Alas, it has now become a cliche, this time of year, for all manner of manufacturers doing business in the color arena to declare their Color of the Year. As a result, I am now evolving to dislike this tradition — seems to me yet another way that marketeers are trying to convince the mass of America to dislike what they already have for grass that is greener (or purpler, or whatever). Nonetheless, I will give this a try for at least one more year. My annual Color of the Year selection is a bit of a different stripe: I like to show how colors of bygone days are just fine, very pretty, thank you very much. So, for 2014, our Retro Renovation Color of the Year is one of the most disparaged of vintage colors: Harvest Gold. I like this color very much. This is a wonderful color. Phlew on you, marketeers and interior design fascionistas, who try to convince us that harvest gold is h***** and d**** and must be banished in favor of (the baloney you are trying to sell us today). Above: Formica selected a harvest gold shade for both the walls and carpet in this 1966 advertisement. See how harvest gold plays so nice with others? Above: Maribeth’s kitchen came with a harvest gold dishwasher.
Harvest Gold as we know it catches fire in 1967
I have not done all the historical research to back this statement up, but: I believe that what we now call harvest gold — a somewhat muddy lightish gold — has always been a popular color in home decorating. A tarnished brass is not too far off from harvest gold. And before polymer lacquer was invented, brass tarnished. Linen takes on a lovely gold patina, all the more so when it oxidizes.
Gold has the effect of bringing a bit of yellow sunshine into a room. I think of it as a neutral. I have a harvesty gold wall to wall carpet in my basement, which has cherry paneled walls and overall, an early American feel, and it is a wonderful, warm base for the space. My bedroom walls are gold.
Of course, today we associate the color Harvest Gold with the 1970s, when it became a very popular as a color for kitchen appliances, in particular.
Important history of Harvest Gold for kitchen appliances: According to reader Patrick, who has done a lot of research on appliance colors, GE introduced the color Harvest (never officially know as Harvest Gold) in 1967 Spring 1968. “This color along with Avocado,” he said, “catches on like wild fire and is offered until circa 1984.”
In an updated comment (originally posted in comments, below), Patrick says:
General Electric introduced the color Harvest (GE never called it Harvest Gold) in the Spring of 1968 and soon other manufacturers followed suit. In 1976 all the appliance manufacturers picked a standardized color palette to begin being offered in 1977. Prior to this decision the colors offered by one manufacturer did not exactly match the colors that an other manufacturer offered, ergo if you wanted to mix and match appliance brands your only choice was to pick white so the colors would be harmonious. At the end of 1976 General Electric started running a campaign introducing its New Naturals color palette in home magazines of the day. The new colors were Harvest Wheat, Fresh Avocado, Coffee, Onyx, Snow White, and a new color called Almond……. Harvest Gold as it became known was offered into the mid 80’s.
Above: Wilsonart put this color on to laminates in the late 1960s, although I squinty squinty cannot see what they named this color.
Above: The color was popular on upholstery and as an accent color in earth-toned interiors popular in the 1970s. But HEY, pretty much this same color can be found on sparkly frieze upholstery back in the 1950s, too. Okay, maybe the old gold has a little less green in it, but it’s darn close. Both photos from: 10 Kroehler sofas from 1976.
Why did Harvest Gold fall from favor?
In a consumer-driven society, these big color trends eventually collapse under the weight of their own popularity. Actually, it’s a testament to the fact that through the 1980s, we were so less consumer-driven that color trends like harvest gold even lasted as long as they did. Today, I think that the color cycles of what’s “in” and what’s “out” are turning faster and faster. Beware buying according to trends!
Disclaimer
I love all colors.
I am saying “harvest gold” in a wide sense. Warm golds and even yellows that tend toward the warm gold — like ripened cornfields… the leaves on sugar maples in the fall… and Sting’s mesmerizing fields of gold:
Do you use this color in your house today?
jay says
You go girl! I agree, colors go in and out way too fast. I have a harvest gold blender, pyrex and warming tray which came out on thanksgiving to keep the food warm. My memmory of the color was in my mother’s best friend’s living room when she redecorated in the early 70s – early american. The couch was gold nubby fabric and the recliner was avocado nubby with a seat and back of green and gold plaid. The carpet was scultured dark green. It all wore very well. The room stayed this way until we closed out her house in 2000. It’s a very warm color.
MCM is Grand says
My parents painted my childhood home in that color!
philq says
Are you my brother?
Roundhouse Sarah says
!!! My best friend’s mom was given several pieces of that giant brown couch that you have featured in the photographs above! I didn’t know that it was that big and was missing so many parts! How exciting, I’m going to have to text her that photo later today. She will get such a kick out of seeing that.
Great choice for color of the year! I love it and it’s yellowy golden goodness!
Marjie says
My mom’s best friend used to sell fine furniture back in the day, when those big sofas came out they were called “pit groups” ……
Jenny A. says
I have harvest gold sprinkled throughout my home. Our living room drapes are harvest gold and when the sun is shining they bathe everything in a nice glowy light. Plus, harvest gold plays well with last year’s retro color of the year 😉
ChrisH says
No HG memories, but I do note that green is out of favor right now. It’s too bad for those of us who like green.
Roundhouse Sarah says
Green? Why? What shade? Who declared this? If it’s hunter green… Then maybe I can see that, but all the other hundreds of shades of green?! No…that’s crazy…
Jay says
Huh! That’s news to me. LL Bean and Vermont Country both feature domestic goods in shades of green. Might not be the shade you desire but they feature the color. I just had green carpeting installed, there were numerouse shades to choose from. If only the “it” color was featured on goods, not enough stuff would sell to suit the manufa cturers. Only a percentage of folks are slaves to fashion trends and marketing.
