An original condition poppy red stove and refrigerator spotted roaming the wild! Along with avocado green, harvest gold and coppertone brown, poppy red was a color promoted for kitchen appliances in the 1970s. Poppy did not take off, so it’s rare to see these red appliances still around. Thanks to reader Trish who over on our Facebook page tipped us off to this terrific vintage stove and refrigerator in this rare and luminous color. [Update: Listing gone. Looks like these found a buyer!]I reached out to the seller, who gave me permission to feature these photos for our ever and ever archive. They are for sale in Des Moines, for just $350. And I bet if you ask real nice, the seller will even throw in that macrame owl, what a hoot 😉
Here is what the seller’s listing says:
-Mid 70’s Frigidaire Custom Deluxe Poppy Red Refrigerator and Stove for sale
-Both work, I just upgraded mine so these need a good home.
-Hard-to find poppy red, classic kitch/retro
-Super clean, like New
-Electric Stove and fridge with freezer produced between 1975-1977
-Selling them as a set, may consider an offer on the stove by itself but not the fridge alone.
-Asking $350 but make me an offer! First come first served
She also found an ad for Frigidaire appliances from 1972. This stove cost $289 in 1972. The refrigerator was $369. I think that’s way more money, adjusted for inflation, than we pay for appliance today.
Come on, someone must neeeeeeeed these!
Update: Thanks to some keen eyes, reader Janet in CT spotted another rare red appliance — this 1960s red GE range, listed for sale on the Pensacola, Florida Craigslist.
From the listing:
Vintage 1960’s Range. Original paint (RED), push button setting,very clean in good condition.
Wow, what a beauty. Mega thanks to the Craiglist seller for allowing us to archive their photos of this retro-licious red stove. According to the seller, there are already several interested parties and they think the stove will be sold before the week is through.
georgiapeachez says
Rare indeed! These would be so fabulous in a kitchen with some of that recently spotted mylar walllpaper, shazaam. I can just picture my preteen 70’s self in somebodies kitchen where these were in residence. If only I had a time machine. xo, suzy
lauren says
Love the red stove and frig. Would love to add some color in my kitchen with these.
Alexia says
Who were the crazy people who preferred harvest gold, avocado, and brown to POPPY? Those are gorgeous. And I only live about 5 hours from Des Moines…though I suppose I should buy a house before I start stocking up on large appliances…
lisa says
I love it! Wonder why that faded away while Harvest Gold took off? I’ve never liked the gold color, but the red is just beautiful. And really, any color in appliances is pretty nice.
I was just trying to convince myself that the red Bertazzoni stove would be worth its price.
jay says
Pretty neat! Take note of the radio, telephone and glass grapes. There’s alota retro going on in this picture.
jmb says
retro, if someone wants to re-live the mid seventies, but not mid century.
pam kueber says
I’m covering the 70s too! Even the 80s every now and then!
Allen says
Pam,
THANK YOU for covering the 70’s. I like the looks just as much as the 50’s and 60’s!!
Diane in CO says
The ’80’s? Really?
I agree, not mid-century (the ’70’s). I was married by 1970 so perhaps it depends on which decade you were living out your “formative years,” your youth…. My DIL is into the ’70’s! True mid-century = much more elegant/exciting design. Just MHO 🙂
Elaine says
My son was born in 1970 and he is really into the 70s. I float between space age 50s, hippie 60s and way out 70s. They all work together if you squint just right. I just scored me a 1970s Ethan Allen cogwheel coffee table that I coveted when I was setting up my first house and couldn’t afford!
Annie B. says
Coincidentally, I was just this week reading Thomas Hine’s “Great Funk” in which he described the Poppy color’s failure to take off. Before this reading, I never knew that a Poppy color existed. There it is in living color. And I love it!
Chris says
The glass grapes! The glass grapes!!!!! Oh my goodness — I have had a flashback to my childhood. I don’t remember who had them, but someone we knew — someone very COOL — had those grapes. I wished and wished that we had some too.
Wowzer!
(Oh — and the stove and frig are pretty fabulous, too!)
🙂
Diane in CO says
I love this comment.
Ruth says
OMG, you just got me started with the grapes comment. My mother had wooden grapes in teak. A whole bowl full of wooden teak fruit (a snappy centerpiece) bananas, apples, pears! You made my day with that memory.
gsciencechick says
YES! Someone in our family had the grapes, too, and I also don’t remember who it was. I was fascinated with them as a kid.
Chris says
I am supposed to be saving for a chair that I’m having upholstered, but DANG I WANT ME SOME GRAPES!
🙂
Mandy says
We had the glass grapes and a bowl full of more lifelike rubber grapes..and I now have a bountiful collection of the sisal macrame owls like the one shown here, which are up to about 8 or 9 now. Some are hanging..some are stored away safely. They get very brittle. I don’t want to lose them..ever. 🙁
Mandy says
Oops, my bad..I meant twine.
Ima Pam says
The poppy color was included in the retro Viking appliance colors blog from Feb 15, 2012..Is that the one you’re thinking of, Pam K?
pam kueber says
no…. i thought i had a story showing the true vintage colors including 70s poppy. the blog has gotten so big, i can’t find my own stories anymore!
nina462 says
Lovely! What a cheery color.
Becky from Iowa says
Oh, be still my heart. If that stove was gas, I’d be heading down the road to Des Moines (I live about 3 hours away) this instant.
But I just can NOT go back to electric coils. Never again.