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Stainless steel is so last year. In 2019, it’s all about colorful appliances

By
Kim Wetzel/Digital Trends

Most of us dream in color. Why not dream of a kitchen in color?

Appliance makers are betting that once you see their flashy lineups of colorful ovens, fridges, and dishwashers, you’ll do just that and ditch the old-school stainless steel forever.

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Color is all the rage at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) this week in Las Vegas, where appliance makers showcased ovens in bright blues, grills in canary yellows, and fridges in blood reds. The devices were eye-popping and spanned the rainbow, from robin egg blue to bright orange.

Kim Wetzel/Digital Trends

Making appliances that are more colorful is a trend that’s been growing over the past year or so. Consumers seeking vintage luxury and just, well, more color in their lives are demanding more than just a varying shade of stainless steel, which has been the industry standard for a couple of decades now.

“We have already seen stainless steel appliances slipping in popularity, giving way to black stainless steel,” said Nino Sitchinava, a principal economist for Houzz, a home design and decorating platform. “Manufacturers are catching on to the consumer appetite for more variety in appliance aesthetic and are coming out with new lines to keep up with the demand.”

Dacor introduced a concept that allows you to pick a paint color that they promise to match for your customized oven.

While colored appliances (think robin egg blue and mustard stoves or black or white fridges) have come and gone in popularity over the years, this time it’s the luxury appliance makers that are leading the way. For example, luxury maker Dacor introduced a concept that allows you to pick a paint color that they promise to match for your customized oven. Hestan offers their appliances in an array of 12 colors, including a royal blue or coral.

GE Appliances’ new Cafe Collection this year introduced a matte white stainless steel fridge, which might sound like a modern version of a retro fridge found in your grandma’s house in the 1980s, but is actually a beautiful, sleek (but not smudge-proof) design. Cafe also allows you to customize the color and material of things like fridge door handles for a fully unique appliance. That means that you can have the white fridge and choose some brass handles rather than traditional brushed chrome, for example.

Samsung got in on the color action at KBIS, too, as the manufacturer introduced a washer/dryer in a champagne-colored stainless steel. Samsung officials say the color of the machines add a pop of brightness in an otherwise drab setting — the laundry room.

Samsung

“2019 has led to a rise in color in the kitchen,” said Genevieve Gorder, a designer on TLC’s series “Trading Spaces” and current host of “Stay Here” on Netflix, who was on hand at the Samsung booth to introduce the appliance maker’s champagne-colored appliances. Gorder said that people are seeking to add color everywhere in the home, and are drawing inspiration from the colors of nature.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’re having this yearning for both nature and technology,” Gorder told members of the media at an event at Samsung’s booth. “It’s not a punch in the face, it’s, ‘hey, I’m a little bit more fun.’”

Industry experts say while the colors add a breath of freshness to the kitchen, they realize it’s not a style for everyone. Not to worry: Stainless steel isn’t going anywhere. The key is giving people a variety to choose from.

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Kim Wetzel
Kim Wetzel
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before joining Digital Trends as Home Editor, Kim was an adjunct journalism professor at Linfield College and high school…
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