Whirlpool Sunset Bronze kitchen appliances: Yes, the company has introduced this color and it will be available for purchase this fall. We first wrote this possible introduction a year and a half ago, and got 200 comments from people who eagerly wanted this warm color for their kitchen. Whirlpool was coy about whether it would actually introduce the color, but howdy hudee: Here it is. I like it because it reminds me of: vintage coppertone appliances. Whirlpool says the color, which is “achieved by color blocking painted stainless steel, is a perfect blend of gold, copper and bronze tones.”
BuilderOnline.com, which was at the show where this announcement was made, reported that the suite would be available on Whirlpool’s French door refrigerator, built-in dishwasher, over range microwave, and range oven.
BuilderOnline.com also talked to the company’s color manager for finishes, and reported that the company wanted to “soften the design of its appliances” and make them less industrial looking. It’s hygee time for kitchen appliances, tee hee!
The finish is also fingerprint proof. But it’s still stainless steel underneath, so that means no magnets on the fridge. Pooh. Now that would be cozy!
What do you think, readers? Are you interested in this new color for your retro kitchen?
Felicia Alexander says
It’s hard to be certain just from computer monitor photos, but that color appears warm only by comparison with stainless steel, I think. As other readers have already noted, it’s still very “steel-y” in appearance, and it’s still designed to coordinate with cabinetry in white or cool-toned dark brown. The only natural wood tones I can imagine it going with are very pale maple and birch (the kind that serves as the wallpaper for this website). It won’t work with the warm blond to medium oak tones characteristic of much midcentury cabinetry, so for some renovators at least, this fridge would call for further compromises in the direction of a 2010s color palette.
Lexi says
I think they just found a way to make stainless steel beige. Hats off to them, I didn’t think it could be done.
But it’s not for me! I continue to yearn for a brown big chill refrigerator!
ALLISON says
Eggzactly!
Greige appliances; hooda thunk?
Renee says
I love my Big Chill , worth every cent ! We got their new smaller model and we have plenty of room. You should get it. If money is an issue, they can arrange a payment plan
cathie says
Its ok. I don’t think its going to take off and it’ll probably be quickly discontinued. If they want to really introduce something interesting, how about true colours – pastel green, blue, orange, pink. Those colours are out there now but its a niche market. Maybe by making it more mainstream, like at the Home Depot mainstream, it would become more successful and they’d make more money going that route, rather than just this vary slight variation of something that’s already commonly available.
ineffablespace says
I am not a marketer, and am fairly immune to marketing, and god knows I don’t like a lot of things that seem to appeal to the typical consumer (such as making completely renovated houses look like they haven’t been renovated).
But I think part of the issue here may be the way that appliance manufacturers market to begin with.
They always market new colors as part of entire suites of appliances. They never offer anything in a stand-alone finish or color (Actually I think it was Whirlpool who offered apartment sized refrigerators in red and navy a few years back although it may have been Frigidaire).
There was a time when appliances did not match and did not have to match. When Chambers offered their Copper Ranges and ovens, they did not have a refrigerator to go with it. International Harvester had a refrigerator door you could cover with fabric.
There were stainless steel cooktops and hoods long before stainless steel refrigerators were readily available (with a few exceptions like Revco and Sub Zero, etc.)
Even companies who offer fairly custom colors, like Viking, pretty much market the matching fridges and dishwashers with their primary product, which is ranges.
A few companies (foriegn based, usually) offer individual colored appliances, like Bertazzoni with ranges and Smeg with refrigerators. But Smeg refrigerators are kind of marketed to be quirky and gimmicky, not as workhorse refrigerators.
So, I dunno, if the are marketing these colors always as something that is part of a matching set, it’s going to influence people not to buy all three new major appliances at once, but to go with the safe color that is likely to match whatever they have to replace next.
la573 says
That doesn’t explain though why it was once commonplace for full-line appliance manufacturers like General Electric or Frigidaire to offer nearly all their different appliances in a choice of about six colors but today rarely make anything that isn’t stainless steel, black, or white (and sometimes dark grey/slate), basically nothing that’s off the greyscale. Smaller manufacturers that primarily made only one type of appliance such as cooking (Chambers, Caloric), dishwashers (KitchenAid back when they were owned by Hobart), or laundry (Speed Queen) still offered a range of color options. Many colors seemed to be standardized throughout the industry, such as pastels like light blue and pink (1950s), aquamarine and coppertone (’60s), harvest gold and avocado (’70s), and almond (’80s), which meant you could match colors even if you chose appliances from different brands. Today, it seems there is no such collaboration going on and an occasional new color will be introduced on a small range of appliances by one brand only, trying to stand out by having something unique. Invariably these get discontinued after a few years of slow sales.
Jay says
Nice color but if I read correctly, it’s a painted finish over stainless; wonder how it would hold up. Just bought a stainless wall oven and dishwasher two years ago so not in the market for appliances right now.
