Pet Peeves: The Holy Trinity and Beyond

[VeryNot]

Maybe it annoys me so much because my SO is English, but for some reason, almost every HHI that involves an American woman moving to the UK to be with her British SO, she's usually some weirdo Anglophile dreamily going on about Jane Austen and quaint English villages. Of course these women always want something "quintessentially English", and then are either horrified by what that actually means (lots of wallpaper, small rooms, little storage, washing machine in the kitchen wtf???) or gush endlessly about CHARM and ADORABLE and QUAINT QUAINT QUAINT -- usually with the British SO rolling his eyes in the background, wondering what he's gotten himself into.

Don't get me wrong; I'm a bit of an Anglophile myself. But I understand England is a country, not a theme park, and the English aren't charming storybook characters come to life for my entertainment.

In the same vein, I can't stand Americans moving to another country and complaining, "well, back in America, we're used to more closets/bigger rooms/open floor plans." I ragecringe so hard.

[DownTheShore]

I love when they go into one of those English cottages that the woman raves over and the guy's head is just about hitting the ceiling - and she's trying to convince him that it's the perfect place for them!  Ditto when that happens on the regular HH and they are in the basement.  Don't know about the rest of you, but if I my SO was whacking his head on the ceilings and door frames, that place would have immediately been off the list; I wouldn't even be trying to sell it as a viable place to him.  Can you imagine how claustrophobic it would be to live like that?

 

I'm looking forward to the day when one of those couples walks into one of those English apartments/houses and just asks why every single room has a door.  Why is a door needed to the kitchen or the living room, er, lounge?  It always seems to me that just makes the place smaller-seeming if you have an opened door taking up space in the room.  First thing I'd do is pop those babies off their hinges and stash the doors wherever I could (probably under the beds if there's no other place).

 

I also don't get the aversion to having one of those washer/dryer combos in the kitchen.  What's the big deal?  You're only putting the clothes in and taking them out, and you don't have to do that while you are cooking.  Plumbing-wise it probably makes sense to have the appliance there.

[ShuFace88]

My latest pet-peeve is house hunters who whine about not having double sinks.  What are the odds that you and your spouse have to get ready at the exact same time every morning.  Even if you carpool or leave at the same time, you only need the sink to brush your teeth and wash your face.  Putting makeup on or curling/straightening hair can be done at a nice dressing table or vanity outside the bathroom.  Also, the people who whine about this are usually looking at houses with 2 or 3 bathrooms.  Is it so hard to walk down the hall to use the other bathroom?  I would much rather have a huge luxury shower than use the space for 2 sinks.

[Sun-Bun]

Maybe it's the interior design snob inside me that gets so annoyed by this, but I'm always struck by the horrible lack of taste in decorating most of the homeowners display when they're shown living in their new places!

There have only been a handful of times when I've actually been impressed with the interior design((and it's typically just "Househunters International")), but 9 out of 10 times I'm typically gagging in horror over the hideously unimaginative/cheap furniture, bad art and just generally boring decor choices.

I mean comon, you're on national television showing off your living space and you can't even be bothered to show some added attention to your decorating style? You're shown putting together shitty IKEA furniture and gushing over your supposedly fabulous new home yet you can't even find some original art or funky pillows or chairs that don't scream "bought on sale at JC Penny!!!"

Again, I suppose I'm just being nitpicky, but if *I* were ever on a show like this, you'd damned well better believe I'd leave some room in my budget for a professional decorator or at least consult someone who has a knack for making a home look like it's actually got some style and elegance.

Of course, then I'm left to wonder if half these taste-devoid bastards are too "house poor" to even consider finding decent home decor options post-sale. Still, you can design a stylish home on a budget if you actually know how/where to look; unfortunately, most of these famewhores are too poor/too stupid to give a damn about displaying good taste in interior design.

Another HH pet-peeve of mine beyond paint/wallpaper complaints, bad closet jokes, constant demands for granite countertops/stainless steel/wooden floors/open floor plans and any use of the term "man cave"?

People who whine about needing "more space".

More space. For more shit. Shit they don't need.

Here's an idea: get rid of all that shit.

Ugh...I get beyond sickened by Americans with the incessant need to buy shit to clog up their generic McMansions. And don't you forget to have that fancy crown-molding everywhere, even in the 2 car garage!!

[BearCat49]

It takes time to decorate a new space.  I give the househunters a break WRT their poor decorating because tptb film each episode's scenes during the same week.  Sorry, those banners that state "3 months later" (or whatever) lie. 

