Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1189280
KITCHEN APPLIANCE INNOVATIONS Many late-20th century innovations are now standard in major appliances: space-saving over-the-range microwaves, touch-panel controls on dishwashers, water and ice machines built into stainless steel fridge doors, and many more then-futuristic features. Even cooktops evolved in the 1980s. Early oven-top ranges were primitive, limited to four standard burners for pots and pans. Thanks to the pioneering work of Viking and their contemporaries, restaurant-quality burners with movable griddles, grills, and other specialty cooking surfaces entered the consumer market, taking home cooking to the next level for budding chefs and foodies alike. STILL KICKING AIR-TO-AIR HEAT EXCHANGERS Cutting-edge technology in the 80s, the air-to-air heat exchanger now plays an essential role in managing ventilation and indoor air quality in many sustainably built homes. Just ask Built Green. (See page 17 for the science behind these.) THE HOT TUB Mock it if you want, but know that the hot tub is perfect and immortal. Just imagine, endless hot water, bubbles, and massage jets—in your own backyard. Grab yourself a Rainier from the minibar and revel in the relaxing people soup of the majestic American hot tub, now with aromatherapy, built-in Bluetooth stereos, and apps to monitor maintenance cycles. BRASS ACCENTS AND FIXTURES Like any great fashion statement, a strong decorative element is timeless and perennial, reappearing every few decades. For more than a century, brass accents, from light fixtures and doorknobs to faucets and cabinet pulls, have come and gone. Though the ubiquitous metallic shine of polished brass went out with the 80s, warm metals are back in the form of brushed brass and a more restrained mixed metal palette. 56 master builder WINTER 2019