Watch any home show today and everyone seems to want stainless steel appliances. But as everything old is new again – white, black and colors are beginning to look very new again in home appliances.
In the 50s bright pastel colored appliances were especially popular, these gave way to harvest golds and avocado greens in the 60s and 70s, a return to neutrals black, white and stainless steel in the 90s. In the 2000s colored appliances have been reintroduced in the kitchen. According to Eliza Sheffield, president of BlueStar, black and red are becoming the new neutrals. She says, “People are discovering that small bursts of color can make a kitchen pop. While stainless remains a popular premium finish, we’ve seen a rise in what we call ‘stainless fatigue’ — it’s been around for so long, that people are feeling that their kitchens are looking cookie-cutter, as opposed to the upscale, differentiated look that stainless always implied. Clients are telling design professionals that they do not want a kitchen that looks like everyone else’s.”
The wonderful thing about these new appliances are that along with the beautiful design comes high functionality.
According to Orion Creamer, the founder of Big Chill, “The market share for colored appliances has grown tremendously over the last few years. Increase in popularity is especially prevalent in the second home market, as well as the vacation rental sector, where owners are more comfortable taking a design risk.”
Homeowners have been designing their kitchens, with the cabinets, backsplash and countertops taking center stage. But today, the design process, should also include the appliances, with lots of options now available for customization.
Homeowners can choose to use color for all of the kitchen appliances or just one or two for whimsy.
With the popularity of white cabinetry in kitchens, white appliances have made a comeback looking very new again.
According to Orion Creamer “White cabinets are sure to have an influence on the popularity of white appliances. When combined, the two elements create a clean, monochromatic look that falls in line with today’s trends (without having to use stainless steel).”
Several appliance companies are also introducing a variety of hard ware; hinges, handles and knobs. GE is offering brushed bronze, brushed stainless, brushed copper and brushed black hardware. Big Chill offers copper and brass as two popular alternatives. Blue Star offers a variety of colored knobs to offer the ultimate customization.
There are also smaller appliances that are appearing if the homeowner just wants to add a smaller pop of color. This can be with a lot of color with a Dolce and Gabbana designed hood from Smeg or smaller toasters and blenders from Dash.
Some companies offer preset colors, others such as Blue Star, offer 750 colors and the option of matching the homeowners’ own color.
There are many more options available to homeowners today if they desire to individualize their kitchens with both small and large appliances – with both colors and hardware.Most of these appliances are available at retailers around the United States and some around the world.