 

That brings up a minor pet peeve of mine - shopping for a new home that works with your old couch or dining room table or something.  Sorry, people - that's impossible.  It doesn't work.  When you purchase a new home, you must design for that space.  

Edited August 3, 2014 by BearCat49

[Dewey Decimate]

I like stainless appliances (particularly ones made to be streak-resistant), granite can be nice (even beautiful, though I'd personally prefer a SS counter w/ integrated sink), and love hardwood floors (my 1925 house has unfashionable medium-hued ones - oh, the horror!). I have never used a dishwasher in my life, and my one bathroom is literally 5'x6' (I like to refer to it as the airplane bathroom - it even has a folding door.) I absolutely love looking at houses for the fun of it - my parents' recent house hunt got me on ListingBook and their awesome realtor left my account active - and admit to a little aspirational house-envy. Some of the HHers' choices make me cringe, others make me drool, but in the end, there's one thing that can make it all okay:

 

A sense of humor and a little appreciation. (Okay, that's two things.) I don't care if the man wants his cave or the woman wants her closet, if a HHer fears foot skin, basements, or ghosts; or if he wants to barbecue naked or she wants to drop her laundry down a chute. Taste is personal, whether you choose the current fashion or something super quirky. Just PLEASE be good-natured about it, and show a little gratitude that you're even fortunate enough to afford a home. The rare episodes like that are by far my favorites.

[DownTheShore]

True.  Very few of them are even thrilled that they can afford what they can.  They either accept it as their due or else are disappointed because they can't have everything that they dreamed of - immediately.  They all seem to be into immediate gratification; everything has to be perfect from the moment they move in.

[FozzyBear]

My latest pet-peeve is house hunters who whine about not having double sinks. What are the odds that you and your spouse have to get ready at the exact same time every morning. Even if you carpool or leave at the same time, you only need the sink to brush your teeth and wash your face. Putting makeup on or curling/straightening hair can be done at a nice dressing table or vanity outside the bathroom. Also, the people who whine about this are usually looking at houses with 2 or 3 bathrooms. Is it so hard to walk down the hall to use the other bathroom? I would much rather have a huge luxury shower than use the space for 2 sinks.

I have never understood the double sink! Ever! I mean if it's important to you then go on with your bad self, but I just don't get it. I don't even use my sink that much. I brush my teeth and wash my face. We're talking 5 minutes tops if I stand over the sink the entire time I'm brushing and flossing which I usually don't since I have a habit of wander around out of boredom. The rest of my routine is done at the other end of the bathroom where I have counter space. And I'm always dreaming about more counter space not less.

But I have a bunch of Anti-House Hunters preferences. I don't want a double sink, I do want a formal living/dinning room, I don't like big bedrooms and would rather have more space in the living areas, I don't want a big yard because I won't take care of it, i like a lot of brass fixtures, I like being closer to my neighbors because it makes me feel safer... This list goes on. I am a bad American.

[Peanutbuttercup]

My anti-house hunters list:

• I hate open concept. I like separate spaces.
• I don't need or want huge bedrooms - I'm not hosting bar mitzvahs or planning to set up a dog agility course or something in a bedroom.
• I hate stainless steel appliances. Difficult to keep clean plus they just look institutional to me.
• I would never buy a house on a corner lot. Double the street traffic plus you get an oddly shaped lot with no backyard.
• I also like having close neighbors. If I'm doing something that requires privacy, I close the drapes/blinds.
• I love formal dining rooms and unlike many of the House Hunters who proclaim that they don't know what to do with them - I do know how to set a table and serve a meal and I even like to eat in a dining room when I'm the only one there (like usual).
• I don't need separate tables and spaces for eating breakfast vs. eating dinner.

[Tunia]

•I would never buy a house on a corner lot. Double the street traffic plus you get an oddly shaped lot with no backyard.

 

 

...and don't forget about the double sewer charges (one for each street).

[DownTheShore]

We lived on a corner and we never got double sewer charges.  The address belongs to only one street, not both, so there is only one charge.

 

The bad thing about a corner lot is if you are in a northern state where it snows and you have sidewalks on both sides of your house.  That is is b*tch to shovel.

[Tunia]

^^^Perhaps I should have been clearer:  For installation and maintenance of sewers, you pay double charges on a corner lot, since you pay for the entire lot line (both streets).

