stainless steel- is it really for 'everyone'?

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yeah, quite a few people think 'medical' when they see stainless. Other people think "industrial" or minimal.... I guess everyone is different!


Kitchen Design Survey
 
One survey taker suggested a combo of stainless and white for a fridge, instead of the usual stainless and black. What do you think? Could you see this working?

Kitchen Design Survey
 
I can't picture stainless and white looking good, but I'm not an appliance designer. I like the look of stainless but I have young children and will probably be opting for black instead, when I get new stuff.
 
one product the metal/white combo has been done well is the mac mini, which features white with a silver that has been beadblasted (as opposed to a mirror finish or a brushed finish) to have a matte look and a satin feel to the touch.

This would allow people to have white, but with a more interesting touch of metal, while also eliminating smudges and fingerprints by applying a bead-blast or sand-blast finish to metal areas.

http://appledifferent.com/wordpress/wp-content/354_7_apple_mac_mini.jpg
 
Somehow I'm okay with that for the Apple, but don't think I'd like it for appliances. But I don't generally like white appliances anyway, so it may just be me.
 
How many appliances have real stainless steel and how many just have a stainless looking cover that has plastic over it?

Take a magnet to see if it is normal steel or fake. To my knowledge, stainless is not magnetic.
 
Stainless, copper and brass (and most metals, actually) are non-magnetic, but lots of stainless steel screws will show a small amount of attraction to a magnet. Nothing like ordinary steel tho. It is still easy to tell ordinary steel from stainless steel from the amount of magnetic attraction.

The reason why stainless steel appliances will eventually go he way of the 12 inch high fins on cars built in the 1950's is because there is no practical advantage in having stainless steel panels. At the time, people thought the huge tail fins on a '57 Caddy made the car look "sleek and modern".

How similar is that to stainless steel panels on appliances?

Once people get used to stainless appliances and see them everywhere, their appeal will gradually wane until they start looking "dated". And, at that point there will be no good reason to keep offering stainless steel appliances and every reason not to. That's cuz the stainless steel panels offer no practical benefit, they just cost more. They provide exactly the same benefit as painting a racing stripe on a car.
 
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Ah, but practicality doesn't ALWAYS win, Nestor. Especially in the good-old US(and)A!

For a few decades now, Stainless has represented a "higher class" look. Despite practical criteria, it evokes an emotional response that isn't matched by run-of-the-mill white or black (or "bisque"). It'll be hard to shake that effect, since human emotions many times overrule an object's practicality. We are a nation of beauty queens and wannabes, and while it may not be the best choice economically, it will remain a popular choice. As far as I know, the "fad" has already lasted longer than fins on cars!
 
Without a good practical reason for having stainless steel panels on fridges and stoves, then I fully expect the panels on fridges and stoves will always be subject to the winds of change.

All I'm saying is that major appliances like fridges and stoves last longer than the current wind direction. So, if you buy stainless steel appliances, do so because you like the look, not because you like to be in fashion. The same winds of change that brought stainless steel appliances into fashion will blow them out of fashion when something else comes along.
 
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We have a white porcelain sink in our new home purchased 2 years ago new. We like the sink.
 

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