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I can understand how some people will be put off by what appears to be the
"obligatory" granite/stainless steel combo. Especially stainless.
That would be me.
I hate stainless, so the fact that everyone assumes it is a huge selling point drives me crazy.
That said, we did put granite in our kitchen and all 3 baths when we were getting our house ready to list.
Every realtor we spoke with said it was 'expected' in our neighborhood and price range.
Yes.
Stainless has been around for years, maybe regular homeowners might go off it, but professional cooks certainly won't, for obvious reasons.
True, professional grade appliances are my only exception when it comes to stainless steel. If you have a professional, Viking range, then it's perfectly natural for it to be stainless steel & I have no problem with that whatsoever. My problem with stainless steel is when brands like Kenmore and GE and all the other companies make the same old cookers they always do, but they put a panel of stainless steel on the front and think that's all it takes to make it a professional appliance. Uh ... no. That's just being trendy.
heh
I don't even want a professional appliance--but that's what I have. (Long story, we bought this house as is, I admire many of its attributes, but certainly not all.)
It really is too bad that this herd mentality must persist in home ownership, that Axiom *had* to put in granite because it was expected.
We do love granite for itself, have owned it for over ten years,but this whole idea of granite or stainless or flat screen TVs or professional appliances being obligatory standards really is a turn-off.
It's as if we are in some sort of tunnel vision consumerist rut.
Please forgive me, tile-lovers, but I haaaaaate tile countertops. I'm one of those wacky people who still makes my own pie crusts, sugar cookies, and the like. Therefore, I want to have a flat, seamless work surface for when I roll out my dough.
I'm afraid that granite countertops have become so ubiquitous that they're practically guaranteed to fall out of fashion and look dated within the next 5 years or so. I can easily imagine someone looking at a listing and thinking, "Stainless steel appliances and granite countertops? Yuck! That is soooooooo 2005!" In many ways it's a shame because granite is a good, durable surface. I hope people aren't tempted to throw it out in droves for the next trendy material.
As for the stainless steel appliances? Ugh. It's the Harvest Gold & Avocado of my generation. I'll be glad when it's gone.
You are right...for dough/ pasteries....a (cool) marble slab is really best.
I don't think granite/ tile/ concrete will go out of style, per se...but there are certain types of granite I am already slightly sick of seeing (esp. a brown/ tan with a very busy speckled pattern)...
I just think that classic clean design always works best & retains it's beauty. That is why I really like a very utilitarian kitchen/ bathroom. I'm definately not a minimalist...I just like a really updated traditional look. I just got a book called Classic Kitchens the other day...it's published by Beta-Plus. The kitchens are gorgeous!
We just sold our house for $355,000 with formica counters and vinyl flooring The house is 5 years old and that's what everyone in the development has - some folks have added tile, but I don't know of anyone who has changed their counters.
We built this new house and we did not get granite, we put in corian - I just like it better. It's a personal choice, I just find the granite a bit cold (too shiny). With the corian and wood floors, the kitchen is warmer to me. Oh, and after having all stainless appliances, I went with all black this time around. With three little boys, stainless was NOT a good fit for us.
We built this new house and we did not get granite, we put in corian - I just like it better. It's a personal choice, I just find the granite a bit cold (too shiny). With the corian and wood floors, the kitchen is warmer to me. Oh, and after having all stainless appliances, I went with all black this time around. With three little boys, stainless was NOT a good fit for us.[/quote]
We have the same combination in our new home and I love it! Granite while beautiful seems cold and austere to me. I also like that corian is non porous and love my seamless sink. It is all so very easy to clean and never stains. We built our home to live in and love not to resell, so it doesn't matter what the current trend is.
Boy, it's a good thing that we can all decorate like we want to... and don't live together... I think with our "difference of taste" the house would look horrible with so many opinions...
We do love granite for itself, have owned it for over ten years,but this whole idea of granite or stainless or flat screen TVs or professional appliances being obligatory standards really is a turn-off.
Formica/laminate countertops, avocado-green appliances and ginormous tube black and white television are so much better.
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(Long story, we bought this house as is, I admire many of its attributes, but certainly not all.)
classic is key
The house is 5 years old and that's what everyone in the development has - some folks have added tile, but I don't know of anyone who has changed their counters.
