How To Add Colorful Kitchen Appliances To Your Home

Retro appliances from years ago were not as sleek and silver as they are now... and this colorful style is back in vogue. While many homeowners enjoy starting with a simple stainless steel finish so they can focus their aesthetic on decor, there are plenty of ways to make a bolder statement without throwing off the feng shui of the room. Certain appliance finishes these days are so vibrant that they may intimidate the casual customer, which is understandable. Not sure how to make colorful kitchen appliances work? Check out our expert advice for incorporating colorful appliances in your kitchen.

For those who find colorful kitchen appliances overwhelming, one of the easiest ways to incorporate these products into your home is by making them the focal point of the room. For years, homeowners would pick one color and base the entire space around it. Nowadays, rooms often revolve around statement pieces, as they have the ability to breathe life back into a dull space. If your appliances aren't necessarily in dire need of an upgrade, we suggest choosing which part of the kitchen you want to draw attention to, whether it's the fridge, the range or another aspect altogether. If you really want to make your new appliance pop, then remodel the whole kitchen to fit a minimalistic or monochromatic aesthetic. This would involve choosing a neutral color for your kitchen walls or cabinetry, as colorful kitchen appliances can easily fall flat and read dark when installed against classic wood.

If a monochromatic kitchen with a statement appliance doesn't appeal to you, there are plenty of other ways to incorporate colorful kitchen appliances seamlessly into your home. Another option is to contrast finishes. This may feel unnatural to you, as for years the trend with interior design was to match. You'd choose one color and make sure that each appliance, cabinet and wall fell within that same color family. The problem is that making a majority of your kitchen match can ruin the novelty of the color itself. At the end of the day, the room can sometimes lack visual character.

So how do you know which color to pick? The shade of your appliance must contrast with the main color of your kitchen, but they should also complement each other. For those who may be color theory or interior design beginners, we recommend taking a look at a color wheel. Whatever tones are on the opposite side of the color wheel are the most direct contrast shades to consider. But that doesn't mean those colors are your only option. For example, yellow is directly across from violet on the color wheel, yet the kitchen pictured above features a yellow and green pairing, which is just as lovely. Whether you reference photos of kitchen and appliance designs or paint swatches from the hardware store, we suggest considering several color combinations before you settle on the one that looks best to you.

Having trouble choosing a finish for your colorful kitchen appliances? A great way to narrow down your options is by looking at the decor you already have in your kitchen. What kind of color schemes are you using? Is there some minuscule color detailing in your tile, cabinetry, wallpaper or small kitchen appliances that you can easily tie in with a new, colorful range or fridge? Even if nothing jumps out at you, you still want to be sure that the finish you choose will be able to live harmoniously amongst the goods that are already there.

If your kitchen is fairly neutral already, then choosing a bolder appliance could brighten the room without overwhelming the eyes. In contrast, if your kitchen is already covered in dynamic shades, you can still invest in colorful kitchen appliances, but you may want to learn towards a muted or pastel hue to maintain balance. By picking the perfect color, you can even get your new appliances to seamlessly blend in amongst the old like they've always been a part of your home.

Say you've set your sights on the colorful appliance of your dreams but you're fairly sure it won't match the walls or cabinetry in your kitchen. While you could pass on your latest wishlist item in order to preserve the status quo in the room, you could also give your kitchen a makeover to accommodate your new unit. One of the easiest ways to do this is to paint your walls or cabinets. And we don't mean paint them the exact same shade as the appliance. One option is choosing a muted shade in the same color family. This will not read as too "matchy" like we mentioned earlier, but like a seamless integration instead. You can also choose something contrasting like the photo above, if you're looking to keep your kitchen fun and fresh. But one important thing to note is whether or not you're a homeowner or renter.

Renters are not allowed to completely replace their kitchen appliances, no matter how much they crave color. Most renters must also leave their home, condo or apartment looking exactly how they found it upon moving out. While some complexes may allow paint, your kitchen will need to return to its blank slate before you leave permanently. But not all hope is lost. There are plenty of renter-friendly kitchen makeover ideas you can try out to get your very own colorful appliance. Browse removable vinyl wrap in various colors, a material that can be stuck on appliances or cabinet surfaces and removed cleanly later. There are also solutions like peel-and-stick backsplashes and floor tiles, contact paper for countertops and removable wallpaper. As renting has become a more popular option over time, these solutions have become more unique and innovative, so you won't have to sacrifice style for function.

Paint can sometimes feel like a permanent fix. And while these renter-friendly options are a great alternative, not everyone feels equipped to give their kitchen a complete makeover. If you're looking for an easier way to integrate colorful kitchen appliances into your home, we recommend adding accent pieces. This could mean a variety of things. One solution is switching up the handles and knobs on your cabinets and other appliances. Most hardware these days comes in several different colors and finished to make different aspects of your kitchen pop. You can also change up the color of the trim or browse light shades and fixtures that can complement the dynamic color of your new range or fridge. Tie it all together using matching glassware, dinnerware, linens and more for a truly curated culinary experience.

The last of our tips is another way to choose a finish for your colorful kitchen appliances: by referring to tone families or popular color schemes. While there are more than three options, the trio above are fantastic examples of jewel tones, earth tones and pastel tones. Jewel tones get their name (and hues) from precious gems like emeralds, rubies and sapphires. Jewel tones are typically rich and very saturated, much like the deep blue pictured above.

Earth tones are inspired by the natural colors found in our environment, drawing from the sky, soil, foliage, water, flowers and much more. These tones are typically warm, inviting and relaxing. Pastel tones are the lightest of the bunch, softening the standard colors of the rainbow for a more muted look. When people hear "pastel", they usually think of Easter colors, which is fairly accurate and a good way to gauge what your options are. These are just three of several color schemes you can use, and each is bound to lead you to the most beautiful kitchen possible.

By now, you're probably more than ready to start shopping the colorful kitchen appliances at Abt. Between brands like Smeg, La Cornue, Hestan and more, you have plenty of options to browse and take home. Looking for more style inspiration? Check out our post on outdoor design trends for an inside-out makeover. Otherwise, explore our appliance buying guides now so you can choose the perfect pick that does just what you need it to (and one that looks great while doing it).