With so many options and brands on the market today, when it comes to choosing appliances for your home or business, it can be hard to know where to begin. Appliance pro Tyler Hillman sat down with Franklin Lifestyle to explain the ins and outs of appliance trends.
What started with one location in Birmingham, Alabama in 1997, Hillman, along with his brother, Josh, have grown AllSouth Appliance to serve four states with seven showrooms across the Southeast. As they watched the growth of Nashville, they wanted to be part of the excitement of such a booming city and officially opened the doors to their Nashville showroom in 2022. “We’ve been very appreciative of the warm welcome from several builders and several new clients already," says Hillman. "We were in Chattanooga for many years and we’re excited to move over to a sister city and we have just really enjoyed getting into the market. We’re looking forward to learning more and building that reputation [in Nashville] that we’ve had elsewhere for going on 27 years now.”
Wanting to serve clients “where they live, work, and play,” they established showrooms in prominent cities as well as in lake and beach towns—such as Panama City and Fort Walton, Florida -- and popular lake areas in Alabama and Tennessee—where clients have vacation homes. This allows them to help clients both at home and in their “homes away from home.”
When it comes to trends in appliances, making a splash with color and stylish accents is a hot trend right now, according to Hillman. He explains that when it comes to black appliances, matte-to-matte finishes are the trend right now, as well as utilizing jewel tones to bring some pop as a statement look. “Jewel tones are still popular as highlight colors of the kitchen. While we don’t see many entire kitchens utilize color in appliances, often there is a focus piece that has color to it,” he says, referring to elements such as the range or the hood.
In some cities, Hillman has even seen the trend of selecting collegiate football colors for outdoor appliances such as grills. While he notes that stainless steel has been the standard for quite a while, people are now starting to mix it with a focal color or adding touches of brass and copper in regard to finishings such as handles on appliances and custom ventilation hoods. “Along with
color, there’s been an introduction of mixed metals that’s also been coming for a little while. We’re seeing that drive down beyond the luxury and most expensive product lines, down into the more mainstream product. It is a nice look that is affordable for many people.” MyAllSouth.com
1. Play Up a Focal Point
Want some color in your kitchen, but don’t want to overwhelm your space? Choose one appliance in a bold color as a focal point.
2. Remember Your Timeline
If you’re purchasing multiple new appliances and want a cohesive look, be sure they are all in stock or will arrive on a timeline that works for your project.
3. Embrace Customization
When it comes to making a statement with your appliances, go for customization. Brands of all price points are now offering customizable mix and match accents on appliances.
"Along with color, there’s been an introduction of mixed metals that’s also been coming for a little while. We’re seeing that drive down beyond the luxury and most expensive product lines, down into the more mainstream product."