I tend to agree with pal and kswl ... it isn't really the color, but the shape, the lines, etc. that make things look newer or better. Is the white one a smooth metal finish? That sounds kinda cool, but it seems like it would get really dingy looking.

Out, in, what does it really matter unless you plan to sell in a couple years? Buy what works for you, and that you like, and you can afford (when you need it and can afford to buy it).

That's my opinion, at least. I love the look of white appliances but couldn't afford the up charge to get the range I wanted in white (it was cheaper in stainless).

Stainless will never be "IN" my kitchen! I just wish STARK white wasn't my only other option.

St. Charles cabinets...aaahhh. If I can ever afford to redo, that is exactly what I want.

Stainless steel is not a color. It is a material (and the accompanying texture, shine and feel). So you cannot compare it to white or black fridges which are often plastic. Plastic looks cheap, always.

In metals, perhaps copper, bronze, brass may be alternatives to ss but they never look good on that large an expanse.

So SS will continue to popular and look right in high-end kitchens.

One of the reasons I like stainless is because it seems to go well with just about any cabinet finish. In our current place (that's soon becoming a rental) we have white cabinets with white appliances and I don't like that the shades of white aren't the same. Maybe white appliances work better with stained or black or other color cabs but not so much with white cabs, IMO.

Stainless has varying finish quality too depending on the brand some of which aren't the nicest looking either. We have a Maytag Dishwasher and micro, GE Stove and Samsung Refrigerator. Of the 3 brands, the Samsung finish is by far the prettiest, then Maytag and then GE, but the Maytag is by the easiest to clean, or was that is until I got this stuff that Pledge came out with. It's an appliance specific cleaner that works wonders on all three brands.

I also have to say that stainless steel doesn't just belong in higher end kitchens. Ours is updated but in no way is it higher end yet the mix of the stainless with black trim fits well with the other elements in the room and they don't look out of place at all.

Whatever stainless is, it is certainly not high end for fridges and hasn't been for a decade. It is popular and fine if you like it, but high end means integrated, not stainless. Hedge fund managers do not outfit their kitchens with finishes available at Best Buy.

I have stainless appliances and I think they're nice. To me it reads as a neutral, so it's not the focal point. Here's my dream range:

And I love this ice box panel for sub zero fridge.

I work part time at Sears and we sell the most appliances of any store in the country. Stainless is THE most popular color for appliances and usually does costs more than black or white. There are a few appliances that come in bisque or a stainless look a like.

High end refrigerators can be integrated but most are stainless. The prices can really shock people who have not shopped for a refrigerator in 10-20 years. The larger refrigerators that are say 48" wide can cost $6000 - $10,000 while many of the large 36" wide refrigerators can cost $1500 - $4000. Best to try to buy during a sale like Fourth of July or Labor Day.

Well, we have everything: white, stainless, and blue! We could perhaps order the blue panel for the DW or get the new microwave, but we like keeping the fridge the focal point.

Wifisker, I agree! I have very creamy cabinets in a small kitchen. White would look dingy, black would seem overwhelming (especially the fridge). Stainless was the right way to go for me largely due to the color issue. I couldn't be more pleased.

Marcolo, hedgedfund managers are my role models in life, that's for sure. (I guess I missed the boat on this one!) Don't tell anyone, but I didn't outfit my kitchen from BB, even. I purchased at the Black Friday sale at Lowes!

Oh, Gscienchick, I love your kitchen! (Your pic wasn't up yet when I posted!) That fridge is beautiful! Wonderful colors! Adorable.

Marcolo, hedgedfund managers are my role models in life, that's for sure. (I guess I missed the boat on this one!)

Completely silly.

You can't call something in a kitchen high-end when it's mass-produced, and the actual high end prefers something else. That's why it's so funny to hear SS defended as "popular" when people want it to be "exclusive." This isn't Lake Woebegone and everyone can't be above average.

As I said, stainless steel is fine if someone wants it, but like granite, it is very far from being the mark of "luxury" that it once was.

I agree with whoever commented on white appliances with white cabinets. Unless the whites match, it looks off to me.

