Young families building new homes are incorporating children's playrooms as commonly as a second bathroom in an effort to accommodate the mountain of toys that children start to accumulate at a very early age. The playrooms are filled with everything from CD players to educational toys, particularly those that stimulate creativity; with one surprise, no TV.

Many new parents plan their baby's nursery around a theme and they are doing the decorating themselves, or getting the children involved and making it a family project. This is a creative outlet to try things that they wouldn't necessarily want to incorporate in the main part of their house. The children are allowed to sponge paint on the walls and create some of the decorative accessories to accent and fill the room. Space ships and tree forts are popular decorating themes.

Experiential Retailing

Whirlpool™ And Kitchenaid™ Brands are taking a hands-on approach at Insperienceª Studio, a new Interactive Facility.

The actual brick and mortar store opened last November in Atlanta's Buckhead. Oh, wait, it's not a store; it's a 'studio.' The company reports that Insperience offers 'test drive' opportunities, home design ideas and special events. It's an experiment, actually, but one that Whirlpool's David Provost, whose title is "Director of Purchase Experience," hopes will transform retail. Shoppers are invited to "bring their chores with them." Some potential customers do their laundry there, while others try baking bread or cookies: "One man brought in a bag of trash to crunch in the compactor," said Provost.

The idea is to combine a laboratory for new product development and the opportunity to study "how consumers interact with appliances." This flagship location will serve as a destination for consumers to meet with their builders, designers, architects, families and friends to discuss, test and decide what appliances and home designs best suit their needs. "We are constantly searching for new vehicles to bring us closer to our customers and Insperienceª Studio will do that in so many ways," said David Swift, Executive Vice President, Whirlpool North America.

The company will be analyzing the results of this experimental retail establishment in November, one year after it opened; so, if you are in Atlanta before then, definitely experience it yourself. If not, you can take a virtual tour.

Making memories

There is a growing interest among American consumers for color-free photos. The current rage for retro and nostalgia inspired fashions, gifts, and decorative accessories has spawned a demand for black and white photography.

Color photography still dominates the $5 billion portrait business. However black and white photography has gone mainstream with J.C. Penney and Sears including black and white portraits in their photo package options. Sears reports that 10 percent of their customers request black and white portraits.

Sales of Konica's disposable black and white camera have almost tripled since its introduction a year ago. Additionally, Photo Card Creations, a New Jersey-based holiday card company, reports that black and white orders have doubled in the past three years.

One final thought

One hundred creative people were asked when they feel they are most creative. Here are the results:

• Showering or bathing
• Working in the garden
• Jogging, swimming, cycling or any kind of exercise
• Driving on the highway
• Mowing the lawn
• Browsing through a hardware store
• Listening to a talk-show program on the radio
• Drifting off to sleep in the middle of the day
• Commuting to and from work
• Listening to a really boring lecture or meeting
• Sitting on the toilet

Source: Wujec, T. (1995). Five Star Mind. New York: Doubleday.