You're it.(Editor's Page)

In case you didn't get to the 2006 International Builders' Show in Orlando in January or were otherwise occupied during this year's Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Chicago in April, you might not appreciate the fact that there's a race to serve your slice of the business. Manufacturers are courting builders and buyers of the highest-end homes with building products that are bigger, better, faster, more colorful, more flexible, more you-name-it. That's the impression I took away from these shows.

It was striking to see how consolidation and competition among appliance manufacturers have led them to fill gaps in the marketplace and to up the ante on existing products. Since stainless steel has trickled down to appliances with lower price points, for example, top-tier appliance makers have pushed to introduce new, more exclusive finishes to set their goods apart. So what's the new stainless steel? Look for appliances in copper and bronze, and in titanium and platinum colors.

But appliance introductions went deeper than skin deep. Several manufacturers picked up on a trend that's been growing among custom home designers and buyers recently--scattering small appliances throughout the house. They've embraced the appliance-in-a-drawer concept, adding new dishwasher, refrigerator, and microwave drawers to their lines. And there are now slim refrigerator towers--decoupled ...