Q My husband and I have finally saved up enough money to consider building our dream house late next year. We plan to stay there a long time. What are some of the new hot colors we should consider for bathroom and kitchen fixtures?
A This is a fun question. I bet you never thought of your toilet as a history book, but plumbing-fixture colors can tell you about society over the past decades. Let's take a look back at some popular colors of the past and you'll see what I mean.
In the early 1920s, all plumbing fixtures were white. End of story. But by late in the decade, color popped up.
1920s: Rich pastels like autumn brown reflected fashion trends, and the surplus of beige left over from World War I found its way into our homes.
1930s: As the home became the focus of more activities, cozy neutrals like peach gave way to rich colors like dark green and maroon.
1940s: During the war years, the fashion and plumbing industries restricted the number of new colors. Some soil-hiding colors like olive green did appear.
1950s: Striking new colors such as flamingo pink and cerulean blue expressed optimism.
1960s: In this decade of rule breaking, it seemed that anything was accepted. Plumbing fixtures followed the times with colors like antique red, tiger lily and even blueberry.
