Appliances in 60s kitchens broke free from the traditional white and beige. Companies like General Electric, Westinghouse and Frigidaire introduced a rainbow of options. This shift reflected a move towards personal expression and fun in home decor.
Popular hues of the 60s
- Turquoise: This lively shade was a favorite. Turquoise refrigerators and stoves brought a fun, retro vibe to kitchens.
- Harvest gold: Earthy and warm, harvest gold was perfect for creating a cozy kitchen feel.
- Avocado green: This unique green paired well with wood cabinets, offering a modern and natural look.
- Coppertone: With a sleek, metallic finish, coppertone appliances added a touch of sophistication to any kitchen.
Colorful appliances were just one part of a bigger design shift. Kitchens became central, enjoyable spaces. Built-in appliances became popular, blending smoothly with cabinetry for a cohesive look. The focus was on creating a kitchen that was both attractive and efficient.
ALSO SEE: Cool 1970s kitchen decor: How to give your modern kitchen a groovy vibe without going overboard
Ads of the time pushed the colorful kitchen trend hard. TV commercials and magazine ads showed happy families enjoying their bold and bright kitchens. Celebrities and TV shows, like Bewitched, showcased modern kitchens with colorful appliances, influencing public tastes.
In short, the 1960s transformed the American kitchen. Bright appliances turned kitchens into lively spaces reflecting the era’s upbeat spirit. Below, we’ve collected some photos that capture just how far some designers went with the crazy and colorful concepts — which included some pretty bold patterns, even on the refrigerators!
WILD: Color invades the kitchen – Decorator appliances
It’s an exciting new trend in appliances — an idea that’s been growing by leaps and bounds ever since the first tame departure from clinical white to pale pastels and subdued browns.
All of this newly-unleashed color is part of a bigger trend toward more imaginative design in the kitchen. The thinking behind the trend is that since so much of your time is spent in the kitchen, and so much money is invested there, it ought to be at least as colorful and attractive as any other room in the house. And a wildly colorful kitchen might very well inspire you to some wildly creative cooking.
So why not have a red dishwasher, a green refrigerator, a blue range? Then coordinate them with all the exciting new materials available now for floors, work surfaces and walls.
It goes without saying, of course, that this new color excitement is just one more wonderful feature of today’s appliances — a plus factor added to the marvelous performance you expect and deserve from them.
ALSO SEE: The mid century modern kitchen: These pink kitchens from the 1950s are unforgettable
Above: Avocado-green refrigerator — part of General Electric’s colorful line of appliances.
Deep-blue electric range by Frigidaire. Refrigerators are available in matching color.
Right: Refrigerator / freezer by Philco, covered here in washable paper. Also faced with any of 150 durable plastic colors, patterns.
Below: Lavender porcelain finish for Gaffers & Sattler built-in oven and rotisserie in one of 10 available colors.
Right: Pennsylvania Dutch design decorates Kelvinator dishwasher. Matching refrigerator and range available (and other designs).
Amana refrigerator / freezer, faced in striped plastic. Other facings include washable coated fabric with wall covering to match.
Black gas range by Crown. Their full line of ranges comes in nine different colors.
Colorful retro kitchens with Amana: First in decorator refrigerators (1966)
Gives you a choice of 329 colorful designs
Only Amana can give you this exciting new custom look in your choice of 329 designs. All in a wide range of models and sizes. Decorator designs, fitted to the model you prefer, tie-in with kitchen plans, your colors as no other refrigerator-freezer can. Change designs any time you wish. Even go back to white.
ALSO SEE: 18 cute & cheap kitchen cabinet facelift ideas from the 60s & 70s
And you can have your new Amana any day you say. Decide on an Amana refrigerator — with freezer at the bottom or our new side-by-side that puts freezer alongside the refrigerator. See both (and the Decorator Book that shows all 329 designs) at your Amana dealers, or write for free literature.
Introducing: The invisible refrigerator (1967)
From Amana comes the refrigerator that lets you play house. Down with dullsville in the kitchen. Breakfast with color each morning, thanks to Amana. Because only Amana offers a choice fo 329 decorator panels with side-by-side or freezer-at-the-bottom style refrigerators.
Colorful retro kitchens: A space-age teak-look refrigerator from Frigidaire
The ’60s retro kitchen: Black & white & red all over
MORE: 40 vintage breakfast nook ideas to make a cozy kitchen corner
Funky & fancy fridge designs for colorful retro 60s kitchens, from Kelvinator (1964)
Refrigerator decorated for Christmas
DON’T MISS THIS: 8 vintage sixties kitchens with Flair ranges: Pull-out electric stoves & glass oven doors that opened upwards
One Response
so cool. thanks for making this post!!