Is Stainless Steel Losing its Sheen?

A bounty of colorful finishes, as found in Samsung’s Bespoke kitchen collection, could signal the end of stainless steel’s dominance, according to one report.

Designers may be shying away from shiny metal finishes

By Alan Wolf, YSN

Stainless steel’s reign as the default finish in home appliances could be starting to wane.

According to a report in home decorating site The Spruce, designers may be cooling to the cold, commercial look of metal and warming up to bright colors, retro looks, and panel-covered appliances.

Author and home décor enthusiast Sarah Lyon offers five reasons for the reported trend:

  1. Panels Are Posh: There’s something to be said about appliances that blend in with the cabinets and pantry, Lyon writes. Adds designer Courtney Sempliner, “For a more finished and polished aesthetic, one should consider paneling their appliances.”
  • Smear Campaign: There’s no denying that stainless steel is a magnet for fingerprints, smudges, and dings. “Just by gripping the handle to open the door, a trail of noticeable marks is left behind,” notes Handy homecare expert Kristiana Laugen.
  • Cold Steel: Many homeowners are embracing vintage or eclectic looks in the kitchen, including brass, oil rubbed bronze, and matte black hardware, which can clash with the industrial style of a shiny silver fridge. “When appliances are paneled or selected in a color and/or in a more residential or retro style, the entire room transforms into a more inviting, relaxed, and warm space,” Sempliner says.
  • Those Were the Days: “People are gravitating toward retro-style appliances like refrigerators, coffee makers, ovens, and more, that give them a connection to the past,” Sempliner observes. To wit: SMEG’s Coca-Cola refrigerators with Sixties-style pop-art graphics and an old-time cold case dispenser design.
  • The Bold and the Beautiful: Adding a retro or vibrantly colored appliance can help transform a kitchen without the need to remodel, argues Handy’s Laugen. “Simply adding an eclectic retro appliance can completely shift the focal point of the room,” she says.

Hat tip to The Spruce.

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