Posted on: June 14, 2006

Kitchen Kaleidoscope

Couture colors have stepped off the runway, onto appliances – and, perhaps, all over you. Can an eggplant mixer ever live peacefully with the day glow blender? Before color runs amok in your kitchen, take our advice.

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Remember how exciting and overwhelming it was when you got a giant box of crayons as a child? You had so many choices.

Now that you’re grown up, you’re facing the same dizzying number of options when you select colors – ranging from peridot stoneware to dark chestnut teakettles – for your kitchen.

But unlike your drawings, which you’d tear up if you didn’t like the colors, you’re not about to discard thousands of dollars in kitchenware if you decide you hate mauve.

How can you be sure that smashing periwinkle blue CornuFé range will be as fashionable in five years as it is today?

And, when KitchenAid has more than 50 colors and finishes in mixers alone, how can you ever decide which to buy?

If you feel bombarded by color, you’re not alone.

“As a designer I find it’s so easy for consumers to get overwhelmed. Because appliances are so expensive, [décor] clients could be making safe choices that don’t express themselves,” says Heidi Karpa, who works with HGTVkitchendesign.com and HGTVbathdesign.com.

The answers to your decorating dilemmas, say kitchen designers, are to be found in fashion – not interior design fashion --– but what’s being shown in clothing magazines and by what’s in your closet.

The hottest hues on the pages of Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar this month are what you’ll see on the floor of your appliance dealer next year, says Kirsti Wolfe, an interior architecture designer specializing in kitchens and baths.

“Lime green was in fashion last year and it’s in appliances this year,” says Wolfe, who lives in Bend, Ore. The same thing goes for last summer’s metallic accessories, such as bronze handbags. This year it’s “oiled bronze” appliances from Jenn-Air.

However, just as you’re not a slave to clothing fads, you needn’t follow the ephemeral world of kitchen color. Instead, be true to yourself, says Karpa, with Spatial Interest, Inc. in the Chicago area.

She suggests taking your kitchen cues from your clothing.

“Look in your jewelry box, look in your clothes closet. See the color distribution in your wardrobe,” says Karpa, who likens kitchen design to fashion.

“If you never wear orange, really think about that [color] as a kitchen investment,” Karpa says.

Let your kitchen reflect your personal taste.

Do you want to present a sleek appearance in which one accessory stands out, or do you prefer a bohemian look in which layers of accessories draw the viewer’s eye?

When you dress, if you like to highlight one fabulous element, use the same approach in your kitchen. Maybe it’s a major appliance, such as a range or refrigerator, in a bold color.

If your style is bohemian and you’re drawn to eclectic layers of clothing and multiple chains and bangles, take that as a cue, says Karpa.

Since guys also are fashion-conscious, whether in their garb or their kitchen design, Karpa suggests men use their neckties for inspiration. Bold patterned ties say you’re open to bold kitchen colors.

Here are tips for using color in your kitchen.

1. Don’t invest too heavily in a color fad.

“If everyone has tangerine and you think it’s fun, buy tangerine towels. You’ll find out quickly whether it’s you,” Karpa says.

2. Just as you seek out particular clothing shades that flatter you, do the same with your kitchen.

“Take green for example. You can tone it down to more serene and peaceful sage or olive. I love to use yellow in the kitchen. It’s a sunshine color, but it can be too bright, which is shocking. You can tone down the color and bring it back in a tile,” Wolfe says.

3. Avoid matchy-matchy kitchen colors. Keep it subdued, says Wolfe.

4. Lighting effects color, so take it into account when you shop.

“I’ve realized doing projects all around the country that the same color is perceived differently in different parts of the country depending on the latitude,” Wolfe says.

Color Forecast

When companies select their color schemes they don’t wait for the fall fashion spreads. To get a jump on trends they subscribe to color marketing companies and hire consultants, along with looking at fashion and the auto world, says Brian Maynard, spokesman for KitchenAid, Benton Harbor, Mich.

With all this forecasting it’s possible to go too far, according to Maynard.

Several years ago, KitchenAid introduced chameleon, a metallic finish that changed color according to where people stood looking at the object. It never came out.

The company also introduced purple and chocolate brown a few years ago.

“Fashion writers liked it, but the colors were too far ahead for consumers; the colors never hit the stores until recently,” Maynard says.

That guesswork may not be a problem much longer. Thanks to new techno-logy KitchenAid is close to offering custom-colored appliances.

“We’re not too far from the day when a consumer will be able to send a swatch of wall paper or fabric to KitchenAid and we’ll make a mixer for that consumer.

“I say we’re in a few years of that if not sooner,” Maynard says.

Meanwhile, here’s a glimpse of what you can expect for winter (2007/2008).

Anticipate shale and sparrow mixed with the familiar green, blue and burgundy families, according to a report from Pantone, Inc., Carlstadt, N.J., a company that issues color forecasts and that major manufacturers consult on their color choices.

Neutrals mixed with gold, brown, purple and violet also will be popular. Designers will be adding olive and sesame to the mix for a natural look, according to Pantone.

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Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"

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