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Avocado or Harvest Gold
Be careful in selecting your appliance colors. Remeber "Harvest Gold" and "Avocado Green"? Let's all promise to never let that happen again.
June 9, 2011
This week a good friend of mine called to ask a simple question: how do you pick appliance colors? It is something that seems like a simple question but actually has a bunch of factors attached to the issue that complicates matters. There are plenty of complicated decisions when it comes time to remodel your kitchen.
And picking appliances that are a tad more timeless than the avocado or harvest gold colors from the '70s is just the start of it.
Never again.
What to Consider When Selecting Appliance Colors
Today there are really four main options, with a couple of manufacturers offering some fun color options: White, Black, Stainless Steel, and a matte stainless steel / gray mix that has become more popular in the last couple of years. Here are the things to consider when selecting appliance colors:
Cost
In general, colors are, from least expensive to most: white, black, faux stainless, and stainless. Carefully consider what your budget is, and almost as importantly, what kind of investment your house can stand. If you have a house that you're hoping to sell in a couple of years and it is going nowhere in value and is in a lower price bracket then think long and hard if stainless is worth the cost. Maybe it helps your house stand out or maybe it simply does nothing. Don't throw "luxury" at something just for the hell of it.
Finish / Door Decorations
The rise of faux stainless was partially inspired by the desire to put magnets on a stainless steel finish. Stainless steel won't hold a magnet and thus the faux stainless was seen as a great bridge. That said, I'm only in support of the faux stainless look when it is purposely far enough away from stainless steel to actually look like something else. Faux finishes are, in my opinion, a pretty poor idea. If you want the stainless look but really want magnets... guess what? You can't have it. Really. Sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too. Only go for the faux stainless look if you like the look of gray appliances.
Timelessness
This is a HUGE issue. There's a fun and long history of colors for appliances that stick in all of our minds as period pieces. Avocado, Harvest Gold, turquoise, pink, and almond all stir up memories of specific times. They do NOT scream modern kitchen. Stick to the basics unless you're open to replacing them in a few years. You also need to remember that your appliances rarely all need to be replaced at the same time. If you buy a trendy color there's a good chance that in five years that color or finish will have gone out of style and you can't get a stove to match your fridge. Think timeless and you'll be safe.
Mis-Matched Appliances
As I mentioned above, it is pretty likely that you will not replace your appliances all at once unless you're diving into a full remodel. So what do you do if you have a perfectly respectable white or black stove but need a new refrigerator and think that maybe you'll move in the stainless direction for future appliances? This is simple: we do not all live in magazine homes – make an investment in the future and make the mis-matched pieces a conversation piece about what your hopes are for the kitchen (although really only do this if you do indeed to spruce up the other ones). The other option if you have existing black appliances, but want to move to stainless steel is to get stainless steel appliances with black handles to coordinate with what you already have. Just don't get a white fridge and a black stove with a stainless dishwasher and you'll be OK.
Thoughts on the 4 Main Color Groups:
White
This is a great classic color that will probably NEVER go out of style. Stick to the basic forms for the appliance shape and you'll be OK. I remember that my parents had a double door fridge/freezer combo that was 30 something years old and never looked out of date because it was styled in a timeless manner. This is also a great color to clean and hold off fingerprints. Just be careful to pair it with cabinets that are a good match to the color. White cabinets and white appliances are a classic, beautiful, and timeless (not to mention cost-effective) kitchen combination.
Black
This color can work great with some darker wood cabinets. The options for black have been more limited recently indicating that this color has become less popular. I don't anticipate it will ever really go away, though, so you shouldn't feel shy about purchasing black appliances if that is your aesthetic.
Faux Stainless
If it wasn't made clear above, I'm not a huge fan. My biggest concern is that there isn't a common finish across manufacturers and I think that matching the finish down the road will be near to impossible. If you LOVE this color then stick to the ones that don't scream FAKE stainless and focus the appliances in areas that will indeed be replaced all at once (the appliances in a basement bar or a wet bar for instance).
Stainless
This has been around now for about 20 years and I think has become the new baseline. I personally love stainless but some people cannot stand the fingerprints. Me? I love the fact that it implies real people actually live and use my kitchen. I also personally love the fact that magnets don't stick to the fridge as I can't stand fridge clutter. That's a personal issue, though, not a design dictation.
Summary Thoughts
Pick your colors carefully and focus on timeless colors, good color coordination (but not perfect if you can't), and colors that meet your budget. Remember that a high-quality paint grade kitchen with white cabinets and white appliances that is done well beats a kitchen with lower grade wood cabinets and high-end stainless steel appliances any day in my mind. Consistent quality is the goal in whatever you aim for in your house.
And never never ever let this happen again:
