Jacquie wrote me, all excited after the retro decorating gods delivered this lovely vintage brown GE stove unto her. Its color is exactly the same as the cooktop and oven original to her house, so she is thrilled to have the matchy matchy magic goin’ on in her kitchen. Oops: Well, she still needs the fridge…. Meanwhile, she wants to know: What is the name of this color? Yo no lo se, but I do know that we have some GE-expert readers… Patrick? … so perhaps you can help Jacquie out with this question, and any other tidbits?
Oh, and meanwhile, I spot the cabinets (above) – same color! – in a time capsule house. Working on permission to feature more photos from that…
Click on first thumbnail to start slide show:
Here’s Jacquie’s story…. She writes:
I am baffled trying to find a vintage GE range color name and it is driving me crazy…maybe you can help.
We live in a late ’59, early 60’s built home,…plaster walls, block, and I do have a lot of little gems to share with you….like a radiant heater in the ceiling that we used this winter for the first time. (We bought the house in April 2009), so I have only been here for a year, but we have done quite a bit, and there is more to do all the time, I am sure you know that!!
I have the full size range now, the counter cooktop, and the eye-level oven all the same brown color, and it is not coppertone. It is more like a chocolate cocoa color???
I am very fortunate…the cooktop with the pushbuttons and the eye-level oven were in the house when we bought it…Real Estate agents kept apologizing for the “old kitchen” and no updates…( Like we cared…Ha!)
The bigger free-standing stove came just last week after I saw an ad on CL here in Mesa AZ from a man who had taken it out of a woman’s house in the downtown area …she had changed from electric to gas. (He told me these things when I called him!) She even cooked breakfast on the stove for them before they renovated her kitchen. She just wanted it out, so he took it home and garaged it, then posted the ad.
I’ve searched daily for a vintage free-standing stove,…just wanted one to ad to the kitchen….but I can’t even tell you how I about jumped out of my skin when I saw this old girl, and it matched my others. It was $150 delivered!! My husband, Glen, said “Get it Honey, before someone else does!!” We spent the entire evening removing things and rearranging the kitchen to accommodate, but once it is ready to use and the power is on, I am going to have soooo much more storage…I can’t wait to be able to use the drawers, and free up my cabinets. For now we have had to move the refrigerator into our dining area, so it made things look a little out of sync, but we can deal!! I cleaned mostly dust off her and a little grease, but nothing major, and the oven door feels like it has never been opened…the spring is very tight. It is in beautiful shape. “Babe” is being powered up on Friday this week, I have to run another 220, and a 35 amp breaker…. older home bugaboos that we take in stride!! Here is her portrait, and thanks for the help! (and her other 2 relatives, all at home in my kitchen!)
The man who sold it to me also threw in a hood, it is a “Ranger” needs lots of cleaning, haven’t started that yet, but I would like to put it over the stove if possible. Not so sure of the year of the stove, but with the color the same as is in my house, there can’t be much of a difference ..possibly 1959-1960? I would LOVE to find a matching FRIDGE!!! Maybe I will be blessed and find one someday.
That color…it is different, don’t you think?
You will be happy to know that my husband and I have gotten mostly everything from auctions, ads on Craigslist, and Re-store or Stardust Building Supply here in the valley of the sun.
Thank you for being attentive and helping all who will listen to have the foresight to “recycle” the right way…this history is to be cherished and protected.
Your Vintage lovin’ friend,
Jacquie
I love the color, Jacquie, and it is so cool that you have the growing and near-complete set. GE Friends, what do you think? What’s the name of this classic appliance color?
