Using light and microwave technology, GE introduced the Speedcook oven, which eliminated the preheat waiting period and cooked foods two to eight times faster than conventional ovens. This would eventually be sold as the Advantium Oven. (GE Appliances)

Inspired by the concept of smart homes, Disney made the movie “Smart House” about an underprivileged family that wins a computerized home, which seems awesome, before the house takes control in the form of an overbearing mother-character. (Smart Home Point)

The total value of household refrigerators shipped, including combination refrigerator-freezers, was $4.97 billion. (Southern New Hampshire University)

By 1998, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, TVs and VCRs earned their own Energy Star category designations. (CableOrganizer)

The national market share for each type of Energy Star-qualified appliance increased across all categories. Qualified dishwashers led the way, doubling market share from 13 percent in the first quarter to 26 percent by yearend — the greatest increase in market share among all classes of qualified appliances.  (Energy Star Appliances 1998 Sales Data Report)

Although first patented in the Sixties, solid-surface countertops like DuPont’s Corian emerged as a popular trend in the 1990s, with black being one of the most popular choices. (The Window Depot)

HomeAdvisor, launched as ServiceMagic, was founded by Rodney Rice and Michael Beaudoin, who were part of the founding management team of Einstein Bros Bagel. (Wikipedia)

A fact from fiction: George Costanza was forced to purchase a $100 book on French Impressionism after he took it into the bookstore’s bathroom. “If it wasn’t for the toilet,” he declared, “there would be no books!” (Seinfeld/George’s Toilet Book)

By 1997, more than 90 percent of U.S. households owned a microwave oven. (Technology.org, “Kitchen Gadget Trends Through the Years.”)

Clothes washers and lighting fixtures received their own Energy Star category designations. (Dryers would have to wait until 2015.) (CableOrganizer)

Combined sales of water heaters, dishwashers, food waste disposers, trash compactors and floor-care appliances and household trash compactors were approximately $2.9 billion. (Reference for Business)

The hottest colors in interior design in spring of 1997 were a neutral white, punctuated by magenta, fire-engine red, Kelly green, Egyptian blue and mustard. In the fall, they reverted to more muted tones of flax, orange, pear, maize, periwinkle and forest green. (Comfortable Feathers)

Ronald Mace, FAIA, an NKBA Hall of Fame inductee, was among the 10 authors from five different organizations who compiled the Principles of Universal Design, which were copyrighted to North Carolina State University’s Center for Universal Design. (Institute for Human Centered Design)

Demand for kitchen and bath countertops, as reported by Freedonia Group market research, was 353 million square feet. (Encyclopedia.com)

Throughout the 1990s, the average new single-family house had 2.9 toilets, 2.4 showers and 2.1 bathtubs. (NAHB Eye On Housing)

French country-style kitchens were all the rage, with French Blue emerging as the most popular color of the year, especially when used as an accent against beige or neutral walls. (House Beautiful)

NAHB developed its annual survey of the economic impact of home building. (NAHB)

Around 1.4 million privately owned housing units were completed in 1996, an increase of about 7 percent from the prior year. (U.S. Census Bureau)

According to the National Association of Home Builders, nearly 14 percent of new houses built nationally were 3,000 square feet or larger, with 30 percent measuring at least 2,400 square feet. (The New York Times)

NKBA published the first Lead Generation Program and first consumer Kitchen & Bath Planners. The “Direct to Your Door” consumer marketing program generated 4,000 leads that year. (NKBA)

Home improvement referral company Angie’s List was founded by Angie Hicks, and would eventually merge with Home Advisor, becoming Angi Inc., and go public in 2017. (Angi.com)

Almost 60 percent of homeowners reported having undertaken one or more projects in the previous two years. (Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard)

The top 1 percent of owners accounted for almost 19 percent of all homeowner remodeling expenditures. These were the owners who undertook extensive projects such as whole-house remodels, high-end kitchen and bath improvements, and home additions. (Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard)

The Energy Star Certified Homes program began, with the aim of helping consumers identify energy-efficient homes and apartments. (Energy Star)

Of all home improvement categories, kitchen and bath remodels (as well as other room additions and alterations) accounted for 33 percent of homeowner expenditures. (Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard)

GE Appliances launched the first smart dishwasher with auto sensing to gauge soiled dishes. (GE Appliances)

Americans bought more gas grills (5.8 million) than charcoal grills (5.3 million), according to the Barbecue Industry Association. (The New York Times)