[FozzyBear]

The "I can see my neighbors" is one of the most bizarre complaints to me. Not as a general thing. I get some people just like a lot of space, but if that's you wouldn't you choose to live in a rural area? I know in my city buying into the rural farming communities is actually cheaper that buying in the city. I don't get it when people are buying in town and get freaked out their neighbors might see them. How much space do you expect in a city? The strangest one was a young woman who wanted to be within walking distance of all the nightlife in some southern city (Jackson or Birmingham maybe) but was complaining about how close her neighbors were. It's a city. That's how they function. Why would you want to be in a city if you don't like them?

In general people who don't understand their communities trip me out. People who want 5 acres but are shocked the nearest grocery store is 45 minutes away or who want a 2 story brick home in earthquake country or are upset that every house has ceiling fans in Texas. Do people really not get that different places are...different?

Edited August 26, 2014 by FozzyBear

[NYGirl]

I scoff at that neighbor thing.  I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and they don't get any closer than that.   I never ever worried about somebody "seeing me".  We all just went about our business.  If a neighbor was outside we said hi.

 

I do remember when we were kids my brother and I used to get out the binoculars and try and look at the stars from my bedroom window and my neighbor behind us (she was very loud..we'd here her yelling at her kids all the time) say something about us peeping at them.  We were so shocked!  So that's why I never look at stars.  LOL

[auntjess]

I'm putting this here because it's about opening up the view.

 

http://www.theonion.com/articles/secretary-of-interior-says-knocking-down-rocky-mou,36803/

Edited August 29, 2014 by auntjess

[DownTheShore]

The Secretary forgot to mention gaining views of the Pacific Ocean - lol.

[Peanutbuttercup]

It would certainly make our country a better space for entertaining.

[auntjess]

And it would be easier to keep an eye on the kids.

But I wonder if they're load-bearing.

Edited August 30, 2014 by auntjess

[DownTheShore]

In that case, we're going to need one mighty big engineered beam...

[peggy06]

auntjess, that link is too funny. But the writer missed out on using the phrase "open concept." Also: Better check if there's granite in them thar mountains.

[Jynnan tonnix]

That brings up a minor pet peeve of mine - shopping for a new home that works with your old couch or dining room table or something.  Sorry, people - that's impossible.  It doesn't work.  When you purchase a new home, you must design for that space.

 

That's not always feasible, though, especially if you move on a somewhat regular basis. My husband has been in the Navy for going on 38 years (we have only been together for the last 30 of them), and we move every 2-3 years. Sometimes that means rental houses, sometimes, base housing, and every so often we buy a house and try to "flip" it in the time we have (which generally ends up meaning we live in something that just about gets to the point that we really love it before having to sell it and move on). All that really adds up, even in a house which is in good shape to begin with, because there are always things that need to be changed and adjusted, but most of our furniture has moved with us multiple times. Our dining room set, in particular, demands a much larger dining room than is found in most houses these days, but it's a hand-carved rosewood set we bought when we lived in Guam, and added to during a tour in Hawaii some years later. We plan on keeping it forever.  And even for furniture which we are not quite as strongly attached to, we can't afford to furnish a new space from scratch every couple of years. The dining set has moved with us 7 times, our master bedroom set, 5 times, living room, 4 times, most other things somewhere within those ranges... Yet we do want a place that looks nice, and, yes, we do entertain quite a bit, sometimes with functions which might include a dignitary or two. So finding a house which works with our furniture is of great importance.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Jynnan tonnix

[BearCat49]

I didn't explain myself very well, above.  I certainly didn't mean that you must buy an entire house of furniture with each move.  Couldn't think of a good HH example.  Needing a large dining room isn't that unusual, IMHO. 

 

What I meant to say is that homeowners should consider the dimensions of the new space and work with it, remaining flexible.  For example, we have a large, formal dining room attached to a great room.  Another room, including a wall of windows facing open space would make a terrific dining area.  Depending on the size of one's table, someone could repurpose the formal dr into a den and use the other space for dining.

 

So, bottom line, I was most likely talking about the cray-cray HH participants who appear intractable when it comes to some strange item of furniture or particular room.  And, it's probably all producer-driven, anyway.