Pat Karr says
I am remodeling my 1959 kitchen that has a built in GE oven, stove top and range hood in the coppertone/ brown color. All still works..didn’t know if there was a market for these retro appliances.
pam kueber says
Hi Pat, you can list these over on our Forum: https://retrorenovation.com/forums (no buying/selling here on the main blog or else it will be chaos)
Dani says
Hi. I wasn’t able to find that oven on the forums. I just got a 1962 fridge in that color and need a GE cooktop and wall oven. Maybe I’m just a noob, but I couldn’t figure out how to search. I know you don’t want buying and selling on here, so I’m not sure what to do. help? Dani
pam kueber says
All the stove listings are categorized in Kitchens / Other Stuff, I don’t think the Forum searches well, you just have to wade thru it: https://retrorenovation.com/forums/forum/7-other-great-vintage-stuff-must-post-pictures-and-location-or-you-will-be-deleted-cl-spotters-excepted/kitchen-stuff/
Pat K says
Dani
I still have my brown GE cook top and built in stove for sale, if you are still interested in it.. 1959 era. contact me… finally redid my kitchen…
pam kueber says
Pat K, you can put this on the buy/sell Forum: https://retrorenovation.com/forums/
jennifer vinson says
Does anyone know the style and year of this stoves model? I have the exact same stove in white and unsure of what it is worth, if anything. It still works, but the only missing part woud be the glass/acrylic piece on the back between he metal top portion and the stove itself. Any help would be great.
Gaffers Sattler says
We have an original brown Gaffers and Sattler gas range from around 1950s with the griddle in the middle and 2nd oven on top. The color name is printed on the back as “Copper”.
S. Madison says
I am buying a GE wall mount refrigerator in cadet blue. It is the ONLY thing I have seen in the GE Cadet blue color. I understand it was not very popular. Im like it and would like get a paint match on it . Any ideas?
ken hedrick says
Hi! Just found a range locally in perfect conditon in the cadet blue. this was the first i had seen of that color. a friend that is an expert brought me up to date quickly and is looking at the stove for himself. I realize that this is an older thread, but if anyone is looking for this rare and beautiful stove, check it out @ http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/atq/3757284459.html
In the seventies I had several big box apartments and they always featured the “nestle quick milk brown” appliances. Maybe somebody got a deal?
John D Taylor says
When I was a kid, we had this color in our kitchen in a few of the houses that we resided.
One of them had a Refrigerator with a foot pedal that opened the door. Mom referred to the color as “Coopertone”.
You will find a Refrigerator, they are still out there. I have even seen the Double Decker Stoves, and the atomic stoves that set on the counter in this color.
JT
midmodms says
From the pictures, it looks quite a bit like the patina copper gets if you don’t polish it. Which I prefer to the shiny penny look, anyway.
Tut says
We had a white GE pushbutton stove in our old house that we hated. The buttons were just a little higher than the countertop, which meant that any careless placement of a plate, cutting board, or what have you could push down on the buttons, and they didn’t have to be all the way down to engage either. Many times we’d burn ourselves or melt something because a burner got turned on by accident. Worst design ever.
The other stupid thing about that stove were the burners themselves. Solid metal instead of the standard coil shape. They took longer to heat up and retained the heat longer, so you couldn’t just turn it down from boil to simmer and expect it to stop boiling in a reasonable amount of time. We hated that stove so much.
Toni says
Is your stove a 1957 model?
If so, I have the refrigerator to match it.
I have the manual also.
When I locate it, I’ll let you know if it says what color it is. 🙂
Susan says
How about some more peeks at the rest of the kitchen? Is that an aqua countertop? Oooh! And yellow cabinets? More photos, please!
kimberj says
Its called coppertone. I know cuz my mom had the exact same stove.
Patrick Coffey says
That color is NOT called coppertone…GE called it Woodtone Brown. This color was introduced by GE in 1955 along with Canary Yellow, Turqouise Green, Petal Pink, and Cadet Blue (which was basically Navy Blue). The color that became known as Coppertone was introduced by Frigidaire in 1959 and was called originally called Aztec Copper.
Rose Johnson says
I live in a 1958 ranch and have pink GE cabinets and to learn more about the cabinets I bought a ton of old magazines, in which ads use the term “woodtone brown” to refer to the color in question. Most of my neighbors, original owners had that color. In fact, the house next door still has cabinets in that color including the built-in refrigerator designed by George Nelson.
pam kueber says
Thank you, Patrick! I knew you would know!!!