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| LifeTuesday, April 24, 2007 2:48 PM CDT |
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Appetite for gadgets
Trendsetters kept on their toes at show
So maybe there's no need for a butter dish that sits on a recharging station and keeps a stick at a very spreadable 65 degrees. Or a scale that gives us separate readings on the body composition of our right and left arms and legs. Especially if we've had too much butter. And then there's the toilet tissue holder that lets you tear exactly the number of sheets you want, with one hand. Who knew we used an average of 8.6 sheets per trip or 57 sheets a day? Among the thousands of products introduced at the annual International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago last month, it was obvious our love of color continues, silicone is growing on us and we're looking for a little whimsy in the kitchen with piranha pizza cutters and Toucan can openers. We're also desperate for anything that makes the second shift a little easier, like a cooker that will fry a 4.5-pound chicken in 45 minutes or a slow cooker with nesting bowls in three sizes. We seem to be obsessed with cleanliness, from our air to our countertops and fruits and veggies. But we're not looking for a chemical solution. That's what made the Lotus sanitizing system such a big hit with "hipsters," a group of trend-predicting consumers who roamed among the more than 2,000 booths, reporting their findings at the end of the day. The $199 Lotus system pumps oxygen into tap water, turning it into a chemical-free sanitizer that's supposed to work 3,000 times faster than bleach in eliminating germs, mold and mildew. The company claims it'll wash e-coli from spinach and shine floors, and if the cat happens to drink it, there's no harm. It turns back to harmless tap water in 15 minutes. "We saw a lot of alternatives to chemicals, which shows more concern about the environment and personal health," said A.J. Riedel of the Arizona-based Riedel Marketing Group, which tracks the hipsters, short for HomeTrends Influential Panel. The group was intrigued by the Twilight Mini, a light therapy system that Verilux claims helps you fall and stay asleep. Just turn it on for 30 minutes within two hours of bedtime. Among the major appliances, Haier came out with a side-by-side refrigerator with a storage compartment that can be converted from fridge to freezer in 100 minutes, but it comes with a chilly price tag of $1,599 to $2,299. Consumers are getting more experimental with color. They're more likely to buy a Caribbean blue casserole dish or persimmon mixer than a bronze washer and dryer. "Color's OK in something you can put away, but the avocado and harvest gold lingers long in the consumers' memory," Riedel said. Expect Shrek green to continue to be a good color, said Lee Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. That's because the third Shrek movie is due out later this year. The environmental movement also props up green. "The life of the color green will be prolonged -- green is good," she said. Don't be surprised if you start to see kitchen gadgets with handles in chocolate brown, orange, olive and teal, and look for purple to be much stronger next year. Also, tangerine isn't going away anytime soon. The hipsters weren't shy about putting thumbs down on products they thought wouldn't fly or they'd never buy. One of those was the bean bag bottomed Wacky Snak bowl, which encourages kids to launch popcorn through a basketball hoop. And then there was the NASCAR-themed robotic vacuum. "What were they thinking?" Riedel asked. "The target is not young boys." Families will be eating more meals at home this year, the Hipsters predict. Forty-two percent said they'd be at the kitchen table more often, primarily to save money. But that doesn't mean they're cooking more; instead they're looking for shortcuts at the grocery store with prepared meals or visiting assemble-your-meals businesses. And they're looking for appliances that make life easier, like the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Multicooker that will steam, boil or fry. It's due out in August at a price of $79.99. Top 10 home trendsThe HomeTrend Influentials Panel, called "hipsters," a group of 100 consumers said to be the bellwethers of trends, shared these predictions: This year • Color: Expect it everywhere and look for bold, bright colors on walls and in home interiors, along with unexpected punches of color. • Outdoor rooms with kitchens, fireplaces or fire pits • Flat-screen TVs in one or more rooms of the house, typically wall-mounted • Good-looking home organization products, especially closet systems • Hardwood and tile flooring • Granite countertops are popular but may have run their course. Concrete and glass may be next. • Stainless steel is still hot but may be cooling off; color appliances may return, but consumers are cautious. • Look for green or environmentally friendly products and the use of renewable/sustainable materials such as bamboo, and energy-efficient products. • Networked or "smart" homes and appliances • Media rooms and home theaters Further out • Wine coolers and refrigerators, wine cellars and closets • Less formal/more family-friendly home design and decor • Mixing themes/styles, not having everything match • Less clutter • Simple and clean furniture design, crisp lines • Home spas and spa bathrooms • Upscale, designer garages used for more than storing cars • Bringing nature indoors with plants, indoor gardens, fresh flowers, and floral arrangements • Wallpaper • iPod-friendly homes with wiring, docking stations, and