[Jynnan tonnix]

Oh, yeah, we did something very similar when we bought our latest house (the one we plan to retire in). There was plenty of space, as the couple who lived there had something like 5 kids, but there was no formal dining room, just a breakfast area (admittedly fairly large) off the kitchen. There was a large family room off to the side, but it had a huge wood-burning stove jutting a good way into the space, and an exposed-brick chimney, which had a certain country charm, but did not work at all with our very Asian-inspired dining room furniture. So we removed the stove (there's an even bigger one in the living room on the other side of the chimney, which doesn't exactly mesh with the décor ether, but is so useful in the winter that we are keeping it and trying to figure out how to decorate around it), put wallboard around the chimney, put down a hardwood floor and installed a small closet in the corner between the wall and the chimney (where the wood-storage nook used to be), and it all came out great.

 

We also did away with one of the two downstairs bedrooms and closed off the existing door in the hallway off the kitchen, then opened up a new door to the room from the foyer (which was really cramped), and made the space into a library with a small gas fireplace.

 

These changes took it from being a very family-style country cape into a great entertaining space.

[DownTheShore]

A question for you all:  center islands, yea or nay?

 

I don't happen to have one, but from my experience with them in other people's homes, I don't like them.  They narrow down the space between the island and the counter so two people have to turn sideways to pass each other.  Instead of being able to move in a direct line to all the major appliances, you usually have to walk around the counter to get to at least one of them.

[BearCat49]

I know what you're referring to DownTheShore, WRT the trinity and circulation but I believe the actual issue is that these spaces are too small for a center island, i.e. not the center island itself - JMHO.  Certain narrow kitchens may function more efficiently with a side peninsula.  Amazing to me that many buyers/homeowners apparently believe that every kitchen must have an island even if it's completely nonfunctional. 

 

Your changes sound terrific to me, Jynnan tonnix.  I'll bet you're basically a professional mover and decorator by now!

Edited September 10, 2014 by BearCat49

[WendyCR72]

A question for you all:  center islands, yea or nay?

 

I see no point to them, myself. Unless used as a makeshift table of sorts.

[CoolMom]

That brings up a minor pet peeve of mine - shopping for a new home that works with your old couch or dining room table or something.  Sorry, people - that's impossible.  It doesn't work.  When you purchase a new home, you must design for that space.

 

I understand this to a degree.  When we were house hunting we must have driven the agent crazy because our issue was a wall for the piano. Open concepts are not great for piano placement.

[laredhead]

I have had 2 galley kitchens, a U-shaped kitchen, and 2 kitchens with center islands.  My preference is a galley kitchen.  I find it more efficient.  I never had a problem with running into anyone else trying to cook in the kitchen at the same time and the floor space it takes up is minimal.  I have found that in the kitchens with center islands, the islands became catch alls for everything.  I presently have an island (free standing) which will be eliminated when my kitchen is remodeled in January.  Replacing it with a reconfigured plan which includes a peninsula.  The HH's who just must have an island probably have never had one and think of it as granite and stainless or the kitchen just won't function well.  

[ShuFace88]

An island is a must-have for my husband and me.  My husband is a wonderful cook and loves to make things from scratch that take a lot of room such as rolling out fresh pasta and making homemade sausages.  A large, open work surface makes this much easier.  I also love it for rolling out and decorating Christmas cookies and pie dough.    If you have open-concept, the island can act as a divider and other people can sit at the island and visit with the chef while they are cooking. However, the kitchen does need to be large enough for this or else it does get really cramped.  I have seen many designers call a counter height table an "island"  To me, an island is not able to be moved and has (closed) storage underneath.  I can't stand the islands with open shelving underneath because that would be impossible to keep neat and organized.

 

I thinks it's all what your priorities are.  I don't need huge closets or double sinks or cathedral ceilings but I do want a huge kitchen.

Edited September 10, 2014 by ShuFace88

[Bastet]

I think an island can be great, but the kitchen has to be able to accommodate it.  I hate when HHs walk into a kitchen and bemoan, "There's no island."  Well, no, there isn't, because there isn't room for one.  "There isn't enough counter space" is a perfectly valid complaint, but the absence of an island doesn't automatically equate to that.  There's a difference between the "I'd like an island because ..." buyers and the "An island is on my checklist of things I've been brainwashed into thinking every house should have" crowd.  HH attracts the latter.