I have really enjoyed my bisque/almond appliances. They have black accents. No plastic handle on my fridge tho.

I used to really not like stainless. Now, thinking about updating our kitchen appliances in the next year or so, I have considered stainless. However, I absolutely HATE stainless sinks. Built this house and have quartz counters with the integrated sink. Before that, I had a soapstone sink. Both in an almond color. So easy to keep clean and even though some things seem to "stain" (such as tea), a bit of bleach or a Magic Eraser takes it away. I've never chipped or scratched either sink, but supposedly if you do, you can sand it away.

tina

Yes, of course I'm being silly, Marcolo. I'm ribbing you.

Lake Wobegone is a place where everyone is "above average?" Good to know! I'm glad I'm far, far away from LW! (Where do you get these ideas?)

Stainless & granite are, '...very far from being the mark of "luxury" they once were.' Granted. But that's not the name of the game for everyone...having whatever is the "mark of luxury" has never been on my radar, that's for sure!

I agree with you- if someone wants to install granite, (or laminate, or marble, or soapstone) they should go for it.

We just want everyone to be happy, right? Even the "below average" deserve a modicum of happiness.

Thanks, S-G! We've had the Big Chill for a couple of years now, and it still makes me smile every day.

I do wish there was more color appliances. Amana makes some color fridges, but they are on the small side. They had a cobalt, but now I think they just have red and some sort of pattern. These were only 18 cu. ft, though. Our fridge is a whopping 21 cu. ft, but it works for two people and no kids.

I do feel stainless is neutral, too.

GSciencechick, you have the best fridge among fridges in this forum, hands down. I have serious Big Chill Envy.

I'd never heard of Big Chill, so I Googled, and in the image file a pic of your kitchen popped up GSC! I clicked on it, and a thread from GW came up.

Other images showed the blue fridge with the blue stove with the blue dishwasher. I like your mix much better! Your tile backsplash really ties it all together too. Very special and charming, GSC!

Here is a link that might be useful: Nice fridge!

Part of the initial vanity of owning stainless steel (now long gone) is its appeal as the material of choice for restaurant kitchens. Appliances were---and still are--- referred to ad "commercial grade" or "restaurant quality," denoting both quality and durability. Until there is a new material widely used in commercial kitchens, stainless will still be associated with these features, whether deservedly so or not.

Stainless steel is just a material. It comes in many grades. Higher end appliances are known by their brand. Subzero/Wolf, Viking and other "luxury" brands all come in stainless steel and that integrated cabinet look has fallen out of favor of late--- too much of a good thing, as well as a trend away from trying to hide the utulitarian side of life (tvs, fridges, dishwashers, etc). And, not to contradict anyone, but our friend the mid- cap stock fund manager put two glass door subzeros in their new house. In stainless steel.

ROTFLMAO! Sorry, integration is moving more in, not out. In Europe people are integrating everything--including wall ovens--and that trend is moving here.

Glass doors does not equal stainless steel. Glass is ostentatiously more expensive than a closed face. So it still reads as luxury.

Actually I think the threat to stainless is its ubiquity. Not only has it lost the "wow" factor but now lots of people have had difficulty cleaning it. Yes, I know some people on Kitchens have been able to cook up witches' brews that work well on stainless, but too many people now have a negative personal experience with it.

Bringing color back into kitchen appliances is high risk for manufacturers, which is why only the top end is doing it now. But I think it would do well if it could be produced economically.

I still like stainless & will continue to buy it. I love white enamel or white glass too, but I wish fridge manufacturers would stop using white plastic on fridge doors. Not a pretty material at all. I've had black glass dishwashers, fridge, cooktop -- never looked clean.

I'm very glad the almond appliance trend is dead. Muddy color, big in the 80s.

Stinky, Lake Wobegone is from Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion on radio. Very funny and, yes, he does say it is the place where "All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."

Thanks Cyn! Sweetie, I know...I'm an avid listener of NPR. But all the *children* are above average...not everyone, LOL! Certainly not the adults in charge of buying the appliances! (I'm just being stinky!)

