Appliance Color Trends Through the Decades

The kitchen has always been the heart of the home. No matter how much house you have, family and friends seem to gravitate to this warm hearth. Given how much entertaining is done here, it’s no wonder kitchen aesthetics are of the utmost importance—and that means your appliances.

You can tell a lot about the history of a kitchen based on the appliance color, as trends have generally changed with the decades. Back in the '50s, colors were as vivid as an Easter egg hunt, with bright hues of petal pink and turquoise blue.

1950s

1960s and '70s

The '60s brought us avocado green and harvest gold, which managed to stay popular right through the '70s, along with copper brown and almond

1980s and '90s

The '80s and early '90s brought us minimalist white, bisque and black. In the late '90s, stainless steel took off as the must-have hue of the gourmet home chef, and is still the predominant choice today.  White made a comeback a few years ago, but stainless steel continues to dominate.

Today

That was until this year, when companies have started introducing a color known as black stainless. With its soft, brushed metal finish, it’s a modern alternative to the traditional shiny stainless steel. This popular new finish even resists fingerprints and smudges, and is designed to blend with other black and stainless appliances.

Do these retro appliance trends bring you back to kitchens of your youth? What current trend would grace your dream kitchen?