The Real Estate Journal notes that redecorating for the sole purpose of selling a house has made even kitchen fixtures fad-prone. In the past 10 years, according to a study they cite, Americans have spent more than $20 billion upgrading kitchens and bathrooms.
It looks like the hateful Barton-Fink-designs-a-morgue granite-countertop-and-stainless-steel combinations are here to stay in 2006. But thankfully those sinks that look like giant salad bowls sitting on top of a bidet seem to be going down the toilet. As do glass-front kitchen cabinets and matte stone countertops. Dark woods, shiny-smooth surfaces and free-standing, furniture-style units are coming back in.
– Tom McGeveran
