Published: August 13, 2009

New scaled down appliances with upscale features let consumers live large in small spaces

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - One outcome of the declining real estate market has been a move to building and offering smaller homes. It was a trend that had been suspected but earlier this year the statistics were announced that back it up. The average size of homes started in the third quarter of 2008 was 2,438 square feet, down from 2,629 square feet in the second quarter, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. ¹

Many consumers are looking for smaller digs for a variety of reasons. Some have made a philosophical shift considering a move to a smaller living space less of a down-sizing and more of a right-sizing decision. They choose to use less of the earth's resources.

Others have made the switch for demographic reasons:

The 80 million-strong Generation Y, the so-called "millennials," want to live in exciting urban settings, are interested in value engineering, and consider smaller living spaces acceptable.² Urban lofts are hits in cities less populated than New York City or San Francisco-- including Louisville, Kentucky; Des Moines, Iowa; and Spokane, Washington, to name just a few.
Aging baby boomers are selling their larger homes and trading them for more convenient patio homes, one or two bedroom homes or condos in communities where shared fees pay for property and landscape maintenance.

"Regardless of why a consumer decides to live in a smaller space, there is no reason to lose upscale features in the furnishings within that space - especially appliances," noted Marc Hottenroth, Industrial Design Leader for GE Consumer & Industrial.

"Both GE Profile and Monogram lines also offer selections that are perfect for the empty-nester who is moving to a smaller home or condo," said Hottenroth. Monogram was the first GE product line to introduce undercounter refrigerator modules including wine reserve, double drawer refrigerator, beverage centers, fresh food refrigerator or bar refrigerator with ice maker. In addition Monogram offers a slim 18-inch wide dishwasher with stainless steel door or personalized with customer-supplied cabinet-compatible panel. Both models provide effective, yet quiet cleaning power with a five-level wash system and hidden, integrated electronic. The new Monogram 30-inch chimney hoods with sophisticated bold angles and lines, all hand-finished to seamless perfection, provide powerful venting and a striking focal point that elevates small-scale kitchens into grand statements.

Choose the Profile single double oven wall oven or freestanding range, and, in the same space occupied by a standard freestanding range or wall oven, consumers can have 6.6 cu. ft. of combined oven space. The two ovens can be operated at two different temperatures -- up to 450 degrees. That's twice as much cooking for the same amount of space.

The Profile Advantium oven offers four ovens in one: speedcook, true European convection cooking, sensor microwave, or warming oven. Its versatility makes it a great choice for the smaller kitchen. In fact, YesterTec Design Company found it was ideal for smaller living and created an Armoire/Mini-Kitchen that is a complete kitchen concealed within a beautiful armoire. It includes a 2-burner cooktop, a GE 120V Advantium speed cook oven a sink and undercounter refrigerator, and a single drawer dishwasher. The Advantium oven's ability to cook is acknowledged by YesterTec as the key to making the mini-kitchen design function as a complete kitchen.³

"GE brand appliances offer plenty of choices to create an entire suite of stainless steel appliances for a compact kitchen, "explained Hottenroth. Among the many options the following are perfect for loft living:

The GE stainless steel 24-inch electric range (JAP02SNSS) features a black smooth ceramic cooktop surface to make cleaning quick and easy. It also features a self-cleaning oven with a large ClearView window. The range is also available in a gas model (GAS02SENSS).
The tall, slim GE 11.6 cu. ft. full door bottom freezer is available in stainless steel (GBC12IAXRSS) and includes a 7.30 cu. ft. fresh food capacity including electronic sensors for temperature management.
You can still have an ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher with the smaller GE Spacemaker 18-inch Built-in Dishwasher (GSM1860NSS). The full-length flat door fits nearly flush with cabinetry for a seamless look.
The GE 1.8 cu. ft. countertop microwave oven, with sensor cooking controls (JEB1860SMSS), automatically adjusts time and power for delicious cooking results.

GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies and ecomagination^SM, a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram, Profile , GE, HotpointÂ®, SmartWater , Reveal and Energy Smart consumer brands, and Entellisys, TetraÂ®, Vio and Immersion commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

For high res, downloadable photography, visit www.gecipressroom.com

¹ MarketWatch, January 26, 2009, http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Say-goodbye-McMansions-homes-getting/story.aspx?guid=%7bAADD01FF-CCEC-4B22-9328-042B81EB6F23%7d&print=true&dist=printMidSection

² Small Spaces, Christine Brun, Creators Syndicate Inc., February 21, http://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/home-and-garden/small-spaces/tackling-america-s-infatuation-with-big.html

³ http://www.yestertec.com/details.asp?cat=The_Press_Room&id=42

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6026538&lang=en

GE Consumer & Industrial
Allison Gatta, 502-452-7184
allison.gatta@ge.com