GE's Response to Some of This Year's Biggest Kitchen Trends
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One recessionary trend we might expect to see is a growing popularity in "bulk" purchasing --- and we are.1 One we might not expect to see is large kitchens that can accommodate that "bulk." But people want big kitchens, and even as homebuyers look to downsize, kitchens continue to consume a larger and larger percentage of the overall floor plan.The kitchen has become the new living space, and it's expanding in both size and comfort to accommodate everyday life and entertaining," said Marc Hottenroth, manager of GE Appliance's Industrial Design Organization. "The attention to detail that once went into the selection of the leather sofa, plasma television, and Oriental rug in your family room is now going into the selection of appliances, countertops and accent lighting."
Size Matters. Big kitchens and open floor plans are hot sellers in today's housing market2, and people are trading the once-popular home theaters and traditional dining rooms for bigger kitchens and open floor plans. They are also adding unexpected elements --- like furniture, televisions and area rugs.
"When people are entertaining at home, they want to be where the action is, and the party is moving into the kitchen," Hottenroth said. "Even during the week, the kitchen is the hub of family activity, whether it's the children doing homework at the kitchen island or the family sitting down for dinner."
Speaking of dinner, families are still eating together. An AP poll found that 60 percent of those living with families sat down with the family for dinner at least five nights in the week before the poll was taken.3
Whether families are stocking up for a week of family dinners or weekends of entertaining, GE offers big solutions to meet their needs. GE's new 29.1 cubic-foot side-by-side refrigerator is the largest free-standing refrigerator in America*, with extra space to keep pounds of produce fresh. Similarly, the GE Profile™ Double-Oven free-standing range offers 6.6 cubic feet of total cooking space, enabling home chefs to cook two meals at two temperatures at the same time.
Flexible Work Zones for Flexible Families. The popularity of kitchen islands4 and other work zones within the kitchen is also growing, as are the under-counter refrigerator drawers, like the GE Monogram® suite of under-counter refrigeration. Additionally, under-counter wine refrigerators --- like those in both GE Profile and Monogram --- have recently been specified by half of kitchen designers.5
"In addition to island spaces, more kitchens are including dedicated 'zones' for special hobbies, such as wine tasting or baking6," Hottenroth said. "With flexible appliances, like GE's under-counter refrigeration and wine chillers, consumers can create more custom spaces."
Convenience is King. Families with two working parents now represent the majority among married couples with children.7 Busier lives call for faster cooking and faster clean-up. The new GE Profile 30-inch free-standing range with induction cooking offers both.
The induction cooktop saves precious minutes by bringing water to a boil faster than gas or electric cooktops, and it saves clean-up time after dinner because spills won't cook onto the stovetop. Because of its efficiency, induction is also growing in popularity with consumers.8
"While the wall-oven/cooktop combination is starting to grow in popularity, the traditional range still dominates in cooking9," Hottenroth said. "The availability of GE's induction technology in a new free-standing range makes it more accessible to more families looking to convert to induction."
Smarter Than My Parents' Appliances. People want more than just easy clean-up and faster cooking; they want to ditch the guess-work. GE's new dishwasher with SmartDispense™ technology offers the gamut. The dishwasher's steam pre-wash feature eliminates the need for pre-rinsing and soaking. It also stores contents of an entire 47-ounce bottle of liquid or gel detergent and dispenses based on water hardness, cycle selection, and soil in the load. With two months of washing before refills, this is also great for families buying in bulk.
There's also a new meaning to smart. As "smart grid" technologies, such as smart meters, become more prevalent across the country, consumers will have more choices in how they use and pay for power. In response to this trend, GE is offering an innovative line of smart grid-enabled appliances that communicate with the grid, receiving price signals from the utility, so they can operate when it's most cost-effective to do so.** Smart grid will help utilities better manage peak demand, reducing the need for additional power plants --- so it's not only good for consumers' wallets, but also the environment.
Green is the New Stainless. While stainless is still trending as the chic finish of choice, many homeowners are beginning to understand that it's what's inside that counts. With energy-efficient appliances, high-efficiency insulation, and high window efficiency among the environmental features preferred most by homebuyers10, consumers are seeing monetary value of efficiency.
