Home Trends

Added August 1, 2008 by Katherine Merriam, ThinkGlink.com Staff

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Summary: What are the latest home trends? Each year hundreds of manufacturers display the newest home trends at the International Housewares Show. Which home trends were new for 2008? Learn about 2008 home trends including multi-function tools, custom colors and green home trends.

Every year companies come to the International Housewares Show in Chicago to present the latest in home trends. Some of the biggest home trends from the 2008 show were tools with multiple functions, custom colors and green home trends.

One home trend that Hamilton Beach showed off was a new multi-tool. The Open Station can be used to open almost any kind of package, from cans and jars to those vacuum-sealed plastic packages for electronics. Another item in this home trend is Hamilton Beach's Toast Station which serves as both a traditional toaster and a toaster oven.

These items are popular in home trends because they save space in drawers and on the counter top. Lifestyle consultant and home trends expert Lisa Weiss works for the International Housewares Association, the group who hosts the show. She says, "I think if you can have one appliance that can do one thing--it's easier to store that one appliance than having five separate appliances that do individual things."

Another one of the popular home trends from the 2008 show was the use of custom colors for everyday appliances. Most people have seen the colored KitchenAid mixers, and this year the company is introducing a new color: pear. KitchenAid representative Deb O'Connor says, "The kitchen is really like the new living room and so people are looking more at designing more, putting more color into their kitchen, more design."

Weiss says the biggest of the home trends is definitely the "green" concept, which means manufacturing, packaging and selling products in an environmentally friendly way. Aladdin decided to take on the green home challenge by manufacturing plates and cups made of recycled materials. The company took this home trend one step further by making the packaging as green friendly as possible. Another way green home trends took the show by storm was through the use of bamboo. Because bamboo grows so quickly, it qualifies as a sustainable material and thus making products out of it has become a green home trend.

Check your local stores to pick up some of these home trends for your house. For more stories on home trends, real estate and personal finance, visit ThinkGlink.com. Read our stories on home design and garden design. Also watch these design videos featuring designer Marianne Cusato:

Designing A Home

Home Design

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