Heehee...should have known, Stinky. Need a third cup of tea this morning. Oh, and you are never stinky! :-)

yes, stinky_g needs a name change: fragrantflowers, or something more appropriate :)

Stinky, I commented on your bath in the Baths forum -- so pretty!

I completely agree that integration is on it's way out. Just because it's popular in Europe doesn't mean it is or will be here. Of course there are always going to be people who like it but I don't think the demand is out there for it.

I also agree that stainless and granite are no longer what they once were but I think that is a good thing. It's actually a very practical material in regards to use and if chosen correctly in regards to the type, it can work with any style and last until you either move or get sick of it.

Has anyone bought white or bisque and changed the handles to stainless? Can it be done and if so which frig models would work? I really like bisque biscuit or what ever but do not like the tone on tone handles. I'm thinking of my future kitchen and maybe sons. Jenn air has a white frig with stainless and it is pretty but I haven't read up on it. I'm wondering if other frig's could be altered.

I completely agree that integration is on it's way out

Quick--you better tell every major appliance manufacturer, distributor, retailer, home builder and industry trade publication, along with top designers like DeGiulio, because they all think differently.

WSJ: Kitchens Play Hide and Seek
2012 Appliance Trends: Kitchens
Electrolux designer discusses trends in integrating home appliances

I don't think integrated appliances are on the way out. More manufacturers are offering integrated options, with IKEA carrying a panel ready dishwasher. I think that panels on obvious appliances may be on their way out as built in and fully integrate appliances offer a more seamless appearance for those who want that.

But I don't know that fully integrated refrigerators will ever be a large enough market share to be considered "popular, in OR out".

I wonder if anyone will come out with a satin brass finish?

I am waiting for appliances that accept a really wide range of easily changeable metal panels--ORB, brass, SS, nickel, white, black, copper, colors, etc.

There is resistance to this among manufacturers because "new" finishes are a way to drive obsolescence and new purchases.

I have noticed a big come back in decor magazine advertisers showing satin brass finishes in everything. Not like the brass of the 1980s and 1990s though. It is very rich-looking. Bling!
Diane

Even if all the manufacturers make them, I think in the market place they have a very small piece of the pie. Pal makes a very valid point though, when I think of integrated, I instantly think of a fridge and maybe it is more popular with dishwashers or other below the counter appliances. Its just my opinion but I'm in homes that vary from small bungalows to large mansions all the time, some are newly updated and yet I very rarely ever see the integrated look. All I ever typically see are SSL regardless of the size or value of the home. Maybe it's a demographic thing.

Cyn and Awm03...y'all are so sweet!

Awm03, I went over to baths! Thanks for your kind words, and for alerting me *here* that it was active again! (I haven't been over there in months!)

I like my fridge! I didn't pick it -- the previous owner/builder did. My kids' friends think it's interesting because it's disguised. I think of it as classic. I hope it keeps working because I do not think I could afford to replace it.

I predict a "Chintz Revival" for refrigerators.

Oh my, Pal. How in the world will I ever choose???

From ... International Harvester? Don't they make farm combines and tractors? Alrighty then!

Hey, that door pedal sounds handy as all get out!

But, you can get decals to spice up a fridge now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Appliance decals

We use to have an International Harvester refrigerator. It lasted 27 years! And in the end, the handle broke off and we decided to modernize. If only we had known about dressing it up with fabric!

Jenn Aire makes an ORB fridge

And when I was looking at fridges I was really attracted to a black glass front fridge at sears

but I went with the cabinet front instead...looks great but no more refrigerator magnets!

"I am waiting for appliances that accept a really wide range of easily changeable metal panels--ORB, brass, SS, nickel, white, black, copper, colors, etc. Marcolo I've always felt that way about the handles. It would be nice if we could swap out appliance handles like we can drawer pulls to get a quick update on the look.

AnnieD: I looked at the Jenn Aire ORB for my kitchen and ordered a sample of the finish (came as a small business-card size sample, kind of like the samples you can get for laminate counters.) I did a key test and it scratched like crazy. That and the fact that I thought they would be too dark in my kitchen turned me off the idea. (This was in 2008 so maybe it's been improved.)

I like my SS but laugh at the irony of something called "stainless" being a bit of a pain to keep clean.

