, Black Stainless Steel has hit the appliance market and appears to be taking off. Black Stainless Steel is essentially stainless steel base metal with black painted finish. KitchenAid was the first to Black Stainless Steel, and it seemed to take off slowly. But now, it is available in more brands and seems to be rapidly taking hold as an alternative to the shiny stainless steel we see everywhere. Here are some of the brands that are now offering Black Stainless Steel appliances:Brands offering Black Stainless SteelKitchenAidSamsungLGDacorMaytagFrigidaire

Are Stainless Steel Appliances on the way out?Don't bet against Stainless SteelEvery so often we hear some predictions that stainless steel is on the way out as an appliance finish. Is that like to happen soon? No. Stainless steel is going to be the top choice for appliance buyers for years to come. Here's how it stands today:New constructionProduction home builders usually offer a base appliance package in white or black with an upgrade to stainless steel. Upgrading to stainless steel appliances continues to be a very popular choice for new home buyers.Custom homesProfessional/Restaurant style appliances are a top choice for custom homes buyers. Several of the top brands in this category only offer stainless steel, though some color selection is an option for Viking and Bertazzoni brands. (BlueStar, a pro-style line of cooking products has a very wide selection of colors.) In addition some elite luxury brands such as Le Cornue offer a selection of designer colors.Remodels and replacement salesCustomers who choose to replace their kitchen appliances from the popular entry level appliance brands, eg. GE, Whirlpool, and Frigidaire, available in white, black or stainless steel will almost always upgrade to stainless steel (except for basic apartment replacement sales). Though premium brands such as KitchenAid, GE Profile, or Bosch may be available in white and/or black, their sales skew heavily toward stainless steel. Kitchenaid has recently introduced a finish called black stainless steel that is getting a lot of attention.Whatever

New Upgrade to BlueStar Sealed Burner Gas Ranges21,000 BTUs on Sealed BurnersBlueStar® has announced new, more powerful 21,000 BTU burners in its sealed burner gas range line. These burners are among the most powerful in the industry on a sealed burner range. Now, for a limited time, the Sealed Burner Series can be customized with color. Customers can choose among over 750 colors. Call or visit one of the UAKC showrooms today to discover how you can take advantage of this free offer.Summer Recipe: Steak and Mushroom KabobsRecipe thanks to Kalyn's Kitchen® KalynsKitchen.com and BlueStar®Meat-eaters love a juicy steak on the grill, and who doesn't love grilled mushrooms, and this is a recipe that combines both these grill-time favorites into easy kabobs that are delicious and quick. You start with pieces of tender steak, marinate them for one hour in a flavorful mixture, add the mushrooms to marinate for another hour, and then grill and enjoy!Steak and Mushroom Kabobs(Makes about 4 servings)Ingredients:16-20 oz. Top Sirloin, New York Steak, Tri-Tip Steak, or Petite Sirloin (use steak with less than 10% fat for South Beach Diet)8 oz white mushrooms, washed and driedMarinade Ingredients:1/4 cup olive oil1/4 cup white wine vinegar1 T Worcestershire Sauce (omit for Paleo)1 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal or saltfresh ground black pepper to taste (I like a lot of pepper in this.)Instructions:Trim the meat well and cut steak into pieces about 1 1/2 inches square. Whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder,

Choosing Appliance FinishesStainless steel appliances are de rigueur these days. It seems that whether you live in a tract home or a mansion, you're going to end up with stainless steel. Everyone will tell you that you need stainless steel for you home's resale value, and there may be some truth in that. In addition, in some more exclusive brands, it appears that stainless steel is all that they offer.It wasn't always this way, but stainless steel gradually took over when people started expressing an interest in restaurant or commercial style appliances in their kitchen. Here are some of the other reasons homeowners give for choosing stainless:Sanitary "hospital" cleanliness.Doesn't rust or stain (Duh - it's stainless).Appealing, shiny appearanceEasily wipes offDurable finish - can't chipenhances resale value of houseSome products are available only in stainless (eg. built-in coffee maker)While stainless steel is not going away soon, there are many alternatives. White and black are still standard finishes for entry level brands. Frigidaire has a version of stainless steel that doesn't show fingerprints -really, it works. GE has a slate finish which clearly isn't stainless, it's a dull grey finish, but works for a faux stainless look without the disadvantages of stainless. It accepts magnets and doesn't require the polishing.Most premium brands will also offer white and black appliances with stainless upgrades, though I've heard of at least one brand offering customers a choice of only black or stainless appliances. Moving up to luxury brands, color

Making Your Kitchen Stand Out with ColorWe see a lot of monochromatic or duochromatic (is that a word?) kitchens these days. White-on-white. White and gray, white and black, etc. Kitchens are likely to have stainless steel appliances, but still there's not much color. Here are some ideas that might help you find a color solution that works best to make your kitchen sparkle:AppliancesIf you'd like to add a splash of color, there are opportunities in appliances such as the Bertazzoni and BlueStar ranges as well as Viking appliances (ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, etc.). We've written about them in previous blogs. Click the links below for more info:Red Bertazzonis and Ferraris from ItalyAppliance Colors for 2014Bluestar Range ColorsArtworkIf appliances aren't the right option for you, consider artwork to brighten the room. Here's a stunning print from Kaye Menner, that I found on fineartamerica.com. Click the link below to find out more.ColorfulKitchenCollageThis image can also be purchased as a horizontal collage upon request.BacksplashA popular choice for introducing color into a white kitchen is the backsplash. Look at the yellow blacksplash and notice the other yellow accents that bring it all together.Credit: ChrDAUER Architects / Bruce Damonte PhotographyAccent WallAnother option is paint or wallpaper on an accent wall. Pick a wall where there is enough space for the color to make an impact, and go bold.AccessorizeI've been hearing designers talk about "pops" or "splashes" of color for a long time. But when I started paying attention to the photos showing this phenomenon at work,