Geronimom says
I really like the color – and since we are already considering replacing all of our appliances (they seem to all be wanting to crap out at once!), would definitely consider buying replacements in Sunset Bronze…however, we require a double oven and I don’t see that option available. The lack of being able to display our massive magnet collection on the fridge would be a minor fly in the ointment as well.
Karin says
A lot of fridges being made today have magnetic sides. We thought we’d have to ditch our magnet collection too until we found that the sides of our new nonmagnetic fridge were magnetic. Neat-o!
LuAnn says
I am very drawn to this new color because it is warm, which is a nice departure from the cold gray, white and black popular kitchen color schemes of late. I think they would look nice in my 1972 kitchen with maple cabinets, wood floors, and olive/avocado countertops. We moved almost a year ago, and haven’t done much yet except some painting and replacing fences (and decorating, natch). All of the black appliances that came with the house are working, but have definitely seen better days. I wouldn’t mind replacing them all at once, but will have to check out prices and featutes. As much as I like the new color, I hesitate committing to a new color made by only one manufacturer for the reasons mentioned above by ineffable. And, this may sound funny, but I have quite a collection of magnets on my fridge that I love, love, love!
Lynne says
I have a stainless fridge. I wound up putting my magnets on my washer and dryer.
LuAnn says
Good work-around, Lynne! I’ll keep that in mind. ????
steve H says
They look fine, but my first reaction is that the new color looks virtually the same as regular stainless steel, maybe just a half shade warmer. I would never buy a fridge with all of that gadgetry – too much to go wrong. I’m an ice cube tray kind of guy.
Carolyn says
steve H – I hear ya ‘bro! I think of ook in the water lines and how do you clean that out? Ew! In 15 yrs, I still am not that keen on all glass shelves instead of wire.
My fridge is bottom freezer, which I like much better, but SOMEbody spilled something that “he didn’t see” and I’m wondering how to pull the drawer out to wipe that up. But nowadays all the fridges are so deep only orangutans can reach to the back.
They’ve warmed up the stainless with this but…it’s still stainless. Supposedly the reason kitchens are so open is because people mingle in there. If you don’t have stuff stuck to the fridge, what in the world do you talk about?!
ineffablespace says
I think it’s great that Whirlpool (and other companies) occasionally attempt introductions of appliance colors onto the market. (The other current alternate option is various “black stainless” finishes by other manufacturers.)
In my opinion, there is really only one finish offered right now, and that is stainless. The reason I say this is that if you look at full featured appliances in the middle of the market or above, you can’t even get them in white or black. (Try finding a mid-range full featured wall oven in white).
I think that the introduction of a new appliance color is faced with a lot of obstacles:
People very rarely replace all of their appliances at once. So the market is going to be partially driven by the new construction and renovation market.
And since people rarely replace all their appliances at once, people are afraid of unusual colors, because they want their appliances to match. I belong to a forum where people agonize over various stainless steel or white finishes “matching”.
Despite wanting their appliances to match, people have moved away from buying a single brand of appliances when they do have to replace an appliance. They buy by feature, so it’s not uncommon that they may like a Whirlpool refrigerator, and a Bosch dishwasher and a GE range. So if the color is offered only by one manufacturer, people are limited to that manufacturer. –So again, full appliance suite purchasing is going to go back to new construction or maybe package purchases at the time of a remodel. (And again people are going to be afraid because of the likelihood of having to replace different appliances at different times).
I grew up in an era of relative appliance reliability also with a mixed brand and finish kitchen (white and stainless). At by the time the house was sold, it had the original ovens, the second cooktop, the third refrigerator and the fourth dishwasher.
I think unusual colors do better in the washer and dryer market because it’s only a pair of appliances and people often replace them as pairs. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years.
Would I be interested in these appliances for my kitchen when it comes time to remodel? I would say that I am interested in colored appliances, yes. But I am one of those buyers who likes different brands for different appliances, and I am also not a fan of French door or full-depth refrigerators. So I would probably pass, because color is not going to be the primary motivator.
Rick S says
I think you are absolutely right. It is a nicer color than stainless but unless someone is buying or replacing all at once it could look odd.
When my wife’s stove was on it’s way out we decided to replace all with Biscuit color, like what was there since 1997. Very limited selection, but it is the best color for the birch cabinets, antique brass hardware, and wallpaper. We also had 34″ instead of 36″ opening for the fridge.
Our kitchen has two brands to get them all the same color and colors match just fine 🙂
rick
Jay says
Excellent point made about brands and color matching. Maybe other brands will embrace the color. Not a fan of the French door fridge either.
Minnie says
Miele makes a gorgeous set of white appliances, yum!
[edited to direct to a more useful link]: https://www.mieleusa.com/domestic/search-2015.htm?q=brilliant+white+plus&fq=&syns=&start=0&rows=10
la573 says
Dacor, Viking, and a company called Fulgor Milano also have a selection of high-end white ovens (Viking has red, burgundy, and blue as well). BlueStar (and AGA for stoves) have all sorts of custom colors if you’re willing to pay for them.
Mary Elizabeth says
I love the color, but I don’t think it would go with my knotty pine kitchen. I would have to see a sample.