One of the big names in high-end kitchen appliances — the Viking range company — seems to offer the widest variety of colors to choose for your refrigerator, stove, oven and dishwasher. Including: Yes, some pretty decent proxies — well, close as I could find — for famous (or infamous) postmodern kitchen appliance colors including harvest gold, avocado green, Brady Bunch orange and even poppy — a color that the industry made a big, failed push to introduce in the early 1970s. Of course, Viking does not use these names. Theirs are the more socially acceptable Golden Mist, Mint Julep (which I acknowledge is not a good avocado, really), Pumpkin and Apple Red. And of course, these appliances are not going to be inexpensive; I never said this was a site only about cheap and cheerful. Did you know that Viking bought the famous St. Charles steel kitchen cabinet brand a few years ago, and is marketing these steel kitchen cabinets again today? The cabinets are so expensive they won’t even tell me how much a single one costs.
Hey: If I were rich rich rich enough to afford a kitchen full of Viking appliances, you can bet I’d be getting the colors. My favorite right this very moment is the harvest gold.
Brian says
I agree with Rebecca! I can’t stand the giant logos. I won’t wear clothing that has any writing on it, and I don’t want advertising in my kitchen either. Of the colors shown, the taupe seems to be most to my taste –a little unexpected but not a screamer, easy to coordinate with, and hard to get tired of. As long as we’re fantasizing, I’ll fantasize that I no longer have to work, and my mornings are frequently spent drinking coffee in the kitchen of my friend next door who has the poppy-colored appliances.
Guy H. says
Beautiful! If only some of the low end companies got into this!
Rebecca Prichard says
Great colors! Too bad they have to put their logo so HUGE.
TappanTrailerTami says
I agree Rebecca – logo was one of my primary concerns when I bought new appliances (form over function here).
I ended up buying a slightly rounded top french door GE refrigerator in white. I gotta love the GE logo because A) it is small and B) they have been using the script GE inside a circle forever! My logo is chrome with black GE letters, but I bought replacements from their Cafe line, which are chrome with RED letters! So vintage looking!
The dishwasher I bought is a white Kenmore, and there isn’t a logo to be seen anywhere on it. I bought two of the Cafe line red/chrome GE logos and I’m sticking the second on on my Kenmore dishwasher since it has no logo at all….I figure no one will ever know, haha.
sally says
I recently scored a cobalt blue Viking range on Craig’s List. Hardly used–under $1k and it came with a Rohl/Shaw fire clay sink. But if I had an unlimited budget for my (1925 Spanish Mission) house renovation I would completely fall in love with the seafoam or orange color.
gsciencechick says
Wow, congrats on the great find!
sally says
I am thrilled..the hardly used range (seller said ‘trophy wife who never cooked”) was in a Miami waterfront tear down. When we went to pick it up, I noticed the farm house sink. The seller said–oh just take it, we don’t want anything ‘old’…Oh I love Craig’s List
Ima Pam says
In my imaginary world, cost is no object, and I have at least half a dozen homes to decorate? Orange!!! Real world, think I’ll stick with white. Now, if they come out with an antique-y brushed copper…
TappanTrailerTami says
Ima Pam – you CAN have a copper range if you seek out a vintage Chambers…I know they made copper ones. Of course, there is still the cost factor.
Ann-Marie Meyers says
Oooh, a vintage Chambers. I almost bought a house in Fort Worth that had one. But the house had problems. I would love a Chambers.
Now, if I got a Viking, I would take Lemonade.
Ima Pam says
I looked at pictures, oooh, wouldn’t I LOVE to have one of those super Chambers! We actually do have a Chambers in wall oven with the antique copper finish. Matching copper Rangemaster hood over Corning ceramic cooktop. I forgot to mention it’s the fridge that’s white. Even with metal fleck white counters and 1″ white tile backsplash all around, that darn giant white refrigerator looks out of place in its nook. Would be great to have a refrigerator of modest size, a bit of style, and coppery color again. Yes. I did say smaller fridge. LOL. Extra stuff can go in the harvest gold Whirlpool in the basement.
deb says
Racing Red all the way!
Gretchen S says
Oh, yes! I certainly would go for the poppy one!
Sharon says
LOVE orange. If I didn’t already get a seafoam green Big Chill, I would be looking at this.
Mary Tatum says
I am forever and always a fan of white appliances. 🙂 My mother installed them in 1970, during the avocado and harvest gold era, and that’s what the house had in 2003 when the house was sold (for 150X what they paid). She had an AWESOME “oven and a half” – the kind with buttons on the top.
Robin says
I’d be all over that orange! Love it.
Mary Tatum says
And no matter what I said below about white appliances, I LOVE the orange too. And that red. It’s a “what is fab, vs. what I’ll actually buy” delimma, right?