New Appliance Color Shown at KBIS/IBS 2015 Marsala Displayed on High End Appliance Brands Pantone Color Institute® annually designates a color of the year. Last year's color was Blue Orchid. For 2015, the color is Marsala. Appliance brands that feature color in an array of colors to supplement the traditional stainless steel finish have announced that they will be offering appliances in Marsala, and in fact have shown some Marsala appliances at KBIS/IBS 2015 in Las Vegas this past week.BlueStar ranges are often made to order at their factory in Reading, PA. BlueStar claims to offer the largest selection of colors of any appliance manufacturer, 750...now we can say at least 751 different combinations of colors and finishes. Viking ranges, made in Greenwood, Miss. has long offered a wide-selection of colors, and has recently pared it down to about 12 colors. Nevertheless, Viking, also showed a Marsala range as one of its colors in their exhibit at KBIS 2015. Bertazonni, an Italian made cooking brand, has made a big splash with some of their bright colors, and they'll also be adding Marsala to their color selections. Finally, Dacor, a Southern California based appliance company known for its innovation, had a Marsala range on display in their booth at KBIS 2015. See the Marsala Dacor oven pictured below. It certainly looks like the color of this year, Marsala, might be an appliance hit in 2015. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section.

3 Kitchen Trends in 2014 Here's what has been trending in kitchen design: Contrast A little more than a decade ago appliance manufacturers called it white-on-white. White appliances with chrome trim had been de rigueur for years, so the early movement to solid white was a big deal in the beginning of the last decade. Kitchen cabinets, countertops, sinks and even faucets contributed to the solid white kitchen. Even today, an all-white kitchen is not unusual or out of place. However, for several years, we've seen the ever popular white kitchen complemented with contrasting yet subdued colors, in particular grey. Now, contrast is becoming more bold with black showing up in islands and base cabinets, stainless steel sinks, and chrome, or even gold faucets. Color Along with non-white cabinets, sinks, and faucets, 2014 saw more solid contrasting colors on kitchen walls not just gray or black, but also bright colors and pastel shades. Thanks to specialty appliance manufacturers such as Smeg, BlueStar, Bertazzoni, and even Viking, many appliance color options are now available even though stainless steel continues to dominate. Changes in upper cabinets and islands. Upper cabinets are sometimes being replaced by shelves, and occasionally disappearing entirely. See the limited use of upper wall cabinets in the photo above. Islands have been around for a long time, but we're seeing more use of islands for seating, and even tables and chairs as substitutes for islands. What can we expect in 2015? There will be more of the same as

Pantone's Winning Color for 2015MarsalaThis hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.Leatrice Eiseman-Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute®In 2014, Pantone's Color of the Year was Radiant Orchid, a shade of purple lightened with a bit of pink. Below is a BlueStar Range in Radiant Orchid - dramatic for a splash of color, but hardly an underlying theme. For 2015, Pantone is taking a leap away from the boldness of the 2014 Color of the Year and moving to a beautiful wine colored Marsala, a deep red subdued by earthy brown. It's a welcome change. Marsala is a hearty red; a strong color that doesn't as much provide a splash of color as it does create a warm theme to build around. It works well in various environments, is gender neutral, rich and full, but at the same time, complex and subtle.I feel that it's a sophisticated color, almost regal, yet grounded and accessible. Designers will welcome Marsala because of its versatility in so many settings.  

Breaking news in finishes for plumbing fixtures. Available through Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center We've recently covered Dornbracht's stylish fixture collections in the fashion forward CYPRUM finish, but a color that has this much elegance deserves more attention. So we're showing the new CYPRUM finish below in some different looks, and adding some more detail about this elegant rose-gold sheen. You can find the best variety of Dornbracht plumbing fixtures at the lowest prices at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC).Dornbracht has recently launched this entirely new finish that lends more style to the already stylish Dornbracht line - CYPRUM. Available only in the TARA and TARA CLASSIC collections, and in the single lever mixer PIVOT, here's how Dornbracht describes the CYPRUM finish:CYPRUM is a high-gloss finish produced using 18-carat gold and copper and is now available for the first time for kitchen fixtures. The dominance of cool white and metallic tones is passé in kitchens and interiors and individual style is increasingly characterised by warm tones and earthy, natural materials. Copper in particular is defining quality aesthetics as a contemporary fine metal. Dornbracht is adding a new rose-gold sheen to its fitting icons TARA and TARA CLASSIC, as well as its single-lever 360° range-of-motion mixer PIVOT, which it introduced in 2013. The colour of the galvanized finish is synonymous with elegance and opulence - characteristics which provide kitchens and interiors with emotion and individuality. CYPRUM