Colored Appliances – The Next Big Trend?

 

Colorful appliances were on display at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in February, where high-end appliance manufacturer Dacor showed off ovens and ranges that can be made in any color a homeowner chooses. Plus, I’ve noticed recently with my own design clients that stainless steel-appliance fatigue has set in. But these same homeowners aren’t necessarily excited to install black or white or other neutral-hued appliances either.

Of course, colorful appliances have been around a long time, almost as long as appliances have been available for purchase by homeowners. But the vast array of colors now available is unlike before, when a limited palette would move in and then out of fashion.

If you’re ready to get on board with colorful kitchen appliances, have a chat with your design professional about just how colorful you want to go, and to coordinate other colors and finishes with your chosen appliance color.

This fun, retro kitchen goes all-in with coral appliances. They work so well here because the rest of the color palette is light and neutral and the space gets an abundance of natural light.

Another strategy is to go for a fun color on one appliance and keep the remaining appliances neutral. Think about picking up the appliance color elsewhere in the room, such as a softer or darker shade of it on an adjacent wall. Here, Sogno Design Group expertly used a lighter version of the range color on the wall, which ties the colors of the space together beautifully.

You could also directly match some or all of your cabinets with a colorful appliance. In this kitchen, designed by architect Julia Staroselsky, I like how the vivid yellow refrigerator is visually balanced out by the bank of cabinets on the left. Much more of this vibrant hue could be overwhelming — this is just right.

Orange is a favorite color of mine, but large expanses of an outgoing orange can be too much of a good thing. This charming kitchen, remodeled by Denman Construction, has an appealing mix of light and dark, colorful and neutral, and modern and vintage.

This kitchen also features a range in eye-catching orange, this time paired with a large stainless steel vent hood.

Such a large range clad in stainless could run a bit cold and sterile, especially in an otherwise all-white kitchen. I therefore salute this bold color choice in this kitchen by RS Mannino.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that colorful appliances can fit into any style of kitchen, not just modern or contemporary spaces. They also come in less intense hues, such as pictured here. Now if a range can be described as beautiful, this soft blue one makes the case. It’s a nice touch of color in this elegant kitchen.

Alas, such fun colors do come at a cost, especially if they also have vintage styling. ​You will pay more ​(and sometimes a lot more) ​for a colorful appliance over its white or black counterpart. ​M​any​ colorful appliances ​also ​have retro detailing, or other design details beyond color, that ​contribute to the higher cost.​

Bottom line: ​I​f you are renovating on an extremely tight budget, these appliances are probably not for you. But​ if​ you love the look of these colorful appliances​ and have a little more to spend​, you can offset the splurge by going with more wallet-friendly cabinets and finish materials to make up the difference.