speakers Check out what's about to hit the marketBy Kate Arthur | karthur@pantagraph.com To get the party started this summer, maybe you'll want to pull on a "When Harry met Salad" chef's apron. "Silence of the Yams" is another popular seller for Wearable Vegetables, a mom and pop operation that even found post-Katrina humor when the Louisiana business was flooded and they came out with "Breaking the Mold" boxers and camisoles. For something a little different, throw a raclette party; it's 21st-century fondue. Guests cook their own combination of meat, seafood and vegetables on a cooking stone and grill top, warming their cheeses and fillings on individual dishes. Raclette refers to a type of cheese and centuries-old Swiss cooking style. The first portable microwave will be available next month for $199. At only 14 pounds, the handled WaveBox is designed to look like a lunch box and plugs into the car lighter, battery or standard outlet. S'mores kits may be bumped this fall by a hot chocolate maker. BonJour will ship plenty of the $30 European-styled white ceramic chocolate pots with frothers. Here's a sample of other products that may be showing up in housewares aisles: • KitchenAid Crisper Flipper - Rather than trying to flip small items like roasted potatoes or French fries, place food between two crisper pans, lock them in place, cook until halfway done, then flip them ($34.99). • Silicone whisking/basting brush - With a twist, the inner bristles of this silicone brush retract, making it a fine basting brush (AR+Cook; $12 to $15). • Chocolate paddle thermometer - Stir and melt chocolate with this all-in-one spatula. An early prototype was nearly impossible to clean, so now the thermometer pops out (Taylor; $19.99). • Hershey's Chocolate Milk Mixer - Sure you can use a spoon to stir a glob of chocolate syrup into a cup of milk but it's more fun to flip a button and watch this battery-operated cyclone appear. Throw in a shot of Baileys Irish Creme and everybody's happy (Hershey; $12.99). • Cut-resistant glove - Avoid getting nicked when you're chopping or grating with this form-fitting glove originally designed for industrial use (Microplane; $24.95; available this summer). • Westbend Raclette Party Grill - Gather your guests around a tabletop stone and griddle and let them customize their dishes ($79.99, available in July). • Zyliss Easy Dial - This iPod-like digital kitchen timer is controlled by a scroll wheel, can time three events and flashes as well as beeps. (Zyliss; $24.99). • Piranha pizza cutter - These aren't kids' kitchen tools; adults are scooping up the whimsical Animal House collection that includes a Toucan can opener, whale ice cream spade, monkey potato peeler and parakeet garlic press (Boston Warehouse; $5 to $20). • Distress your jeans - Use a scratchy pad to distress your jeans (Tiger Paws; small pads $5 each; $15.99 for two large) • Silicone sink strainer - In the OXO Good Grips' booth, everybody had to turn this flexible $6.99 strainer inside out. But they were equally impressed with a silicone cooking colander that collapses for easy storage ($19.99). • Silli Twists - Silicone twist ties can bundle computer wires, stake plants or tie a roast (SiliconeZone USA; $13.99 for six). • Ironman Innerscan Segmental Body Composition Monitor - Get a detailed body composition profile with separate readings for your right and left arms and legs. The Tanita scale also can recall a 52-week or 36-month graph, if you care what your body fat was three years ago. • Give me some oxygen - Night clubs, spas and health clubs are charging $1 a minute to inhale from an oxygen bar. O2 Innovations has a portable oxygen bar with 40 percent oxygen-enriched air that's said to increase energy, concentration and alertness, costing 30 cents a day ($699). • Quick Dry Garment Drying Station - Rather than draping damp clothes all over the house, you can spread them on this four-tiered mesh dryer that includes a cool air fan, shortening drying time by as much as 75 percent (Hamilton Beach; $99.99 available in June). • Hand vacuum on wheels - No more hovering over a hardwood floor with a hand vac. Electrolux's first hand vacuum, the Rapido, has roller blade-type wheels that will roll right over upholstery too ($59.99). • Dirt Devil Purpose for Pets Spot Scrubber - This portable cleaner includes LED black light technology for detecting invisible stains (Royal Appliance). • Bounce Lint & Freshness Roller - Don't tell the kids but Tide already has its back-to-school line ready to launch, including a $4.99 scented lint roller and a canvas laundry bag that functions like a backpack with straps so you can hike it out of the dorm room to mom's ($24.99). • Kool Dogz Treat Maker - Freeze treats and toys in a block of ice and place it in the back yard to entertain and hydrate your pet. At 80 degrees, it takes about three hours to melt (two sizes, $19.99 and $24.99, available in June at Petco). • Towel-Matic - Using sensor technology, this battery-operated paper towel dispenser practically hands you a towel. Just touch the control and it feeds you one, two or half-page sheets. (iTouchless; $59.99). • Touch-free sensor soap pump - Simplehuman makes a hands-free soap pump with a 20-second timer that tells you how long you have to lather for germ-free hands ($39.99). • Magnetic peg boards - A steel board and magnets take the peg board to a new level. (www.stuckontools.com; starting at $49.95). • Slanket - This blanket with sleeves was introduced last year but came back with a child-sized version (www.theslanket.com). E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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