 

The size of my kitchen makes it almost look like it's missing something without an island.  But, realistically, there isn't room for one with the way things are currently laid out -- I hate islands that create a situation where walking between it and the cabinetry feels like shuffling through a cattle chute.  I spent days with graph paper, working out various configurations, before I hit on a redesign that allows for an island that makes sense, functionally and visually.  Only because of that will my kitchen have an island when I redo it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

According to this, these are the things that will replace granite countertops

[Bellalisa]

There was one couple who was moving from USA to Austrailia or somewhere really, really far away who insisted that the bedroom fit their enormous bed. This bed was so huge and so tacky. It was a bed frame with a huge back to it. Gigantic. Not one room in the house would work for this thing. Instead they stuck it in front of the 2 windows in the room that had the wonderful view and balcony, blocking the view. It was strange that they would ship that thing half across the world. I kept yelling at the TV - Sell it! Store it until you get home if you are that attached to it!

[DownTheShore]

According to this, these are the things that will replace granite countertops

Love that mosaic red tile surrounding the black sink!  Was reading up on it and looks like it is a Cocciopesto sole casting, so no grout lines.

[txvoodoo]

Islands are fine, if they fit the kitchen. Not every kitchen should have them or needs them.

 

Our kitchen is about 18' x 18'. It only had two walls of cabinets, with stove on one wall, fridge/dishwasher/sink on the other - L shape.

 

Yeah, we could fit an island in this room, but instead, on the 3rd wall, we have open shelving now, and on the 4th, which is a pony wall overlooking the living room, I have a counter-height massive table. (it was a craigslist freebie - originally a display table in a Gap store - solid cast iron. UBER sturdy). 

 

What I intend to do long run is put cabinets/counter all along the 3rd wall, and on the 4th, a peninsula. I already have barstools at the big table - basically, I use it as a peninsula now. 

[Boton]

 

Agreed.  Everyone in my family is banned from the kitchen while I'm cooking unless I specifically invite them.

 

No kidding.  I consider my kitchen to be a cleaner version of a bathroom.  It's a private space that essential activities take place in, but I'm going to need some privacy and some quiet to concentrate if you want me to get anything done in there.  I can't have an audience.

[FozzyBear]

Islands are fine, if they fit the kitchen. Not every kitchen should have them or needs them.

Ding, ding, ding! "If it fits the house" could apply to almost everything with these idiots. You want a big open loft feel? Don't look at historic Victorians!

You want a cozy cottage? Maybe a downtown condo isn't a great fit for you.

[auntjess]

 

A question for you all:  center islands, yea or nay?

OK, I'll probably be banned from any house/real estate tread, but I'd love to a kitchen big enough for the kitchen table I used to have.

People could eat around it, but I loved it to roll out pastry and drop cookies on the sheet, and to sit at to shell peas, and snap beans.

I miss it.  If I were to build again, I'd want a big square kitchen again.

[txvoodoo]

OK, I'll probably be banned from any house/real estate tread, but I'd love to a kitchen big enough for the kitchen table I used to have.

People could eat around it, but I loved it to roll out pastry and drop cookies on the sheet, and to sit at to shell peas, and snap beans.

I miss it.  If I were to build again, I'd want a big square kitchen again.

I agree - except the one I have in mind is my grandmother's, and her kitchen was about 4' x 8' :D She had a little dinette table and made bread and pasta on it.

 

Of course, she was a very small woman! ;) 

[Bellalisa]

My pet peeve now with this show is that they are not going back later to see how the homes look. It used to be 3 months later, then "one month later", then 3 weeks later, then a week later. Now it's same day they moved in. You see all their boxes everywhere, they have done nothing to the house. I guess now they are way too cheap to make a trip back to the town. A couple of these recent ones really bugged me as the homes needed lots of work. 

[AuntiePam]

For me it used to be the trinity, but now it's helicopter parents.  "This house has stairs!  Danger danger!" 

[DownTheShore]

Speaking from experience, you fall down the stairs once, you take care with them the rest of your life. ;->

 

I am always amazed at those parents.  They never look at something that they think will be a problem and immediately think of ways it can be solved.  Instead they reject it because they have no imagination.  Pool fences?  Baby gates?  Child locks?  Baby monitors?  Fenced yards? It's like they've never heard of any of them before.

[truther]

 

I am always amazed at those parents.  They never look at something that they think will be a problem and immediately think of ways it can be solved.  Instead they reject it because they have no imagination.

Isn't that the show in a nutshell?  It's not just the parents (though they're the worst).  It's everyone on these shows.  People who can't comprehend using rooms for any reason other than for what they're called.  People who can't envision painting a room, or installing curtains, or walking 10' down the hall to the bathroom.  You'll see a childless, twentysomething couple look at a 5 BR mcmansion and complain about the master suite's small closets, seemingly incapable of realizing that the extra bedroom right next to it would make a perfect place to store clothes. 

