View of stainless steel appliances in a white kitchen

Appliance Colors: How To Choose The Right Look For Your Home

Long gone are the days of retro-color appliances, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find the perfect appliance color for your desired kitchen aesthetic. With varied options in black, white and stainless steel, you can find refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers and all different kinds of appliances with a diverse range of price points and features for a kitchen that is stylish, durable and functional for any busy family.

What to know about appliance colors before choosing

Black Maytag® refrigerator in a white kitchen

 

Before starting your search for the right appliance color for your home, there’s a few things that you’ll want to consider: 

  • Are you replacing one appliance, or all of them?
  • What style or aesthetic is your kitchen? 
  • Is your kitchen large or small? 
  • What color cabinets or countertops do you have or want? 

All of these questions will help you decide what color appliances work best to complement your kitchen and create a cohesive and stylish look that you’ll love.

What types of appliance colors are available on today’s market?

Front view of white kitchen with white Maytag® range and microwave

 

There is no shortage of styles and finishes available in today’s market for kitchen appliances. Besides the ever-popular and sleek stainless steel, you can also find several different options including white appliances, black, matte black, black stainless steel, bronze, dark greys and even some pops of primary colors and pastels.

Which kitchen appliance color is right for my design?

 

The color appliance that you ultimately choose for your kitchen will depend on your style, budget, material you want to use and what look and feel you want to establish for your space. Stainless steel is a neutral option that is both elegant and modern and goes with a variety of styles and colors without compromising design. Black stainless is a newer finish that has come into the market within the past few years, and though still considered neutral, it provides a stylish flair to your space. 

White appliances are classic and timeless and will brighten up your space while also saving you a few dollars, as they tend to be more economical than stainless steel. Black appliances are a durable and more economical choice that will give you a more modern feel to your home.

Can you mix appliance colors in your kitchen?

Collection of Maytag® appliances in a variety of colors and finishes

 

While you are more likely to see uniform color appliances in home kitchens, you can certainly mix and match. White, black and stainless are considered neutral shades, and can be mixed so long as they are not too close in color with each other. Avoid using the same color appliances from different brands, since they often have slightly different color variations and finishes that may not look cohesive in a space. If you’re looking to add a pop of color, but don’t want to commit to one single hue, mixing color appliances with stainless steel, black or white appliances can be a good design option.

Explore different appliance colors and finishes

Overhead view of stainless steel appliances in a kitchen
White Maytag® microwave

White appliances

White has been a staple appliance color for decades, and for good reason. Besides tending to be a more economical choice, the soft hue of white will brighten up your kitchen. White appliances are also great if you have pale-toned cabinets or dark ceilings, as well as if you want to mix and match different color appliances. The drawback with white appliances is that fingerprints and smudges tend to show, so they may require more frequent cleaning.

Maytag®  top freezer refrigerator

Black appliances

For a modern and sophisticated style, black appliances can elevate the look of your home and kitchen. If your cabinets and wall color are monochromatic, black appliances can create a bold and dramatic contrast to white cabinets. Conversely, if you have dark cabinetry, black appliances can create a cohesive and streamlined look. If you have a large kitchen, black appliances can help the space from looking vast and bare. Another plus–smudges and splatters aren’t as visible as with white appliances.

Maytag® dishwasher in stainless steel

Stainless steel Appliances

Stainless steel appliances are among the most popular choices for appliance colors because of the versatility they offer to your space and their durability and dependability. From ultra-modern, to traditional and even mid-century modern, stainless steel appliances can bring together your whole look, while offering an upscale feel to your space. They can be a little tougher to keep gleaming and shiny if your kitchen is a high-traffic area, but overall, the neutral look of stainless steel provides elegance to your kitchen for years to come.


If you are sold on having stainless steel in your home, but would rather not have to always wipe down your appliances, Maytag offers fingerprint resistant stainless steel appliances that are engineered to resist fingerprints and smudges. They are quick and easy to wipe down, so your kitchen and appliances can always shine and look like new.

Black stainless steel appliances

An updated take on a classic, black stainless steel brings the neutrality of traditional stainless, but with an added layer of sophistication often associated with the color black. They’re also meant to give a warmer feel to the sometimes industrial look that traditional stainless steel can have, and their darker tone can help resist fingerprints and smudges better than their traditional counterparts. Because they often have a matte finish, they blend in perfectly with cabinets that also have a matte or satin finish.

 

Color appliances

For the daring and for those that want to make a statement in their kitchen, certain brands offer color appliances in a variety of shades, while others let you totally customize your appliances for a look that is uniquely yours. If you want something that is more non-traditional without being too daring, there are more subtle options like bronze, brown and even rose gold that give your home a more unconventional look while still maintaining some neutrality.

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