Janet in CT says
I don’t have any now, but my first apartment had white cabinets with harvest gold door and drawer fronts and an Amish inspired folksy wallpaper in gold, avocado and bittersweet orange. It was indeed as cheerful as could be and I loved it. The kitchen of the 1957 ranch we are currently moving to had alot of harvest gold in it. The bedroom is still that color and I am finding clues that the kitchen was originally painted that color, but is now a lighter yellow. The floors are still harvest gold though but are worn and have to be replaced. I am sure it was lovely when done. As I unpacked last week, I could imagine the former owner would have been thrilled to see the harvest gold things I still have from when I got married. I still haven’t unearthed my GE books from the piles in the basement, but I believe the Harvest with the darker shading around the edges was dropped but the plain gold continued for a few more years under another name. People substituted the almond but they were not happy!
Patrick Coffey says
General Electric introduced the color Harvest (GE never called it Harvest Gold) in the Spring of 1968 and soon other manufacturers followed suit. In 1976 all the appliance manufacturers picked a standardized color palette to begin being offered in 1977. Prior to this decision the colors offered by one manufacturer did not exactly match the colors that an other manufacturer offered, ergo if you wanted to mix and match appliance brands your only choice was to pick white so the colors would be harmonious. At the end of 1976 General Electric started running a campaign introducing its New Naturals color palette in home magazines of the day. The new colors were Harvest Wheat, Fresh Avocado, Coffee, Onyx, Snow White, and a new color called Almond……. Harvest Gold as it became known was offered into the mid 80’s
pam kueber says
Thank you for this clarification, Patrick — and for all of your research! It is really valuable — THANK YOU!
Joe Felice says
White from different manufacturers may have been “harmonious,” but not a perfect match, as anyone can attest who has ever tried to touch-up a white appliance. You have to get paint from that specific manufacturer, ans, sometimes, it even changed over the years. I found the same to be true with almond. And don’t forget: Some manufacturers had shaded doors that went from dark on the edge to light in the middle.
Elizabeth clement says
Pam,
On Pittsburgh Craig’s List under general/ Dec 1, Lamps listed. This person has acquired and unbelievable collection of vintage lamps for sale. Thought would pass along, may help someone complete a room.
Love you site, and the community of readers are so inspiring.
Thank you! Elizabeth
Jody says
Darn, I can’t seem to find the listing you’re talking about, Elizabeth 🙁
georgiapeachez says
Luv me some harvest gold. Especially to balance out my avocado green and turquoise.
linda h says
Yep, me too. The color scheme throughout my home is orange, harvest gold and avacado. Also a bit of tourquoise her and there. Love harvest gold, and it is my husband’s favorite color in our color scheme.
Puddletown Cheryl says
My mother, now 92, loved her Harvest Gold appliances, thank you very much. They coordinated with her Avocado Green Early American family room furniture. She tells me that Early American furniture made her “heart go pitty-pat”. We were reminising about the kitchen the other day.
My dad got a brown suit that coordinated with a gold shirt and wide striped tie. He was resistant at first, that is until all the women teachers and high school girls at our school showered him with praise. The male teachers made fun of him but it didn’t take more than a week before they started showing up in up in new wide ties. Guys like to pretend they aren’t slaves to fashion. Lol
Tracey C. says
My retro-hip mom (who would be 94) L-O-V-E-D her Frigidaire Harvest Gold, refrigerator/freezer side by side, with a split top door on the freezer side so you could just open the top for the ice (no ice maker then) and not let the cold air escape from the frozen foods….and on the outside of the top freezer door, there was a cubby that held a tape recorder (full-size) that was like a modern day message center. You could leave your kids a message telling them what to cook for dinner! I think we got it in 1974 or 5???
It was pretty far-out back then:) The Harvest Gold color made it really hip. Any other color wouldn’t have been able to carry off the look!
Kathy Merchant says
Ooooo, I’ve been secretly waiting for the Mid Mod craze to come around to include more of the Early American vibe! I grew up with a lot of it too and cherish the maple furniture from my mom now in my ’59 rambler. Would love to see more of it here on Retro Ren but I always felt like it didn’t quite belong yet.
Casey says
I love the room in the Formica brochure. I never would have thought to pair the Harvest Gold with the… peach? coral? counters. Very warm and inviting.
Anne-Marie Cory says
Casey, I would have never thought to match them either but, as we pull away layers of re-modeling in our 1969 tri-leval home, we are discovering a peach a gold color scheme. Here what I know about how the two played together in out house:
Exterior: Yellow/brown/black brick below, topped with peach wood work.
Downstairs family area-white and gold tile.
Kitchen- peach and gold-ish vinyl floor. ( I imagine those St.Charles cabinets would have been a darling and PERFECT match)
Upstairs bath had same peach vinyl floor & white walls with gold “splashes” .
A harvest gold run in the living room would have made perfect sense and kept the whole scheme “grounded”.
I would LOVE to see pictures, if anyone has any, of this same sort of color pairing going on now.
TerriLynn says
The kitchen in my 1952 ranch has this color formica. It is a peachy tan-ish color, and a 1972-ish harvest gold stove. I actually hadnt thought it was as old as this, but I guess maybe it is! I will send pictures to Pam when I get home, I dont have a good picture here at work.
Anne-Marie says
OH Thank you! I am super excited to see them!