In addition to offering full range of ENERGY STAR® dishwashers and refrigerators, GE is also offering more efficient laundry products and water heaters. GE's new GeoSpring™ hybrid water heater was the first ENERGY STAR®-rated water heater and can save homeowners as much as $320 on annual energy bills.
Splurging . . . on a Budget. Improving efficiency isn't the only way homeowners are saving. They're also saving on kitchen makeovers by limiting their splurges, according to an article by Kitchen & Bath ideas.11 They may opt to go all out on new designer tile or a professional range, depending on their preferences. "But they don't have to splurge," Hottenroth said. "Look at GE Café™ appliances. They're beautiful, restaurant-inspired and free-standing, so homeowners could do their own makeover in just a weekend."
Designing with Light. "Another easy way to save is by using lighting creatively," said Kathleen Sterio, general manager of consumer marketing, GE Lighting. "Layering light and adding decorative task or accent lighting in the kitchen, is a great way to highlight design features without dishing out the dough."
Many designers have pointed to creative use of light as a kitchen trend in 2010. People are coupling overhead can lighting with accent lights to create dramatic effects and interesting design elements in the kitchen. Specialty bulbs, such as GE Reveal®, take any room from ordinary to extraordinary, by filtering dull yellow rays to produce clean, brilliant light™. Now offered in a more efficient model, the GE Reveal CFL offers the same design benefits with less environmental impact.
Personal Expression is in Vogue. Whether it's highlighting design elements with light, adding custom work spaces, or creating comfortable living spaces within the kitchen, homeowners are making the kitchen their own. Renowned kitchen designer, Susan Serra, recently wrote in her blog: "I see a continuing movement toward tapping into one's inner creativity, finding one's personal expression. The gift from the Internet gods to those redesigning a room or a home is the ability to find the nuance of our personal style online." She continued, "Now we have quite a few trends, sub trends, mixed trends. The trend landscape has changed dramatically, a good change."
GE offers many solutions for customers to tap into their inner creativity, realizing their unique design inspiration --- whether it's the more professional look offered by GE Monogram, the sleeker and more contemporary look offered in the GE Profile Series, or the restaurant-inspired look provided by GE Café.
"No matter your style," Hottenroth said, "GE has the style for you."
About GE - Appliances & Lighting
GE - Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services for commercial, industrial and residential use. Technology innovation and the company's ecomagination(SM) initiative enable GE - Appliances & Lighting to aggressively bring to market products and solutions that help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, GE®, Hotpoint®, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.
1. Bulk is Green Council. "Surge in Demand for Bulk Foods Expected to Continue through 2010." http://healthnewsdigest.com/news/Food_and_Nutrition_690/Surge_in_Demand_for_Bulk_Foods_Expected_to_Continue_through_2010.shtml. 19 March 2010.
2. Kerch, Steve. "The 10 Must-Have New Features in Today's Homes." http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108701/the-10-must-have-features-in-todays-new-homes.html?mod=family-love_money. 1 February 2010.
3. Woodword, Calvin. "AP Poll: Family Dinnertime in America is Still Alive." http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=9063212. 12 November 2009.
4. Kerch.
5. NKBA. 2010 Kitchen & Bath Design Trends Survey. "The National Kitchen & Bath Association Reports the Styles for 2010." https://www.nkba.org/press_releases_20100112.aspx. 12 January 2010.
6. Kitchen & Bath Ideas Magazine. http://www.kitchenbathideas.com/plan/kitchen/design/trends/?page=6
7. National Center for Policy Analysis. www.ncpa.org. 24 October 2004.
8. NKBA.
9. NKBA.
10. Kerch.
11. Kitchen & Bath Ideas. "Top 10 Kitchen Trends." http://www.kitchenbathideas.com/plan/kitchen/design/trends/?page=6
* Among leading brands.
** In areas where dynamic pricing rates apply. Dynamic pricing and time of use (TOU) programs provide for variable pricing of energy based on the time of day.
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Allison Gatta