One benefit for me is that it's not magnetic, so I'm not tempted to muck it up with magnets and stuff like I did with my old white fridge.

Posted by palimpsest on Tue, Aug 21, 12 at 16:05
I just want it to be the plastic handle that goes permanently out. That is the problem with white, bisque appliances. imo.

Truer words never spoken. My previous white fridge had the underside of the plastic handle chipping to the point you could cut yourself if you grabbed it just wrong. So it needed tape under there that occasionally would quit sticking. While I don't like cleaning my s/s fridge particularly, I love, love having metal handles that won't chip and don't mind cleaning those a bit. If there is a petition for no more plastic handles, let me know and I will sign.

Oh, and since I'm posting anyway, let me just state for the record that I didn't pick S/S to be elitist or exclusive. I picked it because we were tired of white, black seemed just too dark, and I was trying to lighten our kitchen. For the ordinary consumer, S/S was all that was left. And that's a problem of marketers, sometimes they read too much into a consumer's decision.

This is probably too compulsive, but I don't understand why, if you don't have kids under 18 or so, how the front of a refrigerator gets really dirty.

Mine is paneled with a stainless handle, but we don't touch the doors. We open it and close it with the handle, and that's easy enough to keep clean. If my hand is really sticky, I wipe it off or open the fridge (or paneled DW for that matter) with a piece of paper towel or dishcloth.

Or open it with my pinky and ring finger of my non-use hand which are never as dirty as the rest. It's a SubZero, so a bit harder to get open than average but I can get it with a finger if I don't want to take a second or two to wipe my hands. It's really not Hard, it's just a slight behavior switch.

The white plastic handles, on the other hand, will yellow from oxidation, heat, and the natural oils in clean hands over time.

This is probably too compulsive, but I don't understand why, if you don't have kids under 18 or so, how the front of a refrigerator gets really dirty.

I live with a big, burly man who lacks a certain "finesse" when it comes to keeping things spotlessly clean, so I can easily see how fridge fronts (and a host of other things) get dirty. He's also the cook at our house - and a darn good one - but he gets so involved in what he's making that he sometimes dribbles and splashes and then doesn't seem to see what he's done. I can't tell you how much dried-on gunk I find in the kitchen. ::sigh::

Pal . . .I would LOVE a refrigerator I could put fabric on. LOVE. Just think-- you could change it for every holiday!

I don't know if I've just been "indoctrinated" or what but I really don't like the look of a white stove. Black was out of the question, since I think it's overwhelming in a small kitchen. I don't mind a white fridge or dishwasher, though. Since I don't do beige, I had to get an SS fridge when mine died, and they didn't have white right then when I needed it. So when I updated my kitchen (oven & dishwasher had died) I matched it with SS. I fell in love with an LG range but couldn't bring myself to order it in white, as I had originally wanted to.

The upkeep on these appliances are more than tedious, IMO. I don't know how folks with a lot of people living in the house do it. It must be constant upkeep.

SunnyCottage, its the same at my house! Oh and the dishwasher front is the worst. I'm so happy that husband is good with loading but am amazed at how much stuff ends up on the dishwasher face.

I have a paneled fridge but stainless for everything else. I really don't have a problem keeping my stainless clean - I just wipe it with a damp cloth. But I have found that stainless from manuf to manuf is different and some fingerprint more than others.

I have JennAir and these are the second round of appliances I've bought from them and have been very happy.

As far as white/bisque/black appliances - I like them if the finish isn't pebbled. Old fridges - like my Mom's harvest golf Frigidaire were a smooth finish enamel. Today's white/black/bisque colored fridges have this pebbled finish that I find very unattractive.

I do like the white on glass and black on glass Jenn Air appliances, but decided to just go with stainless as that was cheaper and looked nice with my cream cabinets.

Sunny and S-G, thanks for the comments on the fridge. Every day it makes me smile. I know it comes up with Google searches, LOL.

My friend really wanted the Jenn-Air ORB appliances as they would look awesome in her kitchen, but they are/were pretty pricey. I am not sure if that finish is even still available.

Classes started this week, so I've had pretty much no time to be online for fun.