[DownTheShore]

Or the single person moving into a one-bedroom condo that either has no door to the bedroom or one of those sliding barn-door types, who's worrying about sound from the living room.  WTH?  Who is going to be in the living room with the lights and TV on when they're trying to go to sleep???  Who's going to wander in while they're sleeping?

[Reishe]

"In order "talk" to my guests while I'm cooking"  Huh? Really ?  First of all, don't you have the majority of the "cooking" done prior to your guests coming, and you simply need to possibly reheat things?   What happened to "Excuse me while I am in the kitchen for a few moments"?     

My family "entertains" quite a bit--we like having our friends over for dinner, often homemade pizza. It's our way of socializing. Most of the dishes my husband cooks are cooked fairly close to dinner time, which means he is in the kitchen most of the time. In our old house, that meant most of our guests ended up clustering in the kitchen, which thankfully had a little extra space around the table. In our new house, we do have "open concept" (not one of our biggest priorities in choosing the house, but it helped), and we all hang out in the area adjacent to the kitchen and socialize. And then eat in our dining room, which gets a lot of use as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while it seems tiresome that so many of these house hunters want it all, a lot of (not necessarily on tv) house hunters are simply aware of the kind of space that would best fit the way they live their lives--people who cook a lot, who have lots of large family dinners or invite friends, people who have houseguests for extended periods of time. I wouldn't call out every person who is looking for these dedicated spaces as being house-greedy or unnecessarily demanding.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Reishe

[FozzyBear]

So case study. My SIL and I both entertain. She's a better cook than I am and less formal in general. When I entertain I usually do cocktail type parties or sit down dinners that are made ahead of time because I don't like cooking. I kind of hate people in my kitchen and hate looking at dirty dishes all night. Best kitchen I ever had was closed off. When my SIL entertains it's more of a just show up at their house kind of affair. She's usually in the kitchen all night slowly cooking because she likes cooking so she loves her big open kitchen and that's where everybody ends up. Different strokes. I don't mind people who know what they want and how they live. Now people who seem to think they need stuff because that's what you're supposed to have get to me. Like people who admit they don't cook much but then get all fussy about needing a huge kitchen with stainless steel appliances. I don't cook much and I know a basic kitchen is all I'm ever going to use. Why would I pay more for a fancy kitchen in which to make spaghetti again?

[mojito]

I have a hard time with the idea of having an entire room (formal dining room) being heated and air conditioned year-round so that I can host a dozen people once a year. Or a guest bedroom that can't also host a desk. We use every bit of space in our house. And when it starts feeling cramped, it's time for a major purge of crap.

 

I'm not getting people who spend $200K+ for a place to fit around their crap that's in storage boxes, stuffed in the garage, used rarely, or just too damned big to begin with.

[BearCat49]

My pet peeve now with this show is that they are not going back later to see how the homes look. It used to be 3 months later, then "one month later", then 3 weeks later, then a week later. Now it's same day they moved in. You see all their boxes everywhere, they have done nothing to the house. I guess now they are way too cheap to make a trip back to the town. A couple of these recent ones really bugged me as the homes needed lots of work. 

If you review older participant blogs, you'll confirm they never did do return visits.  Those banners were a figment of some production intern's imagination.  If you're noticing boxes, then perhaps the film crew isn't doing as much unpacking for them after they return their stuff from the garage or driveway or stairwell or wherever they stashed it during filming.

[BearCat49]

According to this, these are the things that will replace granite countertops

The manufacturers have been pushing new options for awhile (for ss, too) but tastes aren't changing that quickly.  Granite colors and patterns have changed, however.  There's less black granite and many sophisticated colors and patterns.  Cheaper versions of stock patterns are also common.  Quartz has increased in popularity, too.  JMHO, however.

[mojito]

Love the groutless-looking tile.

 

But much like the goatee, which I heard some hipster declare "out" back in 2004 or so (locally, there was even a beer commercial saluting baseball players for growing them "now that the rest of us have shaved ours off" at least 6 years ago), granite will die hard.

[DownTheShore]

Granite is a good product, which is probably why it will last.  People just need to get away from the generic choices for it, e.g. white cabinets with black granite - boring!

 

I think too many people redo their kitchens thinking about what the next buyers would like.  I say screw the next buyers and install what you like, even if it is bright colors.  You can always tone everything